Card Acquiring Specialist

KCB is seeking an experienced professional for the position of Card Acquiring Specialist. The role will support the growth and management of the Bank’s merchant acquiring business across POS, Agent Banking POS, card payments, KCB Lipa, international money transfers and e-commerce solutions. The successful candidate will contribute to merchant acquisition, onboarding, activation, retention and revenue growth.

The position also involves managing relationships with merchants and payment service providers, supporting acquiring platforms, identifying cross-selling opportunities and ensuring high-quality customer service. The successful candidate will also help merchants understand payment acceptance, fraud prevention, chargeback management and AML requirements while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations and card scheme standards.

Responsibilities

Merchant Acquisition and Relationship Management

• Support merchant acquisition, onboarding, activation and retention.

• Support acquiring services across:

  

  • POS

  • Agent Banking POS

    

  • Card Payments

  • KCB Lipa

    

  • International Money Transfer

  • E-commerce solutions

    

• Build and maintain strong relationships with merchants and payment service providers.

• Act as the primary contact for acquiring customers.

• Ensure high levels of customer service and satisfaction.

• Understand merchant business needs and recommend suitable acquiring solutions.

• Manage customer requirements.

• Support retention and expansion of existing merchant accounts.

Sales and Business Development

• Develop and execute sales plans to achieve business targets.

• Support achievement of revenue objectives.

• Identify new merchant business opportunities.

• Identify cross-selling opportunities in collaboration with:

  • SME teams

  • Corporate teams

  • Branch teams

• Promote POS, e-commerce and other digital payment solutions.

• Drive adoption of value-added products and services.

• Increase revenue generated from existing customers.

Acquiring Platform Support

• Provide end-to-end support and administration for:

  • Card Acquiring

  • Merchant POS

  • Agent Banking POS

  • E-commerce

  • KCB Lipa

  • International Money Transfer platforms

• Support the effective operation of acquiring platforms.

• Coordinate the resolution of merchant and platform-related issues.

• Ensure customer requirements are addressed within appropriate service standards.

Merchant Assessment and Commercial Support

• Appraise merchant applications.

• Recommend qualified merchants based on applicable risk and business criteria.

• Support discussions and negotiations relating to pricing.

• Support contract negotiations with customers.

• Assist with operational discussions and arrangements with merchants.

• Make sound commercial decisions that support profitability and customer retention.

Merchant Training

• Coordinate merchant training on:

  • POS and card acceptance operations

  • Lipa Namba and e-commerce solutions

  • Fraud prevention

  • Chargeback management

  • Anti-Money Laundering requirements

  • Payment acceptance best practices

• Ensure merchants understand appropriate payment acceptance procedures.

• Promote responsible and secure use of acquiring solutions.

Risk, Compliance and Governance

• Understand merchant acquiring products and pricing models.

• Understand applicable acquiring risk strategies.

• Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.

• Ensure compliance with card scheme rules.

• Follow the Bank’s internal policies and procedures.

• Support appropriate risk management throughout merchant acquisition and account management.

• Promote compliance with AML and other applicable requirements.

Market Intelligence and Product Development

• Provide market intelligence to support business decision-making.

• Gather customer feedback on acquiring products and services.

• Monitor customer needs and emerging payment trends.

• Provide insights that support product enhancements.

• Contribute to payment product innovation.

• Monitor competitor developments and industry changes.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen the Bank’s acquiring proposition.

Reporting and Performance Monitoring

• Prepare daily performance reports.

• Prepare weekly performance reports.

• Prepare monthly management reports.

• Monitor merchant acquisition and customer activity.

• Track business performance against targets.

• Monitor market trends and customer activities.

• Provide relevant business insights to management.

Qualifications Required

Applicants should have:

• A Bachelor's degree in Banking, Finance or an equivalent field.

• Professional qualifications or experience in Merchant Acquiring and card operations will be an added advantage.

• A Master's degree in Business Administration will be an added advantage.

Experience Required

Candidates should have:

• At least 4 years of relevant professional experience.

• Experience in merchant acquiring or card payments.

• Experience supporting POS and digital payment solutions.

• Experience in merchant acquisition, onboarding and relationship management.

• Knowledge of payment service providers and acquiring platforms.

• Experience in sales, business development or digital financial services will be an advantage.

• Understanding of payment risks, fraud, chargebacks and AML requirements will be beneficial.

Skills and Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge of merchant acquiring and card payment services.

• Good understanding of POS and digital payment solutions.

• Strong sales and business development skills.

• Excellent merchant relationship management abilities.

• Strong customer service orientation.

• Good commercial and negotiation skills.

• Analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Knowledge of payment industry trends and competitors.

• Strong reporting and performance monitoring skills.

• Good understanding of regulatory and card scheme requirements.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to identify and develop new business opportunities.

• Ability to work effectively with merchants, branches, SME teams, Corporate teams and other stakeholders.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications through the official KCB recruitment platform. Applicants should provide accurate information and ensure that their academic qualifications and professional experience meet the requirements for the Card Acquiring Specialist position.

Final Thought

The Card Acquiring Specialist position offers an opportunity for an experienced banking and payments professional to contribute to merchant acquisition, digital payments growth and revenue generation. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree in Banking, Finance or an equivalent qualification and at least four years of relevant experience should consider this opportunity.