Job Title: Prepaid Card Product Manager
Term: 12 months
Location: Dubai, UAE
Division: Cards & Payments/ Retail Banking
Reports to: SVP- Head of Product
Relevant experience:
6–8 years in card product management, prepaid/digital payments, or fintech -with at least 3 years focused on card issuing or prepaid product lifecycle in the UAE/GCC.
Mandatory requirements:
- UAE market experience in prepaid card or digital payments product management
- End-to-end prepaid product launch experience (CVP design through go-live)
- Professional proficiency in English;
- Immediately available or 30- day notice period
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
The client is preparing to launch a digital wallet based on prepaid card product under its established consumer payment platform -a market-leading app serving secure fee payments, installment plans, and digital enterprise management tools. This role will own the end-to-end product lifecycle of the new prepaid card -from regulatory readiness and CVP definition through BIN setup, scheme onboarding, go-live, and post-launch portfolio optimization as well as the complete life cycle of the wallet proposition. The successful candidate will also carry portfolio management responsibilities across the platform's product ecosystem, ensuring the prepaid card integrates seamlessly with existing payment rails and drives measurable growth in card issuance, activation, and spend. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape a net-new prepaid proposition within a digitally progressive UAE bank that is actively expanding its digital payments footprint
Key Activities
- Product Launch Execution (~40%): Drive all prepaid card launch workstreams -including UAE Central Bank regulatory submissions, BIN setup, scheme onboarding (Mastercard/Visa), card profiling, KYC/AML flow design, limit configuration, testing, and go-live readiness.
- CVP Design & Commercialization (~25%): Define the prepaid card customer value proposition (features, pricing, rewards, digital wallet integration Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), ensuring alignment with the platform's existing user base and the client's broader retail strategy.
- Portfolio Management & P&L Oversight (~20%): Monitor portfolio performance across activation rates, average load/spend, revenue per active card, churn, and fraud; manage the prepaid card P&L (interchange, fees, funding costs, scheme fees) and recommend actions to improve profitability.
- Cross-Functional Coordination (~10%): Serve as the central product contact across the client's technology, operations, risk, finance, marketing, and platform teams, as well as external scheme partners and processors.
- Reporting & Governance (~5%): Prepare monthly performance dashboards and insight packs for senior stakeholders; support steering committees by tracking milestones, risks, and issue resolution.
Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities
- Own the end-to-end prepaid card product lifecycle -from CVP design, BIN setup, and scheme onboarding through configuration, UAT, pilot launch, full commercialization, and ongoing optimization - ensuring all launch dependencies (card profiles, limits, KYC/AML flows, settlement, fee structures) are delivered on time and to specification.
- Translate the agreed CVP into clear business requirements, product features, pricing models, and servicing models tailored to the platform's core user segments (parents, schools/institutions, students), ensuring the prepaid card complements existing payment methods (credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, direct debit).
- Design and execute customer acquisition and activation strategies for the prepaid card across the client's digital and branch channels, building onboarding and first-90-day journeys that maximize activation, first load, and early usage while reducing drop-off and time-to-first-transaction.
- Manage prepaid card portfolio performance and P&L, monitoring KPIs (active rate, average load/spend, revenue per active, ENR, churn, fraud rate) and recommending data-driven actions to improve profitability and sustainability; review P&L lines including interchange, fees, funding costs, and scheme fees.
- Continuously enhance the prepaid CVP based on customer feedback, competitor benchmarking, and performance analytics -identifying opportunities for segment-specific propositions (e.g., school-fee?linked prepaid, youth/student prepaid, institutional prepaid) and integrating with the platform's existing ERP, installment, and notification capabilities.
- Coordinate with scheme partners on scheme pricing, mandates, certifications, and compliance activities; support internal teams on any required scheme certifications and maintain alignment with card network rules and regulations.
- Act as a product owner in the squad to provide requirement inputs, resolutions to the issues, and to represent Business.
KPIs (indicative)
- New prepaid cards issued (monthly/quarterly)
- Activation rate within first 30 days of issuance
- Average load and spend per active prepaid account
- Portfolio revenue growth
- Time-to-market for prepaid card launch
- NPS / customer satisfaction for prepaid users
Knowledge and Experience
Domain Expertise
- Full lifecycle experience of prepaid card product management -ideation, regulatory approval, CVP design, BIN setup, scheme onboarding, launch, scaling, and optimization
- Understanding of card issuing operations: settlement, scheme pricing (interchange, assessment fees), card profiling, limit management, and fraud/chargeback processes
- Knowledge of digital wallet integration (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) and tokenization
- Experience with customer segmentation, CVP design, and rewards/loyalty program mechanics
Industry & Sector Experience
- UAE/GCC retail banking or fintech -particularly prepaid, debit, or digital payment products
- Familiarity with UAE Central Bank regulations for prepaid card issuance and stored value facilities
- Exposure to education technology (EdTech) or consumer payment platforms is a plus given the platform's positioning
Tools, Platforms & Technologies
- Card management platforms (e.g., TSYS Prime, PowerCARD, Way4, Marqeta, or similar issuer?processor platforms)
- Fraud management tools: Falcon, PRM, etc.
- Data analytics tools: SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent for portfolio analytics and reporting
- Product management tools: Jira, Confluence, or similar for backlog management and agile delivery
- Scheme portals and tools: Mastercard Connect / Visa Online for BIN management, scheme compliance, and mandate tracking
Soft Skills & Competencies
- Strong stakeholder management across business and technical teams ability to coordinate with technology, operations, risk, finance, marketing, and external partners simultaneously
- Excellent communication and presentation skills -ability to prepare executive-level dashboards, steering committee materials, and training toolkits
- Analytical mindset with a data-driven approach to product decisions and portfolio optimization
- Self-starter comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, cross functional environment
Preferred Certifications (Nice to Have)
- Mastercard Academy or Visa University certifications in card product management or digital payments
- Certified Payments Professional (CPP) from the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA)
- Agile/Scrum certification (e.g., CSPO, SAFe Product Owner)
- PMP or PRINCE2 for structured project delivery
MANDATORY SKILLS**
- Prepaid card product launch experience -end-to-end, from CVP design and BIN setup through go-live and post-launch optimization
- UAE/GCC market experience in card issuing or digital payments product management
- Portfolio analytics -ability to interpret performance data (activation, spend, churn, P&L) and translate into actionable product and commercial decisions
- Scheme coordination -working knowledge of Mastercard and/or Visa card issuing processes, pricing, and compliance requirements
- Professional proficiency in English