Job Description

The Head of Payment Operations is responsible for leading and managing the end-to-end payment operations function to ensure high payment success rates, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and strong partnerships with payment providers.

This role oversees the operational performance of all payment channels including cards, alternative payment methods, digital wallets, and bank transfers, while ensuring seamless transaction processing across markets.

The role requires strong expertise in payment ecosystems, card schemes, acquiring, fraud and risk controls, payment optimization, and operational governance.

The role will work closely and support the Head of Payment and Strategic Partnerships (Cap A Group) to implement payment related initiatives that will benefit the Capital A group of companies as well as AirAsia Airlines.

This role will report into MOVE Travel CEO or any assigned Head of Departments. 

Key Responsibilities

1. Payment Operations Leadership

• Lead the Payment Operations team responsible for the daily management of all payment channels.

• Ensure stable and efficient end-to-end payment processing across global markets.

• Define and implement operational frameworks, processes, and governance for payment operations.

• Establish clear KPIs and SLAs to ensure operational excellence.

2. Payment Performance & Optimization

• Drive initiatives to improve payment success rates, authorization rates, and conversion performance.

• Monitor payment metrics including:

  • Payment success rates

  • Chargeback ratios

  • Fraud rates

• Work closely with payment product and technology teams to optimize routing, retry logic, and payment flows.

3. Payment Partner & Acquirer Management

• Manage operational relationships with:

  • Acquiring banks

  • Payment gateways

  • Payment service providers (PSPs)

  • Alternative payment providers

• Ensure partners meet agreed SLAs, uptime, and transaction performance standards.

• Support negotiations and operational onboarding of new payment partners.

4. Card Schemes & Payment Network Compliance

• Ensure compliance with requirements from card schemes and payment networks.

• Manage scheme operational processes including:

  • Chargebacks and dispute handling

  • Scheme compliance programs

  • Fraud monitoring and reporting

• Act as the key operational liaison with card schemes and acquirers.

5. Risk, Fraud & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure payment operations comply with relevant financial regulations, PCI DSS, and internal risk frameworks.

• Partner with fraud and risk teams to implement controls that balance fraud prevention with payment conversion.

• Monitor operational risk exposures across payment systems.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with internal teams including:

  • Payment Product

  • Engineering / Technology

  • Finance

  • Treasury

  • Customer Experience

  • Legal and Compliance

• Ensure operational readiness for new payment launches, market expansions, and system migrations.

7. Payment Incident & Escalation Management

• Establish incident management protocols for payment disruptions.

• Lead the resolution of payment outages, transaction failures, and partner escalations.

• Provide executive updates during critical incidents.

8. Reporting & Strategic Insights

• Provide regular reporting on payment performance and operational health.

• Identify trends and opportunities to improve cost efficiency, MDR optimization, and payment acceptance.

• Support leadership with data-driven insights for payment strategy.

Key Qualifications

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in payments, fintech, e-commerce, or financial services.

• Proven leadership experience managing payment operations or payment infrastructure teams.

• Strong knowledge of:

  • Card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.)

  • Acquiring and payment gateways

  • Alternative payment methods and wallets and Cross-border payments.

Technical & Domain Knowledge

• Deep understanding of:

  • Payment authorization flows

  • Payment success optimization

  • Chargeback lifecycle

  • Fraud management

  • PCI DSS and payment compliance requirements.

Leadership & Skills

• Strong operational leadership and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to work across technology, finance, and commercial teams.

• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical capabilities.

• Experience managing complex global payment ecosystems.