Card Issuing Portfolio Manager

How to Apply: Interested and qualified candidates should visit the Standard Bank Group careers page at www.standardbank.com to submit their application.

Prove You Can Steer Card Issuing From Strategy to Settlement

Card issuing portfolio roles are won by candidates who can talk credibly about the full value chain — from BIN sponsorship and tokenization to fraud controls and P&L levers. Standard Bank is hiring for someone who can modernize products while keeping operations, risk, and customer experience aligned. Your application needs to show you have done that at scale, not just managed a card product in isolation.

1. Map your card value chain experience: Hiring managers will scan your CV for evidence that you understand issuing, processing, switching, settlement, and chargebacks. Instead of listing duties, quantify outcomes: cards issued, activation rates, fraud loss reduction, or migration timelines you led. If you worked on contactless, virtual cards, or tokenization, name the platform and your specific role. This proves you can operate across the technical and commercial sides of the portfolio.

2. Lead with modernization wins: The posting explicitly asks for experience leading card modernization or digital transformation projects. Pick one project where you replaced or upgraded a core issuing platform, migrated a portfolio, or launched a new card product. Describe the business case, the cross-functional team you coordinated, and the measurable result. Be ready to explain trade-offs you made between speed, cost, and risk — that is what senior stakeholders will probe.

3. Show you speak fraud and operations fluently: Card issuing sits close to fraud management, collections, and customer servicing. Prepare examples of how you worked with fraud teams to tune rules, reduce false positives, or respond to a scheme mandate. Similarly, know how disputes and chargebacks flow through your operation. Interviewers often test whether you can hold a conversation with risk without hiding behind them, so bring concrete numbers and process knowledge.

4. Back up certifications with stories: PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, or Scrum certifications are listed as requirements, but the panel will want to hear how you actually applied them. Choose a project where you ran a steering committee, managed a vendor, or cleared a blocker using your methodology. Explain how you kept Technology, Marketing, and Operations moving toward the same milestone. A certificate alone will not convince them; a delivery story will.

5. Prepare for stakeholder influence questions: The role demands influencing Technology, Operations, Fraud, Collections, Marketing, and executive leadership. Expect behavioural questions like 'Tell me about a time you disagreed with a senior stakeholder on a product decision.' Use the STAR format and focus on how you built rapport, presented data, and found a workable path. They are assessing whether you can drive change without formal authority over those teams.

6. Know the Kenyan and regional card landscape: Standard Bank operates across Africa, so show awareness of local market dynamics — mobile money integration, regulatory shifts, and competitor card propositions in Kenya. If you have worked with Visa or Mastercard mandates, scheme rule changes, or local switching environments, highlight it. This signals you can translate global product strategy into a market-relevant portfolio rather than copying a template.

7. Quantify product performance: Portfolio managers are judged on growth, profitability, and customer engagement. On your CV, replace vague phrases like 'managed card products' with metrics such as 'grew active cards by 18% year-on-year' or 'reduced cost per acquisition by 12% through targeted issuance.' If you cannot share exact figures, use ranges or percentages that show scale. Interviewers will ask how you measured success, so have your dashboards and KPIs ready to discuss.

8. Close with a 90-day view: When asked what you would do in the first three months, avoid generic answers. Talk about reviewing the current card portfolio, meeting key stakeholders across Technology, Fraud, and Operations, and identifying quick wins in product performance or process gaps. Mention how you would assess the modernization roadmap and align it with business objectives. This shows you think like an owner, not just a project manager, and it leaves a strong final impression.