Merchant Services Strategy Advisor

Job Summary

To provide strategic guidance and support for establishing a new merchant services relationship with a commercial bank, the contract Merchant Services Strategy Advisor will work remotely for a duration of 6 months, focusing on designing and implementing a merchant acquiring and sponsorship model for debit card acceptance.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and design the end-to-end merchant services operating model (acquiring, sponsorship, settlement, and processing)
• Lead cross-functional workstreams with internal stakeholders and external banking and payment partners
• Provide expertise on PCI compliance, risk, and regulatory requirements while ensuring alignment across card network rules and settlement processes

Required Qualifications

• 7-20+ years of relevant experience in commercial banking and payment gateway sectors
• Expertise in merchant acquiring and sponsorship models
• Strong understanding of card network rules and compliance frameworks (Visa/Mastercard, etc.)
• Experience with payment gateway and processor integrations
• Knowledge of PCI DSS, risk, and compliance in payments