The Sponsorship Oversight Risk Manager oversees risk functions for sponsored entities, including onboarding new opportunities, conducting due diligence, monitoring, and annual onsite reviews.

This role is responsible for implementing governance, oversight, and risk management policies. It focuses on client experience, expanding product offerings, and optimizing service delivery. Clients include direct merchants (small businesses to large mid-market clients) and sponsored clients such as independent sales organizations (ISOs) and payment facilitators (PFs).

Expertise in sponsorship acquiring and issuing models is required. The role includes strategy development, go-to-market discussions, collaboration with stakeholders across risk functions, and client engagement throughout the governance process.

What You Will Do:

• Conduct upfront due diligence reviews, including credit, financial crime governance (FCG), and risk policy review and approval.
• Continuously improve and streamline the end-to-end client experience by determining lessons learned from onboarding a variety of clients.
• Collaborate with various risk partners and stakeholders across the organization, including 2nd Line of Defense Risk, Enterprise Fraud, Information Security, Third-Party Relationship Management, and 3rd Line of Defense to effectively manage risk.
• Support the Platform Sponsorship Program in identifying, measuring, monitoring, managing, and reporting operational risks (such as fraud, cybersecurity, third-party risks).
• Serve as a subject matter expert, advising on operational risk initiatives, developing and monitoring key risk indicators (KRIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs), and helping the team proactively identify operational risks and issues.
• Apply best practices in risk identification, measurement, and mitigation for new products and services.
• Maintain a strong process orientation and problem-solving focus, with an emphasis on risk management.

What You Bring:

• 5-7 years of experience in merchant acquiring, particularly in working at a sponsor bank or managing sponsor bank relationships with clients.
• 7-10 years of operational risk management and payments experience.
• In-depth knowledge of Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover rules and regulations.
• Experience with card brand bank sponsorship audit processes.
• Proven ability to develop and manage new policies, procedures, and teams.
• Expertise in merchant acquiring credit and risk management, including the creation and oversight of relevant policies.
• Familiarity with merchant boarding systems, processes, and risk management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to hold oneself and others accountable for meeting commitments by setting clear expectations and defining roles and responsibilities in relation to operational risk.
• Strong organizational, project management, analytical, and attention-to-detail skills.
• High commitment to producing quality work and upholding organizational ethics, integrity, and compliance.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Ability to handle ambiguity, multitask, and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven decision-making and problem-solving abilities, with a talent for building consensus and driving results through collaboration.
• Team-building and delegation skills, with the ability to meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a leading risk management team and help shape the future of operational risk in the payments space.