Riyadh
Senior Project Manager
Position Summary:
We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of payment technology initiatives across digital payments, card processing, payment gateways, acquiring, issuing, and financial services platforms. The successful candidate will manage complex cross-functional projects, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive successful implementation of payment solutions while meeting business objectives, timelines, and budgets.
Key Responsibilities
• Project Leadership
o Lead end-to-end delivery of payment system projects from initiation through deployment and post-implementation support.
o Develop project plans, schedules, budgets, resource allocations, and risk management strategies.
o Manage multiple concurrent projects and priorities within a fast-paced environment.
o Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Stakeholder Management
o Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, technology teams, vendors, and external partners.
o Provide regular project status updates to senior management and steering committees.
o Facilitate decision-making and resolve project issues and escalations.
• Payment Systems Expertise
o Lead implementation and enhancement of:
§ Payment gateways
§ Card issuing and acquiring systems
§ POS and e-commerce payment solutions
§ Digital wallets
§ Real-Time Payments (RTP)
§ Open Banking integrations
§ SWIFT and cross-border payment solutions
o Coordinate integration with banks, payment processors, schemes, and fintech partners.
• Risk & Compliance
o Ensure adherence to:
§ PCI DSS
§ ISO 8583
§ EMV standards
§ AML and KYC requirements
§ Local and international payment regulations
o Identify project risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Team Leadership
o Lead cross-functional teams including business analysts, developers, QA engineers, architects, and vendors.
o Mentor junior project managers and project coordinators.
o Promote Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery methodologies as appropriate.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.
• 8–12+ years of project management experience.
• 5+ years managing payment systems or financial technology projects.
• Strong understanding of payment processing ecosystems.
• Proven experience managing large-scale technology implementations.
• Experience working with banks, payment service providers, or fintech organizations.
Technical Knowledge
• Payment Gateways and Switches
• ISO 8583 Messaging
• EMV Standards
• Card Schemes (Visa Inc., Mastercard Incorporated)
• Real-Time Payments
• API Integrations
• Digital Wallets
• Core Banking Systems
• Agile tools (Jira, Confluence)
• Reporting and Dashboarding tools
Preferred Qualifications
• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• PMI-ACP or Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• SAFe Agilist
• PCI DSS or payment industry certifications.
Key Competencies
• Strategic thinking
• Leadership and stakeholder management
• Risk management
• Vendor management
• Negotiation skills
• Financial and budget management
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Problem-solving and decision-making.
Typical KPIs
• On-time project delivery
• Budget adherence
• Stakeholder satisfaction
• Defect and issue resolution rates
• Regulatory compliance adherence
• Successful production deployment rates