Head, Business Operations, Amazon Payment Services (APS)

In this leadership role, you will lead business operations for Amazon Payment Services based in the UAE, managing strategic partnerships with payment schemes, banks, and technology providers. Oversee vendor onboarding, merchant escalation support, and 24/7 incident management operations. Drive operational excellence through team leadership, process optimization, and execution of special programs that enhance merchant and partner experience.
Key job responsibilities
1) Partner & Operations Management
a) Own and manage end-to-end relationships with payment schemes (Visa, Mastercard, etc.), acquiring banks, and third-party technology providers across the region
b) Negotiate operational terms, drive joint roadmaps, and ensure seamless integration and performance of partner services
c) Monitor partner SLAs, resolve operational blockers, and conduct periodic business reviews to align on strategic priorities
2. Vendor Onboarding & Management
a) Lead the end-to-end vendor onboarding lifecycle including due diligence, contracting, technical integration, and go-live readiness
b) Establish and maintain vendor governance frameworks, performance scorecards, and compliance tracking mechanisms
c) Drive vendor cost optimization and ensure alignment with procurement and legal policies
3. Merchant Escalation Management
a) Manage a team of operations managers responsible for handling complex merchant escalations and dispute resolution
b) Define escalation workflows, SLAs, and root-cause analysis processes to reduce repeat issues and improve merchant satisfaction
c) Partner with product and engineering teams to identify systemic issues and drive permanent fixes
24/7 Incident Management
d) Oversee a round-the-clock merchant incident management support team, ensuring rapid detection, triage, communication, and resolution of payment service disruptions
e) Establish incident severity frameworks, communication protocols, and post-incident review processes
f) Drive continuous improvement in mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) and mean-time-to-resolve (MTTR) metrics
4. Strategic Programs
a) Design and execute strategic programs that improve operational efficiency, merchant experience, and regional expansion readiness
Lead cross-functional initiatives spanning compliance, risk, product, and engineering to deliver measurable business outcomes
b) Track program KPIs and report progress to senior leadership, adjusting approaches based on data-driven insights
About the team
Amazon Payment Services is a leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, enabling businesses of all sizes to accept online and in-store payments seamlessly. As part of Amazon's commitment to building world-class infrastructure in the region, Amazon Payment Services offers a comprehensive suite of payment processing capabilities including card acquiring, payment gateway services, fraud prevention, and merchant analytics. Serving thousands of merchants across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and beyond, the platform powers secure, scalable, and reliable digital commerce, helping businesses grow while delivering a frictionless checkout experience for customers.
- 5+ years of program or project management experience
- Experience using data and metrics to determine and drive improvements
- Experience owning program strategy, end to end delivery, and communicating results to senior leadership
- 2+ years of driving process improvements experience
- Master's degree, or MBA in business, operations, human resources, adult education, organizational development, instructional design or related field
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