About the Role
This role builds the SME acquiring business, Business-in-a-Box, and owns its P&L. The Manager leads a team of 10–11 Sales Executives and the Outsourced Sales Partners channel to sign, onboard, and grow micro and small merchants across the UAE. The Manager also rebuilds how SME merchants are onboarded, ensuring that a signed merchant is live within days rather than weeks. They serve as the eyes on the SME market, feeding competitor moves, pricing, and market trends back to the Manager – Acquiring Business and the Director – Commercials.
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Key Responsibilities
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P&L and Targets
- Own the SME acquiring P&L: merchants signed and live, TPV, revenue, cost of sale, and contribution after team cost.
- Set monthly targets by Sales Executive and by Outsourced Sales Partner, and track delivery weekly.
- Prepare the SME budget and forecast with Finance and Business Intelligence, and explain variances.
- Grow revenue per merchant by cross-selling the full bundle: POS, SoftPOS, online checkout, Pay by Link, business wallet, WPS payroll, and cards.
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Sales Team Leadership
- Lead, coach and manage 10–11 Sales Executives: territories, daily activity, pipeline reviews, and performance management.
- Recruit and onboard new Sales Executives in line with the hiring plan, keeping the team at full productivity.
- Build a sales playbook: target segments, prospect lists, pitch, objection handling, and the conversion from existing government-fee payers.
- Run sales campaigns through free zones, typing centres, business centres, accountants, and associations.
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Incentive Policy
- Design the sales incentive plan for the SME team and for Outsourced Sales Partners, collaborating with HR and Finance for approval by the Director – Commercials.
- Link incentives to merchants live and transacting, TPV, and revenue, not only merchants signed.
- Review the plan annually and track its cost against the revenue it drives.
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Outsourced Sales Partners
- Select, onboard, and manage Outsourced Sales Partners: contracts, targets, commission terms, and service levels.
- Train partner staff on products, pricing, KYB requirements, and onboarding steps.
- Track partner productivity and merchant quality monthly, replacing partners that miss targets.
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Merchant Onboarding Revamp
- Map the current SME onboarding journey from application to first transaction and remove delays.
- Redesign the process with Operations, Risk and Compliance, and Product: simpler KYB, digital applications, e-signatures, risk-based checks, and automated MID and terminal setup.
- Set and track an onboarding turnaround target, aiming for T+2 from complete application to live merchant.
- Ensure faster onboarding stays within risk, scheme, and regulatory requirements.
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Merchant Activation and Retention
- Ensure signed merchants start transacting quickly; track activation within 30 days of going live.
- Monitor inactive and declining merchants, and run re-activation and retention actions.
- Gather merchant feedback on products and service, and act on it with Product and Operations.
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Market and Competitor Intelligence
- Track competitor offers, pricing, and promotions in the SME market: banks, PSPs, fintechs, and POS providers.
- Share competitor and market feedback with the Manager – Acquiring Business monthly, with Business Intelligence support.
- Recommend changes to SME pricing, products, and bundles based on market insights and sales team feedback.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
- An MBA is an advantage.
Experience
- 8–12 years in SME or merchant acquiring sales with a bank, acquirer, PSP, or fintech in the UAE.
- At least 3 years leading a field sales team of 8 or more, with a track record of meeting merchant acquisition targets.
- Experience managing third-party or outsourced sales agents, including their commission structures.
- Proven track record in designing or running a sales incentive plan.
- Experience improving onboarding, sales, or operations processes with measurable results.
Technical and Payments Knowledge
- SME acquiring products: POS, SoftPOS, payment gateway, Pay by Link, and QR.
- Merchant onboarding requirements: KYB, documentation, risk checks, MCC, and MID setup.
- SME pricing: MDR, fixed fees, bundles, and terminal economics.
- Familiarity with adjacent SME services: business accounts and wallets, WPS payroll, and business cards is an advantage.
- Working knowledge of CRM and sales dashboards.
Skills
- Strong sales leader: sets clear targets, coaches daily, and holds the team accountable.
- Process thinker: identifies where a journey slows down and resolves it collaboratively with the owning teams.
- Builds strong relationships with partners, merchants, and internal teams.
- Commercial judgment: understands when a merchant and a deal are profitable.
- Fluent in English; Arabic is an advantage in the UAE SME market.
