Senior Director, CEMEA Acceptance Product Lead

About
Reporting directly to the SVP, Head of Product CEMEA, the Acceptance Product Lead will be responsible for driving the multi-year strategy for CEMEA Acceptance while ensuring continuous innovation and revenue growth. The role requires collaboration with global and regional teams to deliver outstanding Acceptance Products, develop regional roadmaps, and execute go-to-market strategies tailored to local market needs. Additionally, the Acceptance Product Lead will support client-centric solutions, manage program governance, drive special initiatives, and provide team leadership for a specialized Acceptance Solutions team within the region.

Location
Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Responsibilities

• Execute Regional Strategy:

  • Drive a multi-year strategy for CEMEA Acceptance, considering regional nuances (ecosystem, payment methods, local regulations, mix of digital payments, etc.).
  • Deliver continuous innovation and outsized revenue growth through disciplined iteration of short-term opportunities and longer-term "big bets."

• Partner with Global and Regional Teams:

  • Collaborate with Global Acceptance Product leaders to deliver on-time, on-budget Acceptance Products.
  • Work closely with regional leaders (RPS, EA, MS&A) to build, execute, and monitor go-to-market motions so solutions are easy to sell and buy.

• Develop and Deliver Regional Roadmaps:

  • Structure solutions to address challenges among regional Acceptance clients.
  • Align regional priorities with the company’s Global Acceptance Solutions OKRs.
  • Inform Global Product leaders of local market changes, client feedback, and product requirements.
  • Deliver best-in-class products and services that exceed client expectations.

• Go-To-Market Execution:

  • Develop GTM strategies based on local market needs (new products, bundles, campaigns).
  • Collaborate with key stakeholders (Sales, CS, Risk, VAS) to execute GTM plans.
  • Structure client implementations based on global guidance for seamless rollout.
  • Enable the company and partner sales channels and inform pricing guidelines with market intelligence.

• Drive Client-Centric Solutions:

  • Support selling teams in understanding client business and technical needs.
  • Link Acceptance Solutions with other company Product Domains and Client Segments for maximum value.
  • Deliver product integration demos.
  • Lead pre-sales and oversee implementation and post-launch optimization.

• Program Management & Governance:

  • Drive product Acceptance initiatives (the company Accept, tap-to-phone).
  • Maintain a single-source, cross-market program tracker (OKRs, milestones, budgets, risks).
  • Build dashboards to measure acceptance growth (new points, active terminals, incremental transactions).
  • Drive governance cadences with Pricing team, MS&A, Product, Risk, Finance, and Country Managers; issue clear action logs and escalations.

• Special Initiatives:

  • Instant/Same-Day Settlement: Design and implement settlement flows (the company Direct via prepaid cards), run feasibility analyses, and partner with Risk/Compliance on KYC/KYB, AML, and fraud controls.
  • Low-Cost Acceptance Devices: Conduct vendor scans (mPOS, SoftPOS, QR), run RFPs, evaluate TCO, structure framework agreements, and pilot deployments.

• Team Leadership:

  • Build and manage a team of Acceptance Solutions specialists within the region, positioning the team as an indispensable resource for next-generation solutions.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience and at least 8 – 10 years of experience in the payments industry, preferably in product strategy, development, ideation, and product management.
• Proven experience in product management, specifically with a track record of using data and analytics to drive insights.
• Established credentials in delivering product & business solutions and keen interest in payment technology & innovation.
• Strategic thought leadership coupled with execution bias to drive initiatives and meet key result areas.
• Understanding of network product, rules, technology, and payment players will be advantageous.
• Understanding of the payments landscape in CEMEA preferred.
• Sound business acumen, analytical skills, and keen understanding of new technology payment business models and profitability drivers.

What will also help:

• Master’s Degree in business, engineering or a related field.