Relationship Manager, Card Business at Coop Bank Tanzania

Card Business is responsible for driving the growth and performance of the Bank’s card portfolio including debit, credit, and prepaid cards while ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. This role includes managing card-related client relationships, supporting merchant and partnership development, overseeing card product performance, and monitoring the performance and uptime of ATMs as a critical channel for card usage and customer convenience.

Responsibilities

Card Issuing – Product Management & Growth

• Manage the full lifecycle of card products (debit, credit and prepaid), including design, issuance, activation, renewals and replacements.
• Drive card acquisition, usage and retention across individual and business segments.
• Monitor card performance metrics such as activation rates, transaction volumes and revenue from card usage (POS, e-commerce).
• Work with product and IT teams to introduce enhancements and innovative features to the card portfolio.
• Ensure continuous availability and timely delivery of cards to customers through branch coordination.

Card Acquiring – Merchant Development & Channel Expansion

• Identify and onboard new merchants to the Bank’s acquiring ecosystem including POS terminals, e-commerce payment gateways and QR code payment solutions.
• Manage and grow the merchant portfolio by deepening relationships and maximizing transaction volumes.
• Support merchant setup, onboarding, training and post-implementation support to ensure seamless operations.
• Develop co-branded card initiatives, loyalty programs and strategic partnerships to expand card usage and visibility.
• Collaborate with business teams to promote merchant solutions as part of bundled offerings.

Client Relationship Management

• Act as the main contact for all card-related services and support for customers and merchants business.
• Assist branch teams in resolving card-related or merchant service issues.
• Build and maintain strong business relationships with key stakeholders, including card scheme providers (e.g. Visa, Mastercard) and fintech partners.

Marketing, Sales & Campaigns

• Develop and execute sales strategies and marketing campaigns to promote card issuance and increase transaction activity.
• Support reactivation campaigns for dormant cards and low-performing merchant terminals.
• Train front-line staff on card product features, sales techniques and benefits to improve sales performance.
• Drive adoption of digital card payments through awareness programs and user education.

Risk, Compliance & Security

• Ensure compliance with card scheme regulations, internal risk policies, and local regulatory guidelines for both card issuing and acquiring operations.
• Monitor fraud trends, card-related disputes and chargebacks coordinate with relevant teams to ensure timely resolution.
• Promote cardholder and merchant education on secure card usage and digital transaction best practices.

Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Prepare and share regular reports on key KPIs, including card issuance, usage, revenue and merchant performance.
• Analyze trends in cardholder behavior and merchant activity to identify growth opportunities and performance gaps.
• Recommend data-driven improvements to enhance product performance and profitability.

Requirements

Experience Required

• Five (5) years of experience in card issuing, acquiring, or digital payments within the banking or financial services.

Competencies and Attributes required

• Solid understanding of card issuing and acquiring ecosystems including Visa/Mastercard operations.
• Strong relationship management and negotiation skills.
• Commercial mindset with a proven track record of driving product performance and usage.
• Analytical with strong reporting and data interpretation skills.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and customer service orientation

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Banking, Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, IT, or related field.

Skills Required

• Good Analytical Skills
• Strategic thinking
• Communication Skills