Citi is seeking a Card Processor Strategic Relationship Manager to serve as the enterprise relationship owner for one of the company's most critical payment processing partnerships, accountable for shaping long-term strategy, governing executive engagement, and delivering measurable commercial and operational outcomes. Sitting at the intersection of Payments, Technology, Product, and Finance, this role drives the full lifecycle of the partnership — from contract performance and billing governance to roadmap influence and capability adoption. This is a high-visibility position for a payments leader who can operate at the executive level while managing the operational depth needed to protect and grow one of Citi's most strategically important processing relationships.
Responsibilities
- Act as Citi's senior relationship lead for its primary payment processor, owning executive engagement, partnership governance, and the delivery of a multi-year strategic roadmap aligned to Citi's payment modernization goals.
- Develop and execute a long-term partnership strategy that identifies opportunities to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue through expanded processor capabilities.
- Establish and lead structured governance forums — including executive business reviews, steering committees, and quarterly strategic planning sessions — to maintain alignment and accountability across both organizations.
- Own end-to-end contract governance, conducting rigorous billing structure reviews to validate accuracy, identify commercial improvement opportunities, and ensure full adherence to contractual and financial commitments.
- Collaborate with Procurement and Legal to lead commercial negotiations, contract renewals, and strategic sourcing initiatives, delivering outcomes that protect Citi's financial and operational interests.
- Partner with Product and Technology teams to prioritize new platform capabilities and influence the processor's product roadmap in support of Citi's strategic objectives.
- Lead governance over platform availability, processing performance, and incident management in partnership with Technology, escalating and resolving complex operational challenges with urgency and transparency.
- Apply sound commercial and risk judgment to all partnership decisions, ensuring compliance with applicable policies, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements.
Required Qualifications & Skills
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- 10 or more years of experience in payments, banking, financial technology, or strategic partnership management, with demonstrated accountability for large-scale processor or technology relationships.
- Hands-on knowledge of card issuing, payment processing, and digital payment ecosystems, including credit card authorization, clearing, and settlement workflows.
- Track record of negotiating and managing complex commercial agreements with major payment processors or strategic technology partners.
- Experience governing digital wallet programs and tokenization at scale within a card issuing or payment processing environment.
- Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to represent an organization credibly in senior forums and external industry settings.
- Strong analytical and financial planning capabilities, applied to commercial performance reviews, billing validation, and strategic decision-making.
- Experience leading or overseeing large-scale technology implementations or payment processor migrations, with the ability to manage complexity, deadlines, and shifting priorities.
Beneficial Skills & Qualifications
- Direct experience working with Fiserv, FIS, or comparable enterprise-scale payment processing platforms.
- Familiarity with next-generation card issuing and processing platforms such as Zeta, Pismo, or Marqeta.
- Master's degree in Business, Finance, or a related field.
What We Offer
At Citi, you will have the opportunity to shape one of the firm's most strategically consequential partnerships while working alongside senior leaders across Payments, Technology, Product, Finance, and Risk. This role offers real ownership, global scale, and the professional environment to do some of the most impactful work of your career.
- A hybrid working model with 3 days in the office and 2 days working remotely, supporting a sustainable balance between collaboration and focused work.
- Strategic ownership of a high-profile enterprise partnership with direct exposure to executive leadership and cross-functional decision-making at a global scale.
- The opportunity to shape Citi's payment modernization agenda by influencing processor roadmaps and accelerating the adoption of next-generation payment capabilities.
- Access to learning and development programs that support career growth across the payments and financial technology landscape.
- Competitive financial wellbeing support, including compensation structures and benefits designed to reflect the seniority and impact of the role.
- A performance-driven environment where your commercial outcomes, relationship results, and strategic contributions are recognized and rewarded.
Apply now to take ownership of one of Citi's most strategically important payment processing partnerships and help shape the future of global payments at scale.
DO NOT REMOVE|a87592234eacaadbd795c5a7db58c7123078e54ba7fc0ba25d2d66016d1cd7a4
Full time ------------------------------------------------------
Primary Location:
New York New York United States ------------------------------------------------------
Primary Location Full Time Salary Range:
$163,600.00 - $245,400.00
In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.
We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.
Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.
