Product Manager

ABOUT CARDAQ

Cardaq is a London-based Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Operating since 2011, we deliver end-to-end card processing and acquiring solutions for low- and medium-risk merchants globally. As a Principal Member of Visa, Mastercard, and China UnionPay, we offer a full suite of card issuing and acquiring products and we're growing fast.

THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the COO, the Product Manager will own the strategy, development, and commercialisation of Cardaq's card and payment products. This is a dual-facing role, you'll be responsible for driving product roadmaps that serve both merchant and institutional clients, while also ensuring our operational processes support effective product delivery.

You'll need a strong grasp of how card scheme products work in practice from scheme rulebooks to technical certification and the commercial instinct to translate that knowledge into products clients want to buy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own and maintain the product roadmap for Cardaq's acquiring and issuing product lines, aligned to commercial and strategic objectives set by the COO.
• Define product requirements, use cases, and acceptance criteria in collaboration with engineering, compliance, and operations.
• Develop deep expertise in Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay scheme products — including acquiring, issuing, prepaid, and virtual card programmes — and translate scheme capabilities into Cardaq product offerings.
• Act as the internal subject matter expert on scheme mandates, product certification processes, and scheme-driven roadmap requirements (e.g. network tokenisation, 3DS2, contactless mandates, scheme fee changes).
• Work with the COO to define go-to-market strategy for new products and enhancements, including pricing models, merchant segmentation, and partner positioning.
• Work with the COO and scheme account managers at Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay to stay ahead of scheme developments and identify new product opportunities.
• Monitor product performance metrics, approval rates, chargeback ratios, revenue per transaction and use data to drive continuous improvement.
• Support operational product delivery: onboarding flows, API documentation, merchant integration, and client-facing product collateral.
• Manage the product backlog and run sprint ceremonies in partnership with the IT team.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 3-5 years of product management experience within payments, card issuing, acquiring, or a related fintech environment.
• Strong knowledge of card scheme products and operations across Visa, Mastercard, and/or UnionPay including scheme rules, product certification, and mandate compliance.
• Experience defining and shipping payment products either on the acquiring or issuing side (both is a strong plus).
• Familiarity with FCA-regulated environments and the compliance constraints that shape product decisions.
• Comfortable working across technical and commercial teams, you can write a PRD and present a business case with equal confidence.
• Data-driven approach to product decisions, experience with analytics tools and payments KPIs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to engage scheme partners, merchants, and internal stakeholders clearly.

DESIRABLE

• Direct experience working at or alongside a card scheme (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay).
• Knowledge of open banking, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), or tokenisation platforms.
• Experience with white-label card programme builds or PSP product delivery.
• Familiarity with PCI DSS Level 1 environments and associated product constraints.
• Agile/Scrum certification (CSPO or equivalent).

Location London (5 days in-office)

Reporting To Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Employment Type Permanent, Full-Time

Notice Period 1 month

WHY CARDAQ

• Shape the product direction of a growing FCA-regulated payments business with global reach.
• Principal membership of Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay — rare access to scheme-level relationships and product opportunities.
• Direct reporting line to the COO with a clear path to senior product leadership.
• High-ownership, low-bureaucracy environment where you'll move fast and see real impact.