Operations Manager, Nicosia

Operations Manager

Our client, an established organization operating in the financial sector, is seeking to recruit a dynamic individual to fulfil the role of the Operations Manager.

Objective

The successful candidate will play a key role which would entail the smooth, secure, and compliant execution of core operational processes across the company. The functional success of the core operations ensures that merchant onboarding, transaction workflows, back-office operations, regulatory compliance, project governance, policies, procedures, and facility management run in coordination.

Position's Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Oversight & Service Delivery

Manage day-to-day operations across all operational areas, including merchant onboarding, transaction workflows, PMO/O&M and back-office processing.

Ensure operational activities meet performance targets, service level agreements (SLAs), and customer satisfaction standards.

Oversee fraud management, chargeback handling, and dispute resolution in line with card scheme and regulatory requirements.

Compliance, Risk & Control

Ensure strict adherence to regulatory obligations (e.g., AML, KYC, PCI DSS, PSD2) and internal control frameworks.

Maintain audit readiness and support internal/external audits with appropriate documentation and process transparency.

Identify operational risks and implement mitigating controls in collaboration with Compliance and Risk teams.

Project Governance & Cross-Functional Coordination

Oversee PMO to plan and execute operational and company-wide initiatives.

Contribute to change management, resource alignment, and operational readiness for new products or platform changes.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams including IT, Business and Compliance to ensure seamless execution.

Process Improvement & O&M (Organization and Methods)

Evaluate and improve operational workflows for efficiency, scalability, and control.

Maintain and enforce standard operating procedures, policies, and documentation standards.

Lead continuous improvement initiatives and drive process standardization across departments.

Identify opportunities for automation within operational workflows to reduce manual intervention and error rates.

Collaborate with technology and product teams to implement system enhancements and operational tooling.

Facility & Vendor Oversight

Supervise facility operations including maintenance, access control, and workplace services.

Manage relationships with third-party service providers involved in operations, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations and service performance.

Reporting & Strategic Alignment

Provide regular reports to C-level leadership on operational KPIs, performance trends, and SLA adherence.

Deliver clear reporting on compliance status, audit readiness, and risk exposures, including incident escalations and resolution updates.

Present progress on strategic initiatives and process improvements, highlighting impact and return on investment (ROI).

Contribute to forecasting and resource planning by providing operational insight into team capacity, tooling needs, and system constraints.

Support executive decision-making with data-driven recommendations on service optimization, automation opportunities, and risk mitigation.

Position's Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management or related field (Master's degree a plus)

5+ years or relevant experience in financial services, payments, fintech or banking operations.

Prior experience in managing teams in a regulated environment is highly desirable.

Strong understanding of payment ecosystems and relevant workflows.

Prior experience in fraud management and chargeback handling is considered a plus.

Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks such as AML/KYC, PCI DSS, ISO27001, PSD2 and GDPR.

Experience with operational tools like ERP, CRM, onboarding tools, fraud monitoring systems and case management/ticketing systems.

Proven ability to design, document and improve operation processes.

Understanding of automation tools (RPAs) and how technology can improve operational efficiency (workflow automation, ticketing systems, reconciliation platforms etc).

Effective leadership and team management skills with at least three years of experience.

Strong analytical skills and experience with data-driven decision-making.

Excellent communication, negotiation and management skills.

Ability to handle high-pressure environments and fast-paced decision-making.