COMPANY BACKGROUND
Our client provides electronic credit, debit, gift card, and check transaction processing services to retailers, restaurants, e-businesses, and catalog firms. Its proprietary software provides instant merchant application approvals. The firm also offers cash advances to merchants. Headquartered in New York City, it manages a portfolio of nearly 80,000 merchants processing in excess of $10 billion annually.The successful candidate will be responsible for the management of day-to-day operations overall, including managing the performance within and across departments reporting to this position, setting and implementing the vision for the company’s operations, and ensuring smooth workflow and linkages with other areas of the company. He/she will be responsible for providing excellent service to all departments in the company and all those with whom Operations interacts, internally and externally.

The departments reporting to this position include Underwriting, Client Services, Collections, and Risk. Among the primary challenges for the new SVP, Operations will be driving an increased level of discipline and maturity into the operations of the company. Implementing a quality management program (six sigma or other), will be a key component in moving the operations to a higher performance level as is required by this highly competitive market.

The Senior Vice President of Operations will also have the following responsibilities:

• Maintain Relationship with Processing Bank and Third PartyVendors
• Management of Operational Departments
• Assure adherence to Visa/MasterCard Association rules and regulations
• New Product Development
• Leadership and Vision

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The selected candidate should possess:

• Prior experience working in operations with merchant acquirers is preferred, but experience within banking, credit card, or insurance is required.
• Six Sigma certification “Best Practices” experience demonstrating hands-on achievements, highly desired.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to ensure effective relationships at all levels of the organization and successful interaction with a range of personalities and styles. Strong problem solving skills.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor and energize team members.
• Ability to collaborate and build cross-functional teams. Ability to effectively communicate within all levels of the organization, including briefing executive management and governance board committees.
• Strong managerial, communications, decision-making, planning, organizational, arid analytical, leadership, lateral thinking and presentation skills.

EDUCATION
Bachelor degree with a minimum of 10 years of directly related experience or equivalent.

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Korn/Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Korn/Ferry shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in the performance of duties pursuant to this Agreement, including but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and state and local anti-discrimination laws to the extent applicable.