Head of Operations - Prepaid Instruments (PPI) | Fintech

For one of our client in the Fintech space

Position Summary

As the The Head of Operations - PPI , you will lead the end-to-end operations for prepaid payment instruments, including wallets, prepaid cards, gift cards, and vouchers. This strategic role is pivotal in driving operational excellence, regulatory compliance, risk management, and seamless transaction processing under the stringent regulatory framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other applicable standards. This role requires a seasoned fintech or payments leader who thrives in a fast-paced, highly regulated, tech-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Prepaid Product Operations

• Oversee complete lifecycle management of prepaid products (issuance, usage, reloads, expiry).
• Manage operational flows across open-loop, semi-closed, and closed-loop PPIs.
• Collaborate with product teams to implement new functionalities (e.g., dynamic CVV, tokenization, card controls).

Transaction Processing & Reconciliation

• Ensure timely and secure transaction authorization, settlement, and clearing.
• Monitor and resolve transaction failures, refunds, chargebacks, and disputes

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure full adherence to RBI, PCI-DSS, and other applicable regulations.
• Monitor user and transaction limits; maintain AML/CFT and KYC/PMLA compliance

KYC & Customer Onboarding

• Implement seamless eKYC, CKYC, and full KYC onboarding processes.
• Oversee compliance with KYC norms for different wallet tiers (minimum vs full KYC)

Partner & Vendor Management

• Manage relationships with BIN sponsors, card issuers, banks, and technology vendors.
• Ensure SLA adherence and compliance across all operational vendors (e.g., KYC service providers, fraud tools, card printers).

Fraud & Risk Management

• Design and implement systems for real-time fraud detection and prevention.
• Collaborate with risk and compliance teams for AML flagging and investigations

Customer Experience & Support

• Enhance end-to-end user journey across onboarding, transactions, and issue resolution.
• Standardize SOPs for support issues like failed transactions, expired instruments, or recharge errors.

Operational Reporting & Analytics

• Define KPIs for transaction success rates, reconciliation TAT, dispute resolution timelines, etc.
• Provide operational dashboards and insights for executive management and regulators.

Business Continuity & Scalability

• Establish robust disaster recovery and business continuity protocols.
• Plan for infrastructure and process scalability to meet growing user and transaction volumes.
• Ensure 24x7 operational readiness as needed for customer-facing prepaid platforms.

Team Leadership

• Build and mentor cross-functional operational teams including KYC, reconciliation, customer support, and fraud ops.
• Foster a high-performance culture and promote continuous learning.
• Drive collaboration between internal and external stakeholders.

What We’re Looking For:

15+ years of experience, including 8+ in fintech/payments ops

Strong knowledge of RBI PPI guidelines, digital payments infra

Proven experience in compliance, transaction operations, and analytics

Hands-on with backend/API systems, ledgering, and settlements

payment systems, banking integrations

Strategic thinker + Execution-focused leader