American Express - Client Manager - Merchant Services

Job Description:

The primary focus of this role is ensuring profitable relationships with key merchant partners. This role will redefine relationships to be more condition-based through understanding the needs of key merchants in a rapidly evolving payments industry environment. Reinforcing core American Express value and strategy against these needs, along with emerging market-place technologies, will be critical.

 The incumbent will:

- Own the relationship with key merchants in an effort to drive charge volume, grow transactions and increase merchant satisfaction

- Enhance premium value delivery to the accounts to minimize D.R. erosion and enable - value recapture.

- Drive network enhancement initiatives

- Manage a portfolio of key/potential accounts in market, providing proactive servicing to the most important partners and re-actively manage the remainder

- Influence leadership and other levels in the partner organization

- Support in Fraud Prevention / Education

- Work with Central Marketing Organization to support select industry initiatives

- Outperform competition and expand our capabilities

- Own at least 1 industry for analyzing trends, competitor activities and best practices from the basket of managed industry partners (i.e. T&E, E-commerce, Retail, Entertainment etc.)

- Work closely with accounts and the American Express back office teams to ensure that all technical and financial issues are resolved quickly and efficiently.

- Develop and implement targeted marketing campaigns that will both deliver additional card-member benefits and drive spend with accounts.

Critical Success Factors

- Portfolio planning and ongoing management of accounts against plan

- Development and implementation of Industry and account-specific strategies

- Develop in-depth understanding of the customer, identify operational issues and champion solutions that positively impact merchant partner satisfaction

- Identify key trends, needs, developments & competitive activities in client industries

- Coordinate support resources including Marketing and Operations liaisons

- Renegotiation of contracts within the portfolio

- Manage an effective pipeline of opportunities, including network enhancement

- Differentiate American Express value and build relationships for success

- Provide support to key AXP activities, E.g. showcase/platform events

Qualifications:

- Minimum 4 years of experience post MBA with 3 years in a customer facing role.

- Preferred industries include airlines, travel aggregators, payment processors, financial services etc.

- Issuer and Acquirer product knowledge. Prior merchant-facing experience will be a plus.

- Strong influencing, collaboration and relationship-building skills.

- Effective conflict resolution and negotiation skills

- Superior servicing efficiency and customer sensitivity

- Proven experience of Consultative Selling Process

- Knowledge of internet/online and emerging payments will be an advantage

- Post-graduation will be an advantage