Card Systems/TSYS Lead

Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Card Systems / TSYS Lead to provide technical and operational leadership for high-volume card payment processing environments. The role will serve as the primary technical authority for TSYS-based platforms , driving solution governance, production stability, incident resolution, vendor management, and proactive risk mitigation.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience in TSYS or comparable card processing platforms , with strong expertise across payment processing, production support, performance analysis, and technical stakeholder management. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring the ability to challenge vendor solutions, lead high-priority production issues, and translate complex technical findings into clear, data-driven recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

TSYS Solution Governance & Technical Leadership

• Act as the primary technical authority in reviewing, validating, and challenging solutions proposed by TSYS or other technology vendors.
  
• Assess solution designs against performance, scalability, resilience, failover, and operational readiness requirements.
  
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies, delays, and technical risks and drive timely resolution.
  
• Proactively identify and mitigate production risks, including performance bottlenecks and transaction-processing issues.
  
• Provide hands-on technical leadership during production and operational calls.
  

Production Support & Incident Management

• Lead L2/L3 production support activities for TSYS/card processing platforms.
  
• Perform incident triage, troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution within defined SLAs.
  
• Investigate complex production issues using transaction data, logs, SQL queries, and monitoring tools.
  
• Drive resolution of recurring issues and reduce dependency on higher-level support through strong technical ownership.
  
• Support high-pressure and potentially 24x7 production environments.
  

Payment & Card Processing

• Provide deep technical expertise across card payment processing, including issuing, acquiring, authorization, clearing, and settlement .
  
• Troubleshoot high-volume transaction-processing environments and performance-related issues.
  
• Analyze ISO 8583 messages and transaction flows.
  
• Apply strong understanding of TSYS platforms such as TS2, Prime , or comparable card processing systems.
  

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary technical point of accountability for coordination with TSYS and other ecosystem stakeholders.
  
• Challenge vendor responses and proposed solutions using strong technical knowledge and data-backed insights.
  
• Work closely with internal banking, technology, and operational teams to align solutions with business and technical requirements.
  
• Drive escalations when required and communicate complex technical issues effectively to senior stakeholders and executives.
  
• Coordinate with external partners and global banking/payment ecosystem stakeholders.
  

Technical Analysis & Troubleshooting

• Use SQL for data analysis, transaction investigation, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis.
  
• Perform log analysis, job monitoring, and diagnostics using Unix/Linux environments.
  
• Utilize shell scripting where applicable for automation and operational diagnostics.
  
• Work with databases commonly used in card-processing environments, including Oracle and/or DB2 .
  
• Leverage monitoring and observability tools such as Splunk, AppDynamics, or Dynatrace .
  

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience working with TSYS or comparable card/payment processing platforms.
  
• Strong hands-on experience with TSYS Prime, TS2 , or equivalent card processing systems.
  
• Deep understanding of the payments and card processing domain , including issuing, acquiring, authorization, clearing, and settlement.
  
• Proven experience in L2/L3 production support , incident management, and technical operations.
  
• Strong understanding of high-volume transaction-processing environments and performance tuning.
  
• Experience with ISO 8583 messaging and transaction flows.
  
• Strong SQL skills for investigation, data analysis, and troubleshooting.
  
• Working knowledge of Unix/Linux , including log analysis, job monitoring, and shell scripting.
  
• Basic technical knowledge of Oracle and/or DB2 databases.
  
• Familiarity with monitoring tools such as Splunk, AppDynamics, or Dynatrace .
  
• Proven experience in vendor governance and technical solution review .
  
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
  
• Experience working with global banking clients, payment processors, or financial services ecosystems.
  

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
  
• Able to independently lead complex production incidents and technical escalations.
  
• Confident in challenging vendors and stakeholders when technical risks or gaps are identified.
  
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical findings into clear business impact.
  
• Comfortable operating in high-pressure production environments.
  
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for L2 support and technical operations.
  
• Able to work collaboratively across technology, business, vendor, and operational teams.
  
• Willingness to support 24x7 operations when required.