Business Development Director - Card Manufacturing and Personalisation

Business Development Director - Card Manufacturing & Personalisation

• Location: UK, Remote
• Salary: £100,000-120,000 + Car Allowance + Uncapped Commission
• OTE: 100% of base salary We're partnering with one of Europe's established names in payment card manufacturing, personalisation and fulfilment as it invests in the next generation of its UK commercial team. This is a substantial, long-established business with decades of experience within the cards industry, major brand customers and deep relationships across banking and financial services. At the heart of this opportunity is the company's physical card business – manufacturing, personalisation, fulfilment and associated card services for banks, fintech's and other card issuers. As the commercial team evolves, the business is looking to bring in experienced new-business capability that can build on that heritage, retain valuable industry knowledge and, importantly, take a more proactive approach to winning new customers across the UK and Europe. This isn't about maintaining an existing book of accounts. It's a senior new-business role with a significant market to go after. While card manufacturing and personalisation sit at the core of this particular role, the wider organisation has evolved considerably. Significant investment has been made across Card-as-a-Service (CaaS), card issuing, issuer processing, digital and virtual cards, giving the commercial team a much broader proposition to take to market, which creates an interesting opportunity for an experienced card-industry salesperson. You can lead conversations around the physical card, where the business already has considerable heritage and credibility, but you're not restricted to selling manufacturing alone. As customer requirements develop, you'll have the ability to introduce solutions across the complete card lifecycle. For someone coming from a traditional card manufacturer or personalisation business, this offers the chance to broaden your proposition into the newer generation of card and payments technology without walking away from the market and relationships you already know. Equally, we'd be interested in speaking with people currently working within issuing, issuer processing or programme management who have previous experience or a strong understanding of physical card production and personalisation. As Business Development Director, you'll be responsible for generating significant new revenue across the UK and European markets. You'll identify and develop relationships with:
• Traditional banks and financial institutions
• Challenger and digital banks
• Fintechs
• Card issuers / processors
• Embedded-finance businesses You'll own an annual sales target and manage opportunities from initial prospecting through to solution development, commercial negotiation and contract execution. The sales cycles in this market can be long and complex. We're therefore looking for someone who understands how to build relationships over time, navigate procurement and technical stakeholders, maintain momentum and ultimately convert strategic opportunities into long-term customers. Your core focus will include:
• Payment card manufacturing
• Card personalisation
• Card fulfilment and distribution
• Physical payment card programmes
• Associated secure card services
• Digital-first and instant issuance solutions But you'll also have access to the wider organisation's capabilities across:
• Card issuing
• Issuer processing
• Card-as-a-Service (CaaS)
• Digital and virtual cards
• Embedded-finance propositions We're looking for an experienced cards and payments business developer who understands the ecosystem and, crucially, knows how to create new business. Ideally, you'll have direct commercial experience within one or more of:
• Card manufacturing & card personalisation
• Card fulfilment / bureau services
• Secure card production
• Payment cards / smart cards
• Instant issuance
• Physical card programme solutions We will also consider strong candidates from:
• Card issuing
• Issuer processing
• Programme management
• CaaS / BaaS
• Payments technology However, candidates coming from the wider issuing or processing market will need to demonstrate a strong understanding of the physical card lifecycle and how manufacturing, personalisation and fulfilment fit into an end-to-end card programme. This is not an account management role - we're looking for someone who enjoys identifying opportunities, opening doors and developing relationships from scratch. You'll ideally bring:
• A strong track record of new-business sales within cards or payments
• An established network across banks, fintechs, issuers and/or programme managers
• Knowledge of card manufacturing, personalisation and the physical card lifecycle
• The ability to engage credibly with C-suite, Heads of Payments, Product, Procurement and other senior stakeholders
• Experience managing large, complex and often lengthy sales cycles
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills
• The ability to understand technical propositions without needing to be a technical specialist
• A proactive, self-starting approach to developing your pipeline
• You'll understand the wider ecosystem surrounding a card programme - manufacturers, personalisation bureaus, issuer processors, BIN sponsors, programme managers and the card schemes and how those organisations interact. Most importantly, you'll be a hunter. Someone with the network, credibility and energy to identify where the opportunities are and go after them.