Head of Co-Branded Card

Job description / Role

About the role

We are seeking a strategic and entrepreneurial leader to build, own, and scale Careem’s co-branded card offerings. This is a high-impact role with end-to-end responsibility for a business line that is core to Careem’s fintech ambitions.

As head of co-branded cards, you will define the vision, lead execution across commercial, product, and operational workstreams, and manage the overall financial performance of the program. You'll drive strategy and growth at the intersection of fintech innovation, consumer loyalty, and Everything App engagement.

The role involves close collaboration with internal teams across product, engineering, marketing, finance, and legal, as well as leadership of external partnerships with banks, schemes, and third-party providers. From card acquisition and customer engagement to program health and partner strategy, you will shape a flagship product with real impact across the region.

Key responsibilities

Program strategy & execution

• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of the co-branded card program — from concept to launch, scale, and continuous optimization.
• Act as the P&L owner, accountable for growth, customer experience, financial performance, and partner success.
• Serve as the primary interface with external partners (issuing banks, networks, processors, vendors) to shape and deliver on the program roadmap.
• Lead internal alignment and execution across cross-functional teams including product, engineering, marketing, legal, compliance, finance, and support.

Loyalty & value proposition

• Design and deliver compelling rewards and benefits, integrating Careem’s loyalty engine and lifestyle partnerships into the card experience.
• Source, structure, and manage merchant offers that drive engagement and relevance in everyday use cases.
• Collaborate closely with core product and loyalty teams to embed redemptions into the Careem Super App experience.

Go-to-market & optimization

• Lead go-to-market planning across marketing, ops, support, and analytics to ensure a seamless launch and sustained growth.
• Define and monitor KPIs across acquisition, activation, usage, and retention.
• Establish post-launch feedback loops and performance reviews to drive continuous product and partnership improvements.

Requirements

• 8–10 years of experience in cards, payments, fintech, or program/project leadership roles.
• Deep understanding of the card ecosystem — issuing, processing, scheme economics, and partner dynamics.
• Proven experience owning a P&L and driving business outcomes in a product-led growth environment.
• Strong track record in launching and scaling financial products, ideally involving rewards or loyalty elements.
• Exceptional project management and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence, both internally and externally.
• Analytical, commercial, and strategic thinker with a bias for action.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, engineering, or related field; MBA is a plus.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience working in the UAE or broader GCC fintech, payments, or tech landscape.
• Familiarity with card issuing platforms and loyalty or membership-based business models.
• Exposure to embedded finance or Super App ecosystems.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable rolling up sleeves and navigating ambiguity.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and scale complex, multi-market programs.

About the Company

We are a brand that aims to simplify people's lives by revolutionizing the transportation industry. A brand that strives to inspire everyone it interacts with, and supports every single person who dares to believe. #BeCareem

Careem is the MENA region's leading ride-hailing service and newest Tech Unicorn. With 30% monthly growth, we now operate in 50+ cities across 11 countries and host over 6 million users. With our recent Series D funding success, we are positioned on the cusp of significant scale and well on target to deliver our goal of creating one million jobs in the region by 2018.