Merchant Underwriting Manager
Amazon, United Arab Emirates

ayfort International FZ LLC is an Amazon subsidiary, established in 2013, a regional expert in payment processing technology and solutions across major markets in the GCC and Levant countries. Payfort is present in the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar focused to build a robust execution and management process for driving the best payment experience on & off Amazon.

We are in search of highly motivated with deep experienced Merchant Underwriting Manager with a proven track record, to be part of our Risk Underwriting and Compliance team.
The ideal candidate should have a background in underwriting, risk management or compliance roles with vast knowledge and understanding of AML, KYC, due diligence and sanction compliance.
He/she must possess strong work ethic and character, demonstrate high level of enthusiasm and interest at work, a team player, must be highly analytical, detail oriented and well organized.
With excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-pace environment. Experience in the payments, finance or banking industry is required. Enjoy working in a multi-cultural environment and maintain effective relationship with co-workers and other business contacts
You will:
Collect KYC-related documentation from prospect merchants, validate merchant information, documentation and able to identify forged documents.
Responsible conduct an effective due diligence analysis on business background, operations, understand the risks involved with various business models and apply enhanced due diligence for high-risk business types.
Conduct an in depth review on merchant’s eCommerce websites ensure to the merchant’s business is not among prohibited categories or selling any products that are prohibited as per card scheme, acquirer and jurisdictional regulations.
Ensure all websites have terms and conditions, policies, and contact information in place that are compliant with acceptable standards.
Coordinate with cross-functional teams, partners, and 3rd party providers to assess non-financial risk - brand, reputational, legal and compliance risk.
Use financial and non-financial risk assessment of merchants as they are prospected, signed, and on-boarded by Sales team.
Understand differences and requirements of different merchant sizes (large enterprises - small/medium businesses - small/casual sellers)
Identify fraudulent merchant applications through analysis and utilizing internal and external underwriting tools.
Identify merchants that are considered to be illegal or that may be prone to high levels of financial risk and liability.
Merchant Underwriting specialist relies on excellent judgment to plan and accomplish operational goals, working under very limited supervision. Excellent individual problem-solving and analytical skills are used to review complex merchant applications.
Provide timely and clear response to merchant queries and concerns. Manage real-time support, communication, escalation, reporting, and root cause analysis of onboarding issues that impact the merchant experience
Provide status reports, analytical insights and be the focal point and the center of knowledge for the onboarding process.
Collaborate with Sales team and Acquiring Banks to develop and execute plans to resolve all pending items required for approval of the application
Participate in team planning activities and develop existing policies / SOPs Work closely with cross-functional teams to evolve merchant onboarding processes.
Assist the team maintain communication with Legal department to keep track of legal changes and regulatory monitoring to ensure compliance with local and regional jurisdictions.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelors degree 4+ yrs of experience in assessing merchant risk in a function such as Merchant Fraud and Risk Management, or Merchant Underwriter at a payments processors or E-Commerce technology company or an acquiring bank will be given a strong consideration.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in both English and Arabic.
Strong knowledge of risk and compliance methods, standards, processes, governance models, and industry standard risk analysis approach.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Good knowledge of sanctions screening tools like Lexis Nexis, World Compliance etc. Proven capability to work independently and continually calibrate priorities with minimal supervision

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