Payments Contract & Partner Management Senior Expert at ING Group in Milan

Job description

The opportunity Payments rely on a complex ecosystem of card schemes, payment processors and other strategic providers. As Payments Contract & Partner Management Expert, you will own these relationships end to end, driving negotiations, commercial value and high-quality service delivery across ING Italy's Cards & Payments domain. You will lead contract negotiations and lifecycle management, shape effective partnership models and turn commercial agreements into measurable business outcomes. You will also ensure that regulatory and operational-resilience requirements are appropriately embedded in each arrangement. The team You will join the Cards & Payments Product Area within ING Italy and report to the Product Area Lead Cards & Payments. You will work across Product, Procurement, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance, Operations, Technology, Information Security, global teams and external partners. Roles and responsibilities Contract ownership and lifecycle management · Lead contract renewals, amendments and renegotiations, defining negotiation objectives and working with Procurement to secure strong commercial and contractual outcomes. · Maintain a complete overview of contracts, obligations, pricing, incentives, liabilities, notice periods and key decision points. · Identify opportunities to improve terms, simplify the contractual setup and increase the value delivered by partners. · Support strategic decisions on provider selection, contract duration, service migration and sourcing options. · Cooperate with ING Group teams on global contractual arrangements, representing local business requirements and supporting the adoption of Group agreements and solutions where appropriate. Partner and service governance · Act as the main business counterpart for strategic payment partners and build effective relationships at operational and senior-management level. · Lead periodic business and service reviews covering commercial performance, SLAs, KPIs, roadmap, incidents and actions. · Challenge providers on performance and delivery, coordinate internal stakeholders and drive agreed improvements through to completion. · Identify opportunities for innovation, service enhancement and broader collaboration. Financial and commercial management · Own the commercial performance of the contracts, including costs, incentives, rebates, penalties and minimum commitments. · Support budgeting, forecasting, invoice validation and performance tracking against the business case. · Prepare commercial analyses and negotiation scenarios for renewals and sourcing decisions. · Ensure ING fully captures the financial and strategic value included in its agreements. Management reporting and decision support · Cooperate with ING Group teams on global contractual arrangements, representing local business requirements and supporting the adoption of Group agreements and solutions where appropriate. · Provide senior management with a consolidated view of performance, costs, risks and upcoming decisions. · Prepare concise decision materials and highlight expiries, notice periods, gaps and required actions. · Support the long-term partner and sourcing strategy, including local versus global contracting. How to succeed We are looking for an experienced commercial and contract-management professional with a strong understanding of payments. You are a confident negotiator, able to identify value opportunities, challenge providers and build productive long-term relationships. You work autonomously, bring structure to complex topics and translate commercial, operational and regulatory considerations into clear recommendations for senior management. Required experience and skills · Strong experience in contract management, commercial negotiation, vendor management, procurement or strategic partnerships, preferably in payments or financial services. · Proven ability to negotiate complex agreements and improve commercial terms, service commitments and contractual protections.