Senior Manager, Cards Portfolio Management

What is the Opportunity?

As Senior Manager, Network Governance, you will serve as RBC’s primary lead for managing our relationships and commercial performance with our Card network partners. Beyond day-to-day governance, you will shape RBC’s competitive positioning by translating network dynamics into actionable strategies that align with broader business objectives. 

You will also be responsible for staying current on network news, mandates, and bulletins, and translating this intelligence into insights for Product, Loyalty, Analytics, Marketing, and senior leadership. Using network analytical platforms, you will support competitive benchmarking and help inform RBC’s strategic positioning across card products, interchange economics, and feature sets.

What Will You Do?

Enterprise Collaboration & Influence

• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, combining deep network expertise with business acumen to influence portfolio-wide decisions.

• Partner closely with Product, Analytics, Technology, Operations, and Risk on product design, network benefits, mandates, and new program rollout.

• Lead cross-functional communication on network developments and ensure all partners understand timelines and required actions.

• Influence senior leaders by combining data-driven insights, commercial understanding, and strategic judgment.

• Support go-to-market plans for new product launches or feature enhancements involving network partnerships.

Network Relationship & Governance

• Oversee contractual frameworks to maximize financial incentives and review terms that support RBC’s strategic goals.

• Optimize portfolio economics through rigorous analysis of interchange, fees, and billing structures, ensuring alignment with RBC’s profitability targets.

• Lead cross-functional strategy sessions to align network mandates with product roadmaps, ensuring compliance while enabling innovation.

• Stay fully up to date on network news, mandates, product bulletins, rule changes, fee updates, and industry announcements.

• Proactively socialize upcoming impacts, risks, and opportunities with relevant stakeholders.

Contract, Commercial & Billing Management

• Manage the lifecycle of network agreements, including analysis of contract terms, renewals, incentives, and program commitments.

• Monitor financial performance against commercial incentives, volume targets, and portfolio commitments.

• Oversee fee structures, billing codes, assessments, interchange categories, and BIN/product code governance.

• Partner with Finance and Analytics to track shifts in billing patterns and investigate anomalies.

• Provide clear business-oriented summaries of complex commercial and contractual items.

Analytics, Benchmarking & Insights

• Leverage data to inform strategy, using network analytics platforms to benchmark RBC’s performance and identify gaps in product features, pricing, and customer value propositions.

• Develop forward-looking KPIs and dashboards that track strategic priorities, such as market share growth and customer retention.

• Translate insights into action, guiding Product and Strategy teams to refine offerings and enhance RBC’s competitive edge.

• Assess RBC’s relative positioning against industry trends, competitor portfolios, interchange structures, and product features.

What Do You Need to Succeed?

Must-Have:

• 7–10+ years of experience in cards, payments, network governance, or financial services.

• Strong knowledge of Card Network structures: network rules, mandates, interchange, assessments, billing codes, and incentives.

• Proven experience interpreting and managing commercial contracts.

• Strong analytical mindset with comfort in financial modelling, data interpretation, and use of network analytics platforms.

• Ability to stay current with industry news, bulletins, and upcoming rule changes, and distill them into clear business impacts.

• Exceptional relationship management and communication skills, including executive storytelling.

Nice-to-Have:

• Knowledge of domestic payments regulations and market dynamics.

• Background in strategy consulting or corporate strategy roles within financial services.

• Advanced technical skills (e.g., SQL, Python, Power Query, Power BI) for deep-dive analytics

What’s in It for You?

We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• High-impact role shaping RBC’s network strategy across Card Network partners

• Increased visibility with senior leadership and external partners.

• Opportunity to influence product, loyalty, and strategic decisions across one of Canada’s largest card portfolios.

• Collaborative, forward-looking environment with strong emphasis on innovation and partnership excellence.

• Ability to help strengthen RBC’s competitive position through analytics, benchmarking, and proactive governance.

Job Skills

Analytical Thinking, Business Analytics, Commercial Acumen, Critical Thinking, Decision Making, Group Problem Solving, Interpersonal Relationship Management, Long Term Planning, Product Services

Additional Job Details

RBC WATERPARK PLACE, 88 QUEENS QUAY W:TORONTOTorontoCanada37.5Full timePERSONAL & COMMERCIAL BANKINGRegularSalaried2026-01-052026-01-20

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above

Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Employment

At RBC, we believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.

RBC is presently inviting candidates to apply for this existing vacancy. Applying to this posting allows you to express your interest in this current career opportunity at RBC. Qualified applicants may be contacted to review their resume in more detail.