Senior Acquirer Host Integration Specialist

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Arrangement: 100% Remote — Work From Home

Level: Senior

We are seeking an experienced Senior Acquirer Host Integration Specialist to support the design, integration, testing, and optimization of payment acquiring host systems. This role focuses on connecting merchant payment platforms, acquiring processors, payment gateways, card networks, and banking systems to ensure secure, reliable, and efficient transaction processing.

The successful candidate will have strong technical knowledge of payment processing architectures, acquiring host interfaces, transaction messaging, authorization workflows, and payment industry standards. Working fully remotely, the specialist will collaborate with engineering, payment operations, cybersecurity, product, infrastructure, and external technology partners to support integration delivery and operational performance.

• Coordinate technical integration activities between acquiring host platforms, payment processors, merchant systems, payment gateways, and card schemes.
• Analyze acquiring host specifications, interface requirements, message formats, communication protocols, and transaction processing workflows.
• Support the integration and configuration of authorization, capture, reversal, refund, settlement, and reconciliation interfaces.
• Review payment message structures, including relevant ISO 8583 fields, transaction codes, response codes, and routing parameters.
• Analyze transaction flows to identify integration issues, message inconsistencies, processing delays, and connectivity failures.
• Coordinate API, host-to-host, file-based, and other payment system integration requirements.
• Support technical mapping of merchant, terminal, card, and transaction data between acquiring platforms and external systems.
• Prepare integration specifications, interface documentation, technical mappings, configuration guides, and operational procedures.
• Coordinate system integration testing, end-to-end testing, regression testing, certification preparation, and user acceptance testing.
• Investigate failed transactions, authorization discrepancies, duplicate messages, timeout conditions, and other payment processing exceptions.
• Work with payment operations and reconciliation teams to analyze settlement files, transaction records, and processing discrepancies.
• Monitor host connectivity, transaction performance, availability, response times, and integration service levels.
• Support technical assessments of payment security, encryption, authentication, tokenization, and secure message transmission.
• Coordinate with card schemes, processors, vendors, and acquiring banks to resolve technical integration issues.
• Review change requests, release documentation, and technical impact assessments for acquiring host enhancements.
• Recommend improvements to integration reliability, transaction efficiency, operational resilience, and monitoring capabilities.
• Maintain technical records, issue logs, testing evidence, and integration documentation.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Banking Technology, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in payment acquiring, host integration, payment processing systems, or banking technology.
• Strong understanding of acquiring host architectures, card payment transaction lifecycles, and authorization and settlement processes.
• Practical knowledge of ISO 8583 messaging, payment transaction fields, response codes, and transaction routing.
• Experience with payment gateways, card processors, acquiring platforms, merchant integrations, and host-to-host connectivity.
• Familiarity with APIs, web services, messaging protocols, secure file transfers, and integration technologies.
• Knowledge of card scheme requirements, PCI DSS principles, payment security, and relevant banking controls.
• Experience with integration testing tools, log analysis, database queries, scripting, and technical troubleshooting.
• Understanding of payment reconciliation, settlement workflows, reversals, refunds, and exception management.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, banking stakeholders, vendors, and business users.
• High standards of accuracy, confidentiality, security awareness, and professional judgment.
• Ability to manage multiple integration activities and deadlines independently in a fully remote environment.

• A fully remote, work-from-home position.
• Competitive compensation based on qualifications and relevant experience.
• Opportunities to work with payment acquiring platforms and international payment infrastructure.
• Exposure to card scheme integrations, transaction processing technologies, and banking systems.
• Professional development and opportunities to strengthen technical expertise.
• A collaborative environment focused on payment reliability, security, and operational excellence.

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV highlighting their experience in acquiring host integration, payment processing, ISO 8583 messaging, card transaction systems, and banking technology.

Application Subject: Application – Senior Acquirer Host Integration Specialist (UAE Remote)

Candidates should confirm applicable employment arrangements, residency requirements, and work authorization before accepting an offer.

Important Scope of Responsibilities: This is a fully remote technical integration, documentation, testing coordination, and performance analysis role. Physical installation or maintenance of payment terminals, network equipment, data center infrastructure, and other hardware must be performed by qualified local personnel. Production host configuration changes, live payment routing modifications, privileged system access, cryptographic key generation or custody, payment processing activation, transaction release, settlement authorization, fund transfers, sensitive cardholder data disclosure, formal card scheme certifications, regulatory submissions, and statutory sign-offs must be performed or approved by appropriately authorized banking, payment operations, cybersecurity, legal, or compliance professionals. All integration activities must follow approved change management, information security, and payment data protection controls.