Payments Optimization Lead: Real-Time & Risk-Aware

The estimated salary for this position is $57,000-$62,000/Annually.
Duties and Responsibilities/Results:
Optimization and Enhancement Duties

• Lead or support payment optimization initiatives, including new methods, rails, technologies, and infrastructure improvements with IT, product, operations, risk, and other business partners.
• Analyze end-to-end payment flows, including ACH and real-time payments, to identify bottlenecks, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer and branch experience.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and documentation to track payment performance, processing times, failures, trends, audit support, and compliance needs.
• Monitor fraud, operational risk, and industry/payment trends; recommend or support controls, process changes, and emerging payment enhancements.
  

• Maintain the legacy Overdraft Program, including daily review of overdrawn accounts, View/Nautilus reports, customer notices, opt-in maintenance, waiver letters, and Fresh Start Agreement monitoring.
• Review accounts for charge-off, determine collection strategy, remove Overdraft Privilege services when appropriate, place holds, redeem funds when available, and close accounts as needed.
• Document collection activity, notify branches of charge-offs through DNA activity, report unpaid balances to ChexSystems, and make recommendations to management when repayment arrangements are unsuccessful.
• Provide customer and branch support for overdraft matters, including excessive-user monitoring, collection communications, counseling notices, and compliance with Bank policies, procedures, and regulations.
  

• Review and resolve ACH rejects, load errors, origination exceptions, pre-notes, stop payments, unauthorized debit forms, reversals, recalls, direct deposit tracers, and ACH-related inquiries.
• Meet daily ACH processing deadlines by coordinating branch and department responses, entering required system updates, and ensuring timely processing, posting, return, escalation, or resolution.
• Balance ACH reject files, return file reports, Federal Reserve settlement activity, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and related customer or Bank accounting transactions.
• Support NACHA, Federal Reserve, OFAC/IAT, and Bank requirements while reviewing ACH activity for fraud or operational risk indicators, including micro-entry name matching, retry reports, unusual activity, duplicate fee concerns, death alerts, deceased depositor matters, and Treasury reclamations.
  

• Maintain effective on-site collaboration, access to source documentation, management approvals, systems, tools, and time-sensitive workflows needed to support operational productivity.
• Sign into remote access systems at least weekly to maintain connectivity and familiarity with offsite tools and resources. Perform additional duties as assigned.
  

• Undergraduate Degree preferred.
• A good knowledge of English for oral and written communication.
• Proficient knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Outlook,
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain rapport with branch personnel.
• Maintain confidential customer and Bank information in a responsible and secure manner.
• Knowledge of basic accounting debit and credit principles, including balancing reports, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and customer transactions.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a multi-task, fast-paced environment and meet daily payment processing deadlines.
• Strong research, problem-solving, critical thinking, attention to detail, organization, professionalism, and customer service skills.
• Ability to detect, assess, and escalate unusual or suspicious payment activity.