Payment Operations Manager
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
C5i seeks a Payment Operations Manager to drive end-to-end payment operations and support payment transformation initiatives for a leading UAE bank. The role requires 8-12+ years of banking payment operations experience and deep knowledge of SWIFT, RTGS, UAEFTS, and WPS.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Lead end to end payment operations covering SWIFT, RTGS, UAEFTS, WPS, instant payments, and cross border payment processing
- Ensure timely and accurate processing of payment transactions in line with cut off times, SLAs, and regulatory timelines
- Own the operational run book for payment processing, exception handling, and end of day/start of day controls
- Oversee reconciliation of Nostro/Vostro and internal accounts, ensuring timely identification and resolution of breaks
- Manage payment investigations, tracers, and unpaid/returned item handling with correspondent banks and internal stakeholders
- Drive incident management for payment failures or delays, including root cause analysis and preventive action plans
- Maintain robust operational controls, including maker checker processes, exception logs, and key control self assessments (KCSAs)
- Identify opportunities to streamline payment operations workflows and reduce manual touchpoints
- Drive automation initiatives such as robotic process automation (RPA), straight through processing (STP) improvements, and exception handling tools
- Define and track operational KPIs to measure efficiency gains and STP rates
- Support payment platform upgrades, migrations, and new system implementations from an operations readiness perspective
- Represent operations in project forums, providing requirements, UAT support, and go live readiness sign off
Requirements
- 8–12+ years of experience in banking payment operations
- Experience within UAE, GCC, or broader global banking environments is preferred
- Prior experience supporting payment transformation, migration, or system implementation projects
- Strong working knowledge of SWIFT, RTGS, UAEFTS, and WPS
- Operational risk management and control frameworks
- Stakeholder management across business, technology, and compliance functions
- Process improvement, automation, and operational efficiency methodologies
- Vendor and third party coordination
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, Business, Technology, or a related field
Full Job Posting
Company Overview
- C5i is a pure play AI & Analytics provider that combines the power of human perspective with AI technology to deliver trustworthy intelligence.
- C5i caters to some of the world’s largest enterprises, including many Fortune 500 companies, across Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT), Pharma & Lifesciences, CPG, Retail, Banking, and other sectors.
Brief Job Description
- We are seeking an experienced Payment Operations Lead to drive end to end payment operations and support ongoing payment transformation initiatives for a leading UAE bank.
- This role will own the day to day running of the bank's payment operations across domestic and cross border rails, ensuring transactions are processed accurately, on time, and within regulatory and risk guidelines.
- The candidate will also play a central role in the bank's payment modernization agenda, partnering with business, technology, compliance, and vendor teams to deliver platform upgrades and process improvements.
Payment Operations Management
- Lead end to end payment operations covering SWIFT, RTGS, UAEFTS, WPS, instant payments, and cross border payment processing.
- Ensure timely and accurate processing of payment transactions in line with cut off times, SLAs, and regulatory timelines.
- Own the operational run book for payment processing, exception handling, and end of day/start of day controls.
Reconciliation, Investigations & Controls
- Oversee reconciliation of Nostro/Vostro and internal accounts, ensuring timely identification and resolution of breaks.
- Manage payment investigations, tracers, and unpaid/returned item handling with correspondent banks and internal stakeholders.
- Drive incident management for payment failures or delays, including root cause analysis and preventive action plans.
- Maintain robust operational controls, including maker checker processes, exception logs, and key control self assessments (KCSAs).
Process Improvement & Automation
- Identify opportunities to streamline payment operations workflows and reduce manual touchpoints.
- Drive automation initiatives such as robotic process automation (RPA), straight through processing (STP) improvements, and exception handling tools.
- Define and track operational KPIs to measure efficiency gains and STP rates.
Transformation & Platform Support
- Support payment platform upgrades, migrations, and new system implementations from an operations readiness perspective.
- Represent operations in project forums, providing requirements, UAT support, and go live readiness sign off.
- Contribute to the design of target operating models for future state payment operations.
Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination
- Coordinate closely with business, technology, compliance, and risk teams to align on operational priorities and regulatory requirements.
- Manage relationships with payment scheme operators, correspondent banks, and technology vendors.
- Lead stakeholder meetings and status reporting to senior management and steering committees.
Required Experience
- 8–12+ years of experience in banking payment operations.
- Experience within UAE, GCC, or broader global banking environments is preferred.
- Prior experience supporting payment transformation, migration, or system implementation projects.
Required Skills & Competencies
- Payment operations management across the transaction lifecycle.
- Strong working knowledge of SWIFT, RTGS, UAEFTS, and WPS.
- Operational risk management and control frameworks.
- Stakeholder management across business, technology, and compliance functions.
- Process improvement, automation, and operational efficiency methodologies.
- Vendor and third party coordination.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, Business, Technology, or a related field.
- Certifications in payments, operational risk, or process improvement (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma) are advantageous.
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