Payment Operations Representative

The Payment Operations Representative is responsible for accurate and timely processing and settlement of daily member transactions and ensuring that the credit union maintains valid member and account information & documentation. This position will serve as an internal source of professional, technical, and general support for multi-channel member transactions; such as, wire transfers, checks, deposits and payments, return items, foreign checks, and more. They provide high-quality services to internal and external members.  This position performs monitoring, processing, reconciliation, and support functions for various payment applications with a primary focus on: check image quality assurance, daily mailed in payment processing, document retention, and wire transfer processing.

*Employees are expected demonstrate a working knowledge of the check payments landscape including operations, relevant rules and laws, fraud and risk mitigation as well to adhere to all rules and regulations applicable to this position, including but not limited to all policies and procedures pertaining to the Bank Secrecy Act, OFAC, and internal policies and procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

Transaction Settlement

·         Complete general proof duties: check copy requests, foreign check collection, check corrections, image repair of teller/ATM/ITM/RDC transactions, stop payments, check rescans, and processing of returned items.

·         Ensure daily deadlines are met by identifying out of balance conditions and other exceptions to item processing.

·         Responsible for the daily preparation and distribution of outgoing and incoming cash letters from various payment channels.

·         Manages the daily process of incoming mailed in member deposits, credit card, and loan payments.

·         Process incoming and outgoing foreign and domestic wire transfers and conduct research, recalls, and traces as requested.

·         Correspond with members for transaction verification and settlement.

·         Work in collaboration with other departments to resolve member payment and technical issues.

·         Daily balancing and reconciliation of all cash letters, cash advance transactions, and various general ledger accounts.

·         Review and process Shared Branch adjustments, perform research, and balance all Shared Branch transactions submitted through the Shared Branch Network.

·         Research, post, and create adjustments to/from member accounts.

·         Process ATM/ITM and Cashier’s Check transaction corrections.

·         Set up and maintenance of internal and external transfers.

·         Post debit and credit card exceptions.

Quality Assurance/Risk Management

·         Identify suspicious account activity and potential fraud and place restrictions or report to Fraud and/or BSA/AML  

·         Review and analyze various retail data reports such as errors on accounts, account changes, CD rollovers & rates, etc.

·         Recognize fraudulent activity over various payment channels and possess confidence to make risk based decisions regarding transaction processing.

·         Recognizing improper check endorsements and place holds on accounts for at risk deposits.

·         Protect sensitive data from accidental or intentional breaches.

·         Retain and destroy checks in accordance with retention guidelines.

·         Scan, verify, and index miscellaneous Credit Union documents.

Individual and Team Development

·         Continuing education on relevant Policies and Regulations.

• Cross train within department for professional growth and to provide backup to team members

Required Skills

·         Education and Credentials

o   High School Diploma or GED Equivalent required; College coursework preferred

o   National Check Professional (NCP) Certification a plus

·         Experience

o   Minimum 2 years of experience in banking/finance and customer service

·         Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

o   Competent computer skills with experience working in Microsoft Excel and Outlook

o   Ten-key by touch a plus

o   Strong quantitative skills

o   Strong organizational  and time management skills

o   Self-motivated with a willingness to learn and adapt

o   Must be able to problem solve, interpret questions, and deal with conflicts as they arise while maintaining a high degree of professionalism

o   Work independently or as part of a team

o   Ability to work through interruptions and focus on multiple tasks

o   Ability to handle sensitive, confidential information

o   Ability to read and interpret system entries and reports

o   Ability to communicate verbally and in writing, in a professional manner when dealing with employees, members, vendors, and company contacts

o   Ability to follow the core values of honesty, integrity, mutual respect, pride and ownership

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

·         This job operates in a clerical office setting.  This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phone, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines

·         This position requires manual dexterity, the ability to lift mail totes and files and open filing cabinets

·         This position requires sitting, bending, stooping or standing as necessary