[Remote] Director, Payments Operations

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. SRS Acquiom is a financial services technology company that specializes in M&A and loan agency transactions. The Director of Payments Operations will lead the Payments function, ensuring accurate and timely execution of shareholder and closing-day payments while managing a team and driving operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Owns daily execution and oversight of shareholder and closing-day payment operations, including payment file release governance, bank cutoffs, and Service Level Agreement (SLA) adherence
• Leads and develops the Payments leadership team (Payments Managers and Manager of Payments Compliance), providing coaching, setting goals, and ensuring appropriate staffing, training, and coverage
• Establishes, implements, and monitors operational controls for record review, payment instruction validation, customer validation, fraud prevention, and physical/electronic documentation retention
• Oversees exception management for returned, delayed, or failed payments; ensures research cases are tracked through completion and escalations are executed with bank partners as needed
• Ensures payment files contain required data elements and quality checks to reduce transaction failures and requests for additional information
• Provides support for Foreign Exchange (FX) execution and operational readiness, including accurate instruction of FX trades and validation of system configuration for multi-currency payment batches
• Owns reconciliation governance: reviews trends in breaks, ensures timely resolution, and ensures appropriate storage and auditability of supporting evidence
• Partners cross-functionally (Reconciliation, Payments, Client Services Team, Relationship team leadership, Business Analysts, Product Managers and bank partners) to drive continuous improvement and deliver technology-enabled solutions
• Maintains and enforces standard operating procedures, training materials, and a knowledge repository to ensure consistent execution and rapid onboarding
• Produces and delivers regular statistical reporting to senior leadership on payment timeliness, exception volumes, reconciliation status, and root-cause trends; recommends actions to improve outcomes
• Ensures team performance management processes are executed effectively, including hiring, performance reviews, recognition, corrective action, and terminations when necessary
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, or operations (or commensurate work experience) required
• FINRA-licensed Series 99 Operations Professional
• 5+ years of banking, financial services, payments, escrow, or transaction operations experience (or equivalent)
• 3+ years of people management experience, (preferably this experience includes managing managers), and leading multi-workstream teams
• Demonstrated expertise in payment operations, reconciliations, exception management (returns/delays), and operational controls
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, including the ability to interpret complex payment instructions and drive issues to resolution under time constraints
• Experience partnering with bank operations and customer service teams to manage escalations and meet processing cutoffs
• Working knowledge of foreign exchange processes and controls sufficient to participate in FX instruction and operational execution as needed
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; experience with sophisticated CRM/ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite) and the ability to drive adoption through training and standardization
• High ownership mindset with the ability to set direction and drive execution through others
• Strong attention to detail balanced with an ability to scale processes and simplify complexity
• Experience with integrating AI into processes, or AI-curious with a mind to leverage AI for potential operational task lift
• Collaborative super communicator, calm under pressure, and effective at stakeholder management and escalation communications
• Continuous improvement orientation with a track record of implementing innovative solutions
• Commitment to operating with integrity, strong controls, and a customer-first mindset

Benefits

• Day‑one coverage: medical, dental, and vision plans so you’re protected from the start
• A 401(k) with a 4% company match to keep your future on track
• Discretionary time off - take the time you need, when you need it
• Employer‑paid life insurance, with the option to add extra coverage for peace of mind
• Employee Assistance Programs for confidential support when life gets complicated
• Discounted pet insurance (because furry family members count, too)
• A fitness credit to back your health and wellness goals
• Pre‑tax plans for dependent care, transportation, and flexible spending

Company Overview