Senior Associate, Payment Investigations & Operations

As a Payment Senior Associate, you will manage the resolution of complex payment exceptions and inquiries. You will leverage your technical knowledge of SWIFT and ISO 20022 standards to resolve payment exceptions efficiently, ensuring minimal disruption to client fund flows.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage end-to-end payment investigations related to cross-border remittances, including non-receipt of funds, amendments, and cancellations.
• Draft and process SWIFT messages for investigations and inquiries, specifically MT199 (Free Format), MT192 (Request for Cancellation), MT195 (Queries), and MT196 (Answers).
• Handle payment returns and rejects using pacs.
  004 and status updates via pacs.
  002 in line with ISO 20022 standards.
• Liaise closely with correspondent banks and internal stakeholders to resolve outstanding "breaks" and payment delays promptly.
• Respond to client inquiries regarding payment status, ensuring a high level of service and professional communication.
• Monitor and resolve Nostro account breaks related to remittance activities to ensure timely reconciliation.
• Perform daily transaction monitoring to identify failed or stuck payments for immediate remediation.
• Support the processing of inward and outward remittances during peak periods to meet currency cutoff times.
• Maintain accurate logs of all investigation cases and provide regular status updates to management.
• Ensure all investigations and returns are handled in strict accordance with AML, Sanctions screening, and KYC regulatory requirements.
• Identify recurring payment issues or bottlenecks and suggest process improvements to mitigate operational risk.
• Adhere to internal Operating Procedures (SOPs) and departmental SLAs.
• Assist in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for payment system enhancements and provide feedback on system workflows to improve the efficiency of the investigation process.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum 4 to 5 years of experience in Bank Payment Operations, specifically in Cross-Border Remittances and Payment Investigations.
• Technical Proficiency:
  Solid understanding of SWIFT MT (Category 1, 2, and
  9) and ISO 20022 (pacs) messaging.
• Experience in MT199, MT192, pacs.
  002, and pacs.
  004 is highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of the global clearing landscape and correspondent banking.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage high-volume queries within strict cutoff times.
• Excellent communication skills with a "client-first" mindset.
• Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail with ability to "connect the dots" in complex payment chains.