Director of Strategy and Operations

Payments Strategy and Operations Manager

At First United Bank, our purpose is to inspire and empower others to Spend Life Wisely
. The Payments Strategy & Operations Manager ensures the bank’s payment capabilities are thoughtfully designed, well governed, and consistently executed to support customers’ financial well‑being, trust, and confidence in how they move money.

This role is responsible for the strategy, delivery, and ongoing operational alignment of the bank’s payments ecosystem—including ACH, wires, debit card, ATM services, faster payments, and emerging payment capabilities. It drives rapid response to evolving payment landscapes and competitive shifts, ensuring payments function reliably, securely, and reflect First United’s commitment to financial strength, clarity, simplicity, and customer experience.

• Own and advance the bank’s payments strategy, with emphasis on:
  • Faster payments (e.g., Fed Now, RTP)
  • Emerging payment models and industry trends
  • Competitive threats and displacement risks
• Translate enterprise and Treasury Management strategy into a sequenced payments roadmap, aligned to customer needs, operational capacity, and technology readiness
• Evaluate new payment capabilities and partners, leading due diligence and supporting vetting processes in collaboration with Technology, Product, Finance, and Risk

• Partner with Finance and Treasury Management to improve visibility into payments financial performance, including interchange, fees, costs, and revenue leakage
• Support initiatives to protect and grow payments‑related revenue, informed by data and customer behavior insights
• Provide strategic input into pricing, limits, and product decisions related to payment services

• Provide leadership and direction to:
  • ACH & Wires team
  • Debit Card & ATM Services team
• Ensure consistent operating standards, controls, and service levels across payment functions
• Drive operational readiness for new payment capabilities, including staffing, procedures, training, and change management

• Serve as the business owner for payment platforms and vendor relationships related to payments
• Collaborate closely with vendors, Treasury Management, Technology and Banking Systems to ensure payment solutions are resilient, scalable, and aligned with enterprise architecture
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Fraud, and Legal teams to ensure payment operations meet regulatory and policy expectations

• Establish and maintain clear governance and ownership for payment initiatives and decisions
• Identify and manage operational, fraud, and reputational risks within the payments ecosystem
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to enhance customer experience, reduce friction, and improve operational efficiency
• Collect and interpret feedback from internal partners, frontline teams, and customers related to payment experiences and capabilities
• Help the organization learn from payment performance, incidents, and adoption patterns to continuously refine strategy and execution

• Delivery of the payments roadmap and operational performance improvements
• Establishment of clear visibility into payments revenue, customer behavior, and displacement trends by end of year one
• Demonstrated progress toward improving payments revenue trajectory and reducing customer displacement to non‑bank alternatives
• Improved time‑to‑market for new or enhanced payment capabilities
• Ability to influence enterprise decisions through data‑driven insights and cross‑functional leadership

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 7+ years of experience in banking, payments, treasury management, or financial operations
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managers in complex operational environments
• Strong working knowledge of payment rails, including ACH, wires, debit cards, and ATM networks
• Experience partnering cross‑functionally with Treasury Management,…