Payment Processing Officer

SCHEDULE: Full-time; Monday through Friday (8:30 am- 6:00 pm). Requires work before or after normal business hours and some overnight travel to attend various conferences, schools or training programs.

LOCATION: 131 E Main St, Hills, IA 52235

BENEFITS: Our employees are our most valuable assets, so we invest in them with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Our philosophy of taking care of the customer extends to taking care of our employees so that they, in turn, can take good care of themselves and their families. Join Hills Bank and let us surprise you with even more perks!

SCOPE:

As part of the Bank's Retail Operations Team, the Payment Processing Officer is responsible for all operational functions of the Bank's back-office processing related to electronic payments, which includes item processing, exception processing, ACH, wires, lockbox, card functions and mobile deposits as well as overseeing the Bank's credit and debit card programs. This position is responsible for identifying and implementing improved processes and procedures for all areas of the payment processing department by researching new technology and systems that will allow Hills Bank to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. The Payment Processing Officer ensures all Payment Processing service level expectations are met, promotes staff development and directs the Payment Processing team to contribute to the Bank's strategic goals. The Payment Processing team is critical to the Bank's successful daily processing, decision making and timely handling of functions vital to ensuring the Bank's adherence with both NACHA and Federal regulations. The Payment Processing Officer is a subject matter expert in all areas of payment processing and acts as a resource for others in the bank, promoting ownership, accountability and integrity of the department's work.

ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Payment Processing

• Establish and maintain procedures within the payment processing area that embody corporate standards and ensure that customer's needs and strategic goals are being met.
• Promote a service culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Work in conjunction with bank examiners and auditors to ensure processes in place meet compliance standards, meet regulatory requirements, are documented and staff are fully trained and executing sound practices.
• Prioritize and lead/participate in constant stream of projects required of the business, being proactive to initiate and lead change. Align resources to ensure projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner and support bank wide strategic goals.
• Oversee business continuity, vendor management and risk management initiatives for the payment processing area ensuring risk controls are implemented and followed.
• Maintain knowledge of products and services offered by the bank in order to serve as a resource to other internal departments related to payment processing, answering questions effectively, identifying solutions and leading implementation of those solutions.
• Maintain technical and professional knowledge by attending educational workshops and training, reviewing professional publications and books, establishing personal networks, participating in professional associations and staying informed on any legal, policy or procedural change relating to electronic payments, debit/credit cards and exception item processing.
• Ensure all activities related to check processing are handled timely and according to audit and regulatory requirements. This includes, but not limited to, in-clearing and out-clearing items, exception check processing and their timeframes, delivery of notices, branch balancing, processing check deposits from branches and retrieval of images and reports from systems such as image center, remote deposit capture and positive pay.
• Establish and maintain benchmark measurements for efficiencies with the goal of increasing those benchmarks with process improvements over time.
• Maintain and oversee the Bank's ACH, Wire, Daylight Overdraft policies, ensuring compliance, mitigation of risk and proper testing.
• Ensure that daily, weekly, and monthly balancing related to critical financial activity is accurately performed on schedule.
  

Management

• Manage and provide ongoing support, guidance and direction to the payment processing teams, ensuring the work is being managed efficiently and effectively and the department's performance aligns with management's expectations and milestones/goals are met.
• Manage the departments reporting needs including developing additional operational metrics to measure production, performance, efficiencies, assets and revenue associated with electronic payments.
• Coordinate and manage budget activities for the payment processing areas as well as the administrative activities for the department related to facilities and equipment planning, promoting efficiency and effectiveness.
• Responsible for developing employees, interviewing/hiring, promoting personal and team development, proactively handling disciplinary corrections, perform high quality performance evaluations and provide ongoing employee feedback.
• Develop team members; motivating them to develop and grow within the department, identifies training needs and schedules appropriately. Cross-training team member to ensure adequate back-up.
  

EDUCATION AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's or associate's degree preferred; and 5-10 years of experience at a community bank, with at least 3 years of experience with related subject and comprehensive knowledge of the field's policies, procedures and practices.
• AAP Certification or willingness to complete certification within 3 years of starting position.
• Requires work before or after normal business hours and some overnight travel to attend various conferences, schools or training programs.
• Current working knowledge of electronic banking operations, laws and regulations.
• This job requires skills needed in a typical office environment. This includes computer skills, communication skills, as well as utilization of office equipment.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER