Senior Payments Operations Analyst, Merchant Acquiring Sponsorship

Join a Challenger
Being a traditional bank just isn’t our thing. We are big believers in innovating the banking experience because we believe Canadians deserve better options, and we challenge ourselves and our teams to creatively transform what’s possible in banking. Our team is made up of inquisitive and agile minds that find smarter ways of doing things. If you’re not afraid of taking on big challenges and redefining the future, you belong with us. You’ll get to work with people who will encourage you to reach new heights. We like to keep things fun, ask questions and learn together.
We are a big (and growing!) family. Overall we serve more than 370,000 people across Canada through Equitable Bank, Canada's Challenger Bank™, and have been around for more than 50 years. Equitable Bank's wholly-owned subsidiary, Concentra Bank, supports credit unions across Canada that serve more than 5 million members. Together we have over $100 billion in combined assets under management and administration, with a clear mandate to drive change in Canadian banking to enrich people's lives. Our EQ Bank platform ( eqbank.ca ) has been named the top Schedule I Bank in Canada on the Forbes World's Best Banks 2023, 2022, and 2021 lists.
Purpose of Job
The Senior Payments Operations Analyst, Merchant Acquiring Sponsorship will be responsible for supporting the Senior Manager, Personal Banking Payments on a variety of initiatives across the payments roadmap, coordinate execution of the payments product operations, and improve competitive position of the digital Bank, ultimately furthering Equitable’s position as “Canada’s Challenger Bank”. The role will focus on EQ Bank’s suite of payment products including merchant acquiring, issuing bin sponsorship, EFT, Interac e-Transfer, EQ to EQ Transfer, Bill Payment, and Payments Card. This role will require working in collaboration with cross-functional teams across the Digital Bank and contribute to the overall strategy and execution of the Payments roadmap.
The Work

• Respond to inbound inquiries and complaints from clients in an informed, efficient manner, within established SLAs
• Establish, refine and maintain payments product operations processes and procedures
• Execute transactions and process various requests on time and in line with established guidelines/procedures while adhering to Service Level Agreement(s) (SLAs)
• Ensure that the Payments programs reflect the external market needs, align internally with EQ policies and is in compliance with business & regulatory risk (AML, KYC, ATF) requirements
• Identify and escalate gaps, inefficiencies, process roadblocks and non-standard or high-risk activities
• Assist in the monitoring performance of the Payments products and key product measures, identify actions necessary and lead corrective actions
• Effective use of time management skills to re-prioritize daily activities, to ensure the most is accomplished within the available time and resources
• Translate directives and customer needs into backlog items. Manage and prioritize backlog items on payments roadmaps, with clearly articulated acceptance criteria
• Support Digital Operations as needed with a goal to evolve and manage contingencies
• Manage relationships with external partners as well as payment networks
• Proactively investigate and follow up on inquiries and escalate as required
• Work closely with cross-functional stakeholders within the digital bank as part of product execution (i.e. Product, Technology, Marketing, Customer Experience, Operations, Contact Center, Finance, etc.)
• Manage engagement with bank stakeholders and effectively communicate product release contents and expected product capabilities/customer journey
• Refer or escalate processing or operational issues by connecting with the appropriate department/partners to facilitate resolution and ensure that service quality is maintained
• Actively apply critical thinking to existing tools, controls and processes; make recommendations and test operational enhancements
• Review and help shape service & licensing agreements with external vendors, program managers & payments networks
• Manage production incidents to ensure closure within SLA, including creation of Incident Reports
• Execute timely and accurate completion of business processes such as settlement processing, reconciliation reviews, settlement variance investigation and reporting
• Support development and successful market launch of new line of payments business

Let's Talk About You!

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a demonstrated history of coaching and motivating teams towards results
• Experience dealing with clients and 3rd party vendors with confidence and maturity
• Quick learner, highly motivated team player with a track record of strong relationship building skills
• Preferred experience in financial services, network partners (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Interac) and/or in payment services wire transfers, EFTs, SWIFT, ISO 20022
• Prior experience supporting projects and coordinating tasks across cross-functional teams
• Proficient in using MS Office (Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
• Excellent analytical ability with strong attention to details
• Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Math or related field
• Strong attention to detail and time management skills
• Knowledge of Payments Landscape and functional knowledge of Payments
• 5+ years of work experience, ideally minimum of 2 years in a Payments role across any of the following: payments technology, credit cards, prepaid cards, and/or digital banking

What we offer [For full-time permanent roles]
💰 Competitive discretionary bonus
✨ Market leading RRSP match program
🩺 Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits
📝 Employee Share Purchase Plan
👶🏽 Maternity/Parental top-up while you care for your little one
🏝 Generous vacation policy, personal days and even a moving day
🖥 Virtual events to connect with your fellow colleagues
🎓 Annual professional development allowance and a comprehensive Career Development program
💛 A fulfilling opportunity to join one of the top FinTechs and help create a new kind of banking experience
The incumbent will be working hybrid and in office time will be spent working from Equitable Bank’s additional office space located at 351 King Street East, Toronto, ON.
Equitable Bank is deeply committed to inclusion. Our organization is stronger and our employees thrive when we honour and celebrate everyone’s diverse experiences and perspectives. In tandem with that commitment, we support and encourage our staff to grow not just in their career path, but personally as well.
We commit to providing a barrier-free recruitment process and work environment for all applicants. Please let us know of any accommodations needed so that you can bring your best self to the application process and beyond. All candidates considered for hire must successfully pass a criminal background check and credit check to qualify for hire. While we appreciate your interest in applying, an Equitable recruiter will only contact leading candidates whose skills and qualifications closely match the requirements of the position.
We can’t wait to get to know you!