Director - Commercial Payments Fraud Strategy & Innovation

RBC•Toronto, ON

3d•Onsite

About The Position

We are building a next-generation Commercial Banking Fraud organization designed to address the rapidly evolving complexity of commercial payment ecosystems, real-time transactions, digital fraud threats, and emerging payment technologies. The Director, Commercial Payments & Emerging Payments Fraud Strategy will lead fraud strategy, control modernization, and risk orchestration across commercial payment products including wires, ACH/EFT, email transfers, FX payments, bill payments, global/international disbursements and book-to-book transfers, real-time payments, and emerging models such as tokenized deposits and stablecoin-enabled payment models. This role will play a critical leadership position in protecting commercial clients and the bank from various sophisticated forms of fraud and emerging transaction risks while enabling secure and friction-conscious client experiences. The role encompasses and coordinates across payments, fraud strategy, analytics, client behavior, digital channels, and commercial banking transformation.

Requirements

10+ years of direct experience in payments fraud prevention, fraud risk strategy, financial crimes compliance, treasury operations management, commercial banking risk frameworks, or payment system architecture.
Demonstrated expertise in commercial payment rail mechanics including wire transfer protocols, ACH/EFT processing, real-time payment networks, foreign exchange settlement, and cross-border payment corridors.
Specialized knowledge of commercial payment fraud attack vectors including business email compromise (BEC) exploitation, credential-based account takeover, money mule networks, payment instruction manipulation, and social engineering tactics targeting CFOs and payment processors.
Hands-on experience architecting and operationalizing fraud mitigation controls including transaction monitoring rule engines, behavioral analytics models, payment risk scoring algorithms, and real-time payment interdiction protocols.
In-depth understanding of how endpoint compromise, application vulnerabilities, and compromised user credentials amplify payment fraud exposure across digital banking channels.
Proven track record leading enterprise-scale fraud modernization programs, technology-enabled fraud control transformations, or mission-critical payment risk remediation initiatives with measurable risk reduction outcomes.
Executive-level communication skills; advanced data analysis with proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, statistical functions) and PowerPoint for presenting findings to senior leadership
Demonstrated success managing competing priorities across business lines, operations teams, product development, technology infrastructure, and enterprise risk functions.
Demonstrated proficiency translating payment fraud analytics, system telemetry data, and intelligence-driven fraud insights into optimized control strategies that reduce false positives while maintaining fraud prevention effectiveness.
Track record in managing medium to large size vendors specializing banking technologies

Nice To Haves

Experience with real-time payment ecosystems and emerging payment technologies.
Familiarity with tokenized deposits, digital assets, stablecoins, or blockchain-enabled payment infrastructure.
Experience with AI/ML fraud detection models, graph analytics, or real-time fraud orchestration platforms.
Knowledge of commercial APIs, embedded finance models, or host-to-host payment integrations.
Experience working with fraud intelligence fusion environments combining payment, digital, and behavioral telemetry.
Familiarity with sanctions, AML, and cross-border financial crime considerations.
Professional certifications such as CFE, CAMS, CISSP, or related disciplines.

Responsibilities

Own fraud strategy across leading commercial payment ecosystems including wires, EFT/ACH, email transfers, FX, bill payments, RTP, and emerging payment rails.
Lead fraud mitigation strategies for unauthorized payment fraud, scams, mule activity, account takeover-driven payment fraud, and authorized fraud scenarios.
Design and optimize payment controls including behavioral analytics, transaction monitoring, payment scoring, beneficiary risk management, and interdiction capabilities.
Establish fraud strategies for emerging payment ecosystems including tokenized deposits, stablecoin-related payment flows, embedded finance, and real-time settlement models.
Partner closely with Commercial Channels Fraud teams to support integrated “session-to-payment” fraud telemetry and orchestration.
Lead modernization initiatives involving AI-driven fraud analytics, graph intelligence, adaptive risk scoring, and real-time payment decisioning.
Establish fraud governance, KPIs, reporting, and payment fraud control effectiveness frameworks.
Collaborate with product, operations, treasury management, technology, cybersecurity, and frontline teams to embed secure-by-design fraud controls into commercial payment journeys.
Lead and mentor a team including Sr. Manager(s) and cross-functional fraud specialists.
Develop the commercial fraud vendor ecosystem strategy, identifying emerging capabilities, assessing market-leading solutions, and governing third-party partnerships that enhance fraud prevention, detection, intelligence, and client protection.