Senior Specialist Payments & Member Support

FHLBank Chicago • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

The Senior Specialist, Payments & Member Support supports the daily reliability and continuous improvement of FHLBank Chicago’s payment capabilities—including Wires, ACH, and internal Book Transfers—and contributes to product ownership activities for these payment rails. This role combines strong payment operations expertise with growing product ownership skills, helping shape enhancements, manage small to mid‑sized initiatives, and advance the member experience. The ideal candidate brings 3–5 years of experience in payments processing, operations, or product support and is ready to take the next step into owning components of the roadmap, defining requirements, and helping strengthen resiliency and controls.

Requirements

• 4-7 years of experience in payments operations, treasury operations, or payment product support within a bank, financial institution, or payment provider.
• Working knowledge of Wires (Fedwire), ACH (NACHA), or internal transfer processes, including exceptions and returns.
• Strong attention to detail, operational discipline, and familiarity with risk/control concepts.
• Some experience with requirements gathering, UAT, or change management.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to work cross‑functionally in a fast‑paced, time‑sensitive environment (especially during cutoffs).
• Operational Excellence: Reliable execution and disciplined adherence to procedures.
• Risk Awareness: Understands payment risks and follows control protocols closely.
• Curiosity & Growth Mindset: Actively builds knowledge of payments and product ownership.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across Operations, Technology, Risk, and Member‑facing teams.
• Analytical Mindset: Uses data to identify issues and recommend improvements.
• Clear Communication: Translates payment details into understandable guidance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting institutional or wholesale payment operations.
• Exposure to NACHA rules, OFAC workflows, fraud prevention, or BSA/AML processes.
• Familiarity with Tableau, Databricks, or other workflow/analytics tools.
• Certifications (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, Agile training) are a plus.
• Understanding of ISO 20022 formatting is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Product Ownership Support (Wires, ACH, Book Transfers)
• Support the product lifecycle: requirements gathering, user stories, backlog grooming, release readiness, and user acceptance testing.
• Conduct impact assessments, maintain business rules and process documentation, and assist with cross‑functional coordination for system enhancements.
• Help track KPIs, identify trends, and recommend improvements to increase efficiency, accuracy, or member satisfaction.
• Assist in preparing communications, training materials, and internal guidance for new features or operational changes.
• Payments Operations
• Perform daily processing and monitoring for Wires, ACH, and Book Transfers, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to internal controls.
• Manage payment exceptions, returns, and investigations and support end‑of‑day and cutoff activities.
• Collaborate with Technology partners to address issues, validate fixes, and maintain operational readiness.
• Risk, Compliance & Controls
• Follow and help enhance first line controls, including reconciliations, callbacks, entitlements, segregation of duties, and workflow documentation.
• Ensure adherence to applicable rules and guidelines (e.g., NACHA, OFAC, Fedwire Operating Circulars, internal policies).
• Participate in audits, exams, and risk assessments by preparing evidence and supporting remediation activities.
• Member & Stakeholder Support
• Act as a payment operations subject matter resource for internal partners and member institutions.
• Support Member Services with payment‑related inquiries, cases, and documentation.
• Help deliver clear, consistent communication to members regarding operational changes, cutoffs, or enhancements.
• Continuous Improvement & Projects
• Participate in department process reviews, efficiency initiatives, and operational readiness efforts.
• Contribute to projects involving payment platform enhancements, control improvements, resiliency activities, and change management.
• Assist in developing and maintaining SOPs and playbooks.

Benefits

• highly competitive compensation and bonus package
• access to a comprehensive benefits program designed to meet the needs of our employees
• Retirement program (401k and Pension)
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• Competitive PTO plan
• 11 paid holidays per year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees