Third Party Risk Director

Citizens•Boston, MA

5h•$178,000 - $186,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Third-Party Payments Oversight is responsible for designing, implementing, and executing the risk and compliance framework for non-bank partners (fintechs) offering bank services (payments, deposits, and lending). This senior role ensures third-party partners comply with applicable regulatory requirements, bank policies, and payment network rules.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in risk management, compliance, or operations within financial services, fintech, and/or Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).
Strong knowledge of third-party regulatory guidance and the payments ecosystem.
Experience with customer due diligence, fraud and risk monitoring, and payment network rules (NACHA, Visa, Mastercard, FedNow).
Ability to review and advise on customer and partner policies to protect the bank from fines, regulatory violations, and losses.
Proven ability to evaluate risk and perform compliance reviews in partnership with Legal and Commercial Risk teams.
Understanding of emerging payment systems, digital assets, and blockchain technology, including associated risks.
Executive presence with strong interpersonal, networking, and executive-level presentation skills.
Experience partnering with First and Second Lines of Defense and cross-functional teams to investigate issues and present fact/risk-based recommendations.
Experience with internal and external audits.
At least 2 years of people management experience leading payments professionals, including coaching and development.
Willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain the third-party payments risk and compliance framework for fintech and BaaS partners.
Oversee ongoing due diligence, risk monitoring, and compliance reviews of third-party partners in coordination with Legal, Commercial Risk, and other control functions.
Assess partner policies, controls, and customer journeys to identify gaps and recommend remediation to reduce regulatory, reputational, and financial risk.
Ensure partner adherence to bank policies, regulatory guidance, and payment network rules (e.g., NACHA, Visa, Mastercard, FedNow).
Lead investigations and cross-functional issue management, developing fact-based recommendations and presenting risk decisions to business and executive stakeholders.
Partner with First and Second Lines of Defense to support governance, reporting, and escalation processes.
Coordinate and support internal and external audits and regulatory examinations related to third-party payments oversight.
Manage and develop a team of payments professionals; set priorities, coach performance, and build team capabilities.
Represent the function with executive presence in internal forums and with external partners as needed; travel periodically to support partner oversight.