Vice President, Head of Payments

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce•Chicago, IL

11d•$400,000 - $700,000

About The Position

We’re building a relationship-oriented bank for the modern world. We need talented, passionate professionals who are dedicated to doing what’s right for our clients. At CIBC, we embrace your strengths and your ambitions, so you are empowered at work. Our team members have what they need to make a meaningful impact and are truly valued for who they are and what they contribute. To learn more about CIBC, please visit CIBC.com The Vice President, Head of Payments is a high-impact, future-focused leadership role within Technology Infrastructure and Innovation (TI&I) team, responsible for shaping and driving the payments ecosystem, advancing operational excellence, and delivering industry-leading, resilient, and innovative payment solutions that accelerate growth for clients and business partners across the United States. Champions the modernization of payments platforms, drives digital transformation, and leads the end-to-end payments lifecycle — from product innovation to technology enablement and operational excellence. Owns the payments cost model, expense stewardship, and operational efficiency — providing major inputs into the US Payments P&L in close partnership with the business. Collaborates with business partners across US Commercial Banking, Commercial Real Estate (CRE), US Treasury Management, Private Banking and Digital, Private Wealth, Capital Markets, and Corporate and Investment Banking to deliver cutting-edge payment capabilities that fuel growth, enhance the client experience, and position CIBC as a market leader in payments. Serve as a visible external representative for CIBC’s payments capabilities, including participation in relevant industry boards and committees, and will educate senior leadership on market trends and opportunities to differentiate CIBC’s payment offerings for both consumer and commercial clients. CIBC employee experience principles: Always professional … so our team members can excel and be their best professional self. Radically simple … so our team members can focus on what they need to do and make an impact. Genuinely caring … so our team members can feel valued for who they are and what they contribute. CIBC leadership capabilities: Envisions the future… to innovate purposefully to create new value and harness new capabilities in order to meet the evolving needs of our diverse stakeholders. Inspires hearts and minds… to build an inclusive culture where we make bold choices, collaborate, and empower others to take chances and do what’s right for our stakeholders. Drives action and impact, together… to align with urgency around what matters, making decisions with speed and always making a real difference.

Requirements

15+ years in US Payments industry.
Proven leadership of large, diverse, cross-functional teams (platform, technology, operations).
Strong influencing and negotiation skills to shape strategy, secure executive alignment, and build consensus internally and externally.
Exceptional communication, able to convey complex concepts and provide external thought leadership.
Client-focused; delivers innovative, resilient payments solutions with high satisfaction.
Expertise in payments infrastructure, processes, and technology across consumer and corporate segments.
Advanced understanding of payments risks, controls, and compliance (AML, KYC, data protection).
Knowledge of payments systems and emerging technologies (e.g., payment hubs, real-time payments, ISO 20022).
Track record leading major transformation initiatives (platform modernization, real-time payments, API services).
Strong business and financial acumen (cost modeling, P&L partnership, unit economics).
Advanced project planning and process management skills to prioritize and execute roadmaps across functions.
Industry engagement; develops innovative solutions and maintains participation in relevant forums.
Organizational change expertise, with success scaling teams to align with payments strategy.
Financial industry knowledge to interpret market, regulatory, and business practices for strategic decisions.
Demonstrated innovation, agility, and data-driven decision-making; drives continuous improvement via KPIs and collaboration.

Responsibilities

BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Shape and execute a bold US Payments vision aligned with CIBC’s growth and Payments Roadmap. Lead an integrated payments strategy across product, technology, and operations to meet or exceed industry standards. Drive payments modernization through digital transformation, operational resilience, and client-focused innovation. Own the payments cost model and expense plan, including budget, unit economics, and productivity targets; provide key P&L inputs. Represent CIBC as an industry leader in payments forums and regulatory engagements.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BUSINESS PARTNER COLLABORATION / CLIENT SERVICE Build strong, trust-based relationships with internal business partners. Act as connector and advisor through joint planning, shared metrics, and integrated teams to align payment strategies with business needs. Co-lead cross-functional initiatives with US Treasury Management to drive payment innovation and integrate client feedback. Align US and Global Money Operations by working closely with the Global Head and maintaining dual reporting. Manage external partnerships (networks, vendors, FinTech's) to enhance capabilities and ensure feedback loops for improvement. Collaborate with Finance on cost transparency, allocations, and insights to inform pricing and product decisions.
RISK MANAGEMENT Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and controls to minimize operational, technical, and fraud risks across US payment products. Ensure compliance with all relevant US and international regulations (AML, KYC, data protection). Oversee risk management, including regulatory reporting, audit support, business continuity, and interactions with regulators and internal risk partners.
OPERATIONAL AND BUSINESS EFFECTIVENESS Oversee payments operations to ensure efficient, accurate, and timely processing through automation, process optimization, and best practices (e.g., STP, ISO 20022). Manage TI&I US Payments budget and efficiency targets, aligning with performance objectives and providing accurate P&L inputs via allocation methods. Implement and monitor SLAs with stakeholders; ensure robust business continuity plans for all operations. Set and achieve targets for unit cost, straight through processing rates, resiliency, and productivity.
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, TECHNOLOGY, AND OPERATIONS Own the payments platform: Oversee lifecycle, performance, product vision, roadmap, and delivery for all payment rails and infrastructure. Lead payments product management team: Organize by payment type and ensure transparent cost models. Implement activity-based costing: Enable accurate business allocations and informed pricing, investment, and prioritization; monitor unit economics by rail. Collaborate with technology teams: Focus on infrastructure development, maintenance, integrations, and cost transparency. Direct payments operations: Manage transaction processing, exception handling, settlement, reconciliation, and client support; track operational costs by payment type. Manage vendor and fintech relationships: optimize build vs. buy decisions for speed, differentiation, and economics. Monitor industry trends and technologies: Adapt strategies for competitive advantage (e.g., RTP, FedNow, APIs, AI fraud detection, ISO 20022). Use data analytics for decision-making: Drive continuous improvement, cost analysis, and financial modeling to support business cases and pricing. Establish and track KPIs: Ensure platform, technology, and operations meet performance, cost efficiency, and client satisfaction goals with cost transparency.

Benefits

At CIBC, we offer a competitive total rewards package.
This role has an expected salary range of $400,000 - $700,000 for the market based on experience, qualifications, and location of the position.
The successful candidate may be eligible to participate in the relevant business unit’s incentive compensation plan, which may also include a discretionary bonus component.
CIBC offers a full range of benefits and programs to meet our employee’s needs; including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance, Disability, and Other Insurance Plans, Paid Time Off (including Sick Leave, Parental Leave and Vacation), Holidays and 401(k), in addition to other special perks reserved for our team members.
At CIBC, your goals are a priority. We start with your strengths and ambitions as an employee and strive to create opportunities to tap into your potential. We aspire to give you a career, rather than just a paycheck. We work to recognize you in meaningful, personalized ways including a competitive salary, incentive pay, banking benefits, a benefits program, a vacation offering, wellbeing support, and MomentMakers, our social, points-based recognition program.
Our spaces and technological toolkit will make it simple to bring together great minds to create innovative solutions that make a difference for our clients. We cultivate a culture where you can express your ambition through initiatives like Purpose Day; a paid day off dedicated for you to use to invest in your growth and development.

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