Operations Director Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 12+ years of experience in banking, payments, treasury management, or financial operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managers in complex operational environments.
• Strong working knowledge of payment rails, including ACH, wires, debit cards, and ATM networks.
• Experience partnering cross‑functionally with Treasury Management, Technology, Finance, Risk, and Product teams
• Experience in payment strategy, revenue analysis, and pricing initiatives
• Strong analytical capability, including the ability to synthesize data into insights and recommendations for senior leadership

Nice To Haves

• Experience with faster payments platforms (FedNow, RTP) or emerging payment technologies
• Background in vendor management and large‑scale platform implementations
• Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and evolving environments
• Strong leadership presence and influence across functions
• Data-driven decision making and financial acumen
• Commitment to developing people and building subject matter expertise, aligned with the Deposit & TM Ops 2030 vision

Responsibilities

• Own and advance the bank’s payments strategy, with emphasis on: Faster payments (e.g., FedNow, RTP), Emerging payment models and industry trends, Competitive threats and displacement risks
• Translate enterprise and Treasury Management strategy into a sequenced payments roadmap, aligned to customer needs, operational capacity, and technology readiness
• Evaluate new payment capabilities and partners, leading due diligence and supporting vetting processes in collaboration with Technology, Product, Finance, and Risk.
• Partner with Finance and Treasury Management to improve visibility into payments financial performance, including interchange, fees, costs, and revenue leakage
• Support initiatives to protect and grow payments‑related revenue, informed by data and customer behavior insights
• Provide strategic input into pricing, limits, and product decisions related to payment services.
• Provide leadership and direction to: ACH & Wires team, Debit Card & ATM Services team
• Ensure consistent operating standards, controls, and service levels across payment functions
• Drive operational readiness for new payment capabilities, including staffing, procedures, training, and change management
• Serve as the business owner for payment platforms and vendor relationships related to payments
• Collaborate closely with vendors, Treasury Management, Technology and Banking Systems to ensure payment solutions are resilient, scalable, and aligned with enterprise architecture
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Fraud, and Legal teams to ensure payment operations meet regulatory and policy expectations
• Establish and maintain clear governance and ownership for payment initiatives and decisions
• Identify and manage operational, fraud, and reputational risks within the payments ecosystem
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to enhance customer experience, reduce friction, and improve operational efficiency
• Collect and interpret feedback from internal partners, frontline teams, and customers related to payment experiences and capabilities.
• Help the organization learn from payment performance, incidents, and adoption patterns to continuously refine strategy and execution
• Perform duties as requested by the manager.
• Complete all required compliance exams on a yearly basis.
• Adhere to all First United policies and procedures.
• Dress professionally.

Benefits

• exciting opportunities for employees to grow and follow their passions
• one of the many reasons First United has been voted as one of the top places to work in Oklahoma since 2009
• excellent career opportunities
• a wide array of benefits for our staff