Payments & Current Accounts Executive Director

Purpose of Job

The Payments and Current Account Service Owner is a critical, senior role in SMBC EMEA who will be responsible for the effective running of our Payments and Current Account Processes end to end across departments. This will involve:

• Providing steering, oversight and governance to Payments and Current Account Services across EMEA, ensuring payment systems, their process design and operational resilience comply with regulatory expectation.
• Being the Business Process Owner (BPO) for Payment and Current Account Services, providing oversight of operational incidents and managing the operational relationships with Nostro Agents and Clearing Settlement Mechanisms (CSM’s).
• Provides Subject Matter Expertise (SME) to interpret the risk appetite and identify existing risks to the Bank in the Payment and Current Account Services space.
• Drive strategic transformation initiatives such as the transformation of our Payments and Current Account technology, processes and Operating Models providing management with information and insights in to risks, benefits and ROI.
• Partnering with front office / product teams across EMEA, other regions and globally to support SMBC’s strategic goals

Background

• As part of Operational Resilience requirements SMBC EMEA is putting in place Business Service Owners. SMBC Business Service Owners are responsible for the coordination and orchestration of high-performing, resilient and efficient end-to-end EMEA business services. Working closely with all key stakeholders associated with the provision of business service, and in alignment with Business Service Management Standards, the Service Owner will define and oversee the execution of the service strategy to maximise value to service recipients.
• As we strive to create a Universal Bank, this experienced individual will leverage their knowledge and expertise to drive the Strategic business change needed to ensure that our Operating Models are fit for purpose and ensure that the internal and external customer experience is enhanced, thus supporting our Front Office Growth agenda.

Facts / Scale

• Annual budgetary amounts the job is accountable for depend on the Payment and Current Account related projects being undertaken in any given fiscal year. Job holder (as the Business Process Owner) is accountable for the operational design and processes delivered by projects.
• Small team initially but likely this will grow in the future
• Main interfaces/relationships
• Nostro Clearing Services: Works with the Senior Exec Director in Global Financial Institutions Group to negotiate service and tariff. Attends meetings with the Nostro Agent’s representatives.
• Security Operations Centre & Security Committee: Direct interaction with the CISO (Chief Security Officer) for EMEA on requirements and options for remediation of risks.
• Operational and Security Framework and Operational resilience: Working closely with the Risk Management Department.
• Review operational interpretation of regulatory texts in respect of Payment Services: Advising Compliance Director on system & process changes required to meet new regulatory standards in payment services.
• Planning and implementing projects/enhancements to the systems providing payment and/or current account services: Stakeholder and advisor to project teams collated from Operations, Global Transaction Banking and PDIS Applications teams delivering the project
• Interacts with Head Office, New York and 7 Offices across the EMEA region of the delivery of payment services.
• Business Process Owner for critical systems in the provision of payment and current account services

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

For Payments and Current Account services they will be responsible for;

• Service strategy
• Service definition
• Development of strategic assets
• Financial management – cost component only
• Service Portfolio Management
• Business Analysis
• Service management
• Service Delivery Requirements
• Service Catalogue Management (documentation, risks, controls, data)
• Service Level Management
• Service Resilience & Continuity Management
• Capacity Management
• Service Reporting Governance inc. MI
• Accountability for Service delivery (Service BAU)
• Problem Management
• Service Reporting
• Demand Management
• Control Management
• Oversight and support of Event Management & Incident Management
• Service assurance
• Continual service improvement
• Service Improvement incl. analysis and business case development
• Change management
• A key component of this role will be to shape, influence and support Transformation activities
• Projects to improve operational resilience and/or business continuity
• Projects impacting the operational capabilities of SMBC EMEA
• Operational resilience and business continuity
• This role will be accountable for the following across SMBC EMEA
• Development of Business Continuity Plans (BCP)
• Co-ordinating and governance of BCP testing
• Scenario testing for Important Business Services
• Scenario testing for Critical Services

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Engaging with senior stakeholders across branches, regions and Head Office, including board level
• Ability to educate and convince stakeholders at all levels on the essential nature of best practice and alignment to industry and peer standards, as well as a clear understanding and articulation of how the transformation can be implemented within SMBC EMEA
• Operational management – experience of either managing and / or transforming payment and current account services at an operational level or have experience of managing the risks related to the provision of payment and current account services.
• Industry Knowledge.
• In-depth knowledge of best practice in Payments across the financial services industry and an ability to utilise that knowledge to enhance the capability at SMBC.
• Knowledge and expertise of the operation of Clearing and Settlement Mechanisms (CSMs) where the Bank is an indirect or direct participant
• Knowledge and expertise of the operation of current account services
• Experience of analysing regulatory text in the payment service space in the financial sector and applying the appropriate interpretation of said text.
• Business Service Management. Expertise in service management and experience of implementing/running service strategy, service management, service delivery and continual service improvement within financial services or similar complex, multi-product, multi-region organisations.
• Operational resilience and business continuity. Knowledge of operational resilience and business continuity; experience of defining and implementing operational resilience policies and processes in financial services organisations.
• Enterprise Leadership; Empowers and inspires others by being authentic and open in communication. Engages and influences across hierarchies and boundaries, breaking down silos and encouraging collaboration.
• Strategy. Translates strategy into goals and objectives for the functional team to support the holistic delivery
• Driving Change. Diplomatically challenges objections to change with logical and well supported logic, remaining positive in the face of setbacks and maintaining forward momentum.
• Judgement and Decision Making. Demonstrates timely and sound judgement; is aware of the key priorities for SMBC EMEA and rigorously evaluates alternative courses of action in light of this. Is comfortable working with and making decisions with incomplete information

Challenges

• The Business Service Owner concept is relatively new to SMBC and will require clear communication (and championing of the concept) in order to gain wide-spread understanding of the benefits of the model prior to implementation. In addition, the current capability to manage Business Services end-to-end is relatively limited and requires staff to be upskilled and educated and new tools and methodologies to be adopted.
• In order to successfully manage the Bank’s operational and security risk environment, this role will require the ability to analyse the existing payment and current account service infrastructure, build consensus with stakeholders (from different areas of expertise and backgrounds) on the level of existing coverage and gain their agreement on the gaps. The ability to define and communicate risks identified, establish priorities for remediation and monitor gaps to successful resolution are key elements of this role.