ACH & Instant Pay Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Location: Stuart, FL

Position Summary

  The  ACH & Instant Pay Operations Manager is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership over the Bank’s ACH and Real Time Payments Operations, including ACH, RTP, FedNow, and future payment capabilities.

This role is accountable for strengthening operational execution, advancing payment infrastructure readiness, enhancing controls, and ensuring the department is positioned to support a more complex and evolving payments environment.

This position provides leadership over the ACH Operations function, including oversight of day to day ACH processing, while directly leading payment modernization, operational risk management, process improvement, reporting, issue resolution, and readiness for new payment rails.

The role partners closely with Treasury Management, Fraud Operations, Compliance, Risk Management, Accounting, Technology, and external payment providers to ensure strong execution, scalability, and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities  

• Provide leadership and oversight for ACH and Instant Pay Operations, including ACH, RTP, FedNow, and related payment activities.
• Responsible for daily team execution, work distribution, processing activities, and staff performance.
• Establish clear operating routines, service standards, escalation protocols, and performance expectations across the ACH Operations function.
• Serve as the senior operational escalation point for complex ACH, RTP, FedNow, and payment related matters.
• Drive stronger accountability, consistency, and operational discipline across the department.
• Mentor and engage team members while fostering innovation and accountability across operations

Real Time Payments and Payment Infrastructure Readiness  

• Lead operational readiness for RTP, FedNow, and other real time or emerging payment capabilities.
• Develop and maintain operating procedures, controls, staffing models, escalation routines, and support processes for new payment rails.
• Partner with Technology, Treasury Management, Risk, Compliance, Fraud Operations, and vendors to support implementation, testing, and ongoing operations.
• Identify operational impacts associated with new payment capabilities, including staffing, risk, reconciliation, exception handling, customer support, and monitoring requirements.
• Ensure the department is prepared to manage increased payment complexity, faster transaction movement, and expanded operating windows.

Risk, Compliance, and Control Management

• Ensure compliance with NACHA Operating Rules, applicable banking regulations, and internal policies.
• Strengthen the control environment across ACH and Real Time Payments Operations.
• Oversee audit readiness, issue remediation, risk assessments, and control testing activities.
• Partner with Fraud Operations, Compliance, Risk Management, and Legal to identify and mitigate operational, compliance, and fraud risk.
• Ensure procedures, controls, and monitoring routines remain current as payment capabilities evolve.

Process Improvement and Modernization

• Evaluate current workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, and control effectiveness.
• Lead process redesign efforts to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and strengthen operational performance.
• Support system enhancements, automation opportunities, testing efforts, and implementation planning.
• Develop repeatable operating models that support growth, acquisitions, new payment channels, and increased transaction volumes.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational excellence.

Reporting, Reconciliation, and Performance Management  

• Develop and maintain reporting to monitor volumes, exceptions, service levels, processing accuracy, reconciliation status, and operational risk indicators.
• Oversee ACH and Real Time Payments settlement, balancing, and reconciliation processes in partnership with Accounting.
• Use data and reporting to identify trends, capacity needs, control gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Provide leadership reporting and updates on operational performance, readiness activities, risk items, and key initiatives.

Team Leadership and Talent Development  

• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to the ACH Operations Team.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development plans for the team.
• Build bench strength, improve cross training, and ensure appropriate coverage for critical payment functions.
• Foster a high performance culture focused on accuracy, service, risk management, and continuous improvement.
• Support change management as the department transitions to a more complex and modernized payments environment.

Required Qualifications

•  7+ years of Banking Operations, ACH Operations, Payments Operations, or related financial services experience.
• Experience with RTP, FedNow, Real Time Payments, or faster payment capabilities.
• Experience with payment system implementations, conversions, system testing, or operational readiness planning.
• Experience leading through change in a growing or evolving financial institution.
• AAP certification
• 3+ years of leadership experience managing teams, supervisors, or operational functions.
• Strong working knowledge of ACH processing, exceptions, returns, settlement, and operational controls.
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement, operational change, or department transformation.
• Strong understanding of risk, compliance, audit readiness, and control expectations within a banking environment.
• Experience partnering with Technology, Treasury Management, Risk, Compliance, Fraud Operations, Accounting, and vendors.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage complex priorities, escalate issues appropriately, and drive execution across teams.

The Statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills.  Because these statements are general, the job description is used for a variety of purposes including job evaluations; performance reviews; recruitment; etc. All Associates are required to adhere to the highest legal and ethical standards applicable to our industry.  It is the policy of Seacoast Bank that all Associates will be familiar and compliant with all regulatory, legal, ethical and Bank risk mitigation requirements pertaining to both our industry and their individual roles.  This includes the on time, successful completion of annual required training post-hire and effective execution of role responsibilities. 

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