Payment Operations Analyst

Payment Operations Analyst

H-E-B is seeking a Payment Operations Analyst to support the day-to-day performance, reliability, and continuous improvement of our payment acceptance ecosystem across in-store and digital channels. This role serves as a key liaison between internal business teams and external payment partners, ensuring payment services operate effectively, incidents are resolved quickly, and strategic initiatives are delivered successfully. The ideal candidate combines strong business acumen, relationship management skills, and operational problem-solving capabilities with an understanding of payment processing and merchant operations.

Vendor & Business Relationship Management

Serve as the primary business contact for payment processors, networks, gateways, financial partners, and service providers. Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure operational excellence and alignment with business objectives. Facilitate regular business reviews, operational meetings, issue discussions, and performance evaluations with key payment partners. Coordinate cross-functional efforts between business, technology, store operations, finance, compliance, and external vendors.

Incident Management & Operational Support

Lead investigation and resolution efforts for payment-related incidents impacting customers, stores, digital channels, or business operations. Coordinate incident response activities across internal teams and external partners to restore service and minimize business disruption. Conduct root cause analysis, document findings, and drive corrective actions to prevent recurring issues. Monitor payment performance trends, transaction anomalies, vendor service issues, and operational risks. Escalate critical issues appropriately and provide clear communications to leadership and business stakeholders.

Payment Operations & Process Improvement

Support the ongoing operation and optimization of H-E-B's payment acceptance environment, including card payments, digital wallets, EBT, benefits programs, and emerging payment methods. Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, operational effectiveness, service reliability, and payment acceptance performance. Develop and maintain operational procedures, issue-resolution playbooks, and business documentation. Ensure vendor activities and operational processes adhere to established service levels and business expectations.

Project & Change Management

Partner with business and vendor teams to support new payment initiatives, tender launches, processor enhancements, and operational improvements. Coordinate testing, business validation, readiness activities, and deployment planning for payment-related changes. Evaluate operational impacts, dependencies, and risks associated with new payment capabilities. Assist with implementation planning and post-launch stabilization activities.

Compliance & Risk Management

Support adherence to payment network requirements, regulatory obligations, and company policies. Identify operational risks and partner with stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies. Participate in audit activities, compliance reviews, and operational assessments as needed. Maintain documentation supporting payment operations, vendor processes, and incident management activities.

Qualifications

Education & Experience Bachelor's degree in business, Technology, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent work experience. 5+ years of experience in payment operations, business operations, vendor management, financial services, retail operations, or a related field. Experience working with external vendors, service providers, or strategic business partners. Experience managing operational issues, service incidents, or cross-functional business initiatives preferred.

Skills & Competencies

Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills. Proven ability to manage vendor partnerships and drive accountability across organizations. Experience leading incident investigation, root cause analysis, and issue resolution efforts. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Ability to communicate complex operational issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to influence outcomes and drive collaboration across diverse teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in payment processing, merchant services, retail payments, or financial technology. Familiarity with card networks, payment processors, digital payments, EBT, and alternative payment methods. Experience supporting vendor performance management, service-level agreements (SLAs), and operational governance. Knowledge of transaction lifecycle concepts, chargebacks, settlement, payment exceptions, and dispute resolution.