Payment Performance Analyst

Hastings Direct; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Hastings Direct is seeking a Payment Performance Analyst to optimise transaction processing, fraud controls and customer payments as we move to Stripe. The role blends operational payments know-how with data-led insight across Finance, Technology, Product and Fraud to improve performance and customer outcomes.

You will monitor daily payment performance, investigate issues, and work with partners to implement robust, compliant and scalable payment solutions that support our hybrid working model.

Qualifications

• Broad experience in customer or merchant payments, with a sound understanding of how transactions move from initiation through authorisation, processing, settlement and reconciliation.
• Experience improving payment performance in a high-volume environment, such as insurance, retail, utilities, gambling, e-commerce, travel, telecoms or financial services.
• Knowledge of card payments and other payment types, such as Direct Debit, recurring card payments, bank payments, digital wallets or customer payouts.
• Strong analytical skills with experience turning payment data into clear findings, recommendations and measurable improvements.
• Understanding of payment risk, fraud prevention, transaction monitoring and operational controls.
• Experience working with payment service providers, gateways, acquirers, technology teams or external partners.
• Clear communication skills and confidence working across operational, technical and commercial teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day payment performance and turn transaction data into clear actions.
• Manage payment acceptance, declines, fraud controls, cost, compliance and service resilience across customer collections and outbound payments.
• Collaborate with Finance, Technology, Product and Fraud as well as external partners to build a reliable payments capability.
• Support payment platform changes, including requirements, user acceptance testing, data validation, reconciliation testing and implementation readiness.

Skills

Payments analytics

Fraud controls

Data analysis

Payment risk

Stakeholder comms

Payment providers

PCI DSS knowledge

Tools

Stripe

Power BI

SQL

Python

Job description

Job Title - Payment Performance Analyst (Transaction Optimisation, Fraud Controls & Customer Payments)

Location - Bexhill or London

We're a digital insurance provider with a clear strategy to become the best and biggest player in the UK market. As a company, we've made huge investments in our technology, pricing, data and analytics capabilities over the past few years, along with nurturing our 4Cs culture and substantial investment in our people. And as a Finance team, we're doing exactly the same - building a market leading finance technology platform, investing in our team and our approach to leadership development, with a real focus on commercially adding value to the business.

The fact you're now reading this job advert means we've tempted you to find out more about .

Role Overview

This is a new role at Hastings with the opportunity to influence how we manage and improve payments as we move to Stripe. You will combine operational payments knowledge with data-led insight to improve performance, strengthen controls and deliver better customer outcomes.

Reporting to the Payments Manager, you will oversee day-to-day payment performance and turn transaction data into clear actions. Your work will cover payment acceptance, declines, fraud controls, cost, compliance and service resilience across customer collections and outbound payments. Internally you will work across Finance, Technology, Product, and Fraud as well as with external partners to build a reliable, efficient and customer-focused payments capability.

Job details – you'll need to have demonstrable experience in:

• Maintain payment controls and issue logs, monitor performance against agreed thresholds and escalating deterioration quickly
• Review transaction monitoring rules and work with fraud using payment data to assess effectiveness, false positives and customer impact
• Investigate operational issues with internal teams and payment partners, coordinate resolution and capture actions which prevent recurrence
• Support payment platform change, including requirements, user acceptance testing, data validation, reconciliation testing and implementation readiness
• Support compliance with internal procedures, regulatory requirements, card scheme rules, PCI DSS and Bacs requirements
• Act as a trusted payments specialist, offering practical guidance and supporting critical incidents, regulatory change and business priorities

Essential Skills/experience

• Broad experience in customer or merchant payments, with a sound understanding of how transactions move from initiation through authorisation, processing, settlement and reconciliation.
• Experience improving payment performance in a high-volume environment, such as insurance, retail, utilities, gambling, e-commerce, travel, telecoms or financial services.
• Knowledge of card payments and other payment types, such as Direct Debit, recurring card payments, bank payments, digital wallets or customer payouts.
• Strong analytical skills with experience turning payment data into clear findings, recommendations and measurable improvements.
• Understanding of payment risk, fraud prevention, transaction monitoring and operational controls.
• Experience working with payment service providers, gateways, acquirers, technology teams or external partners.
• Clear communication skills and confidence working across operational, technical and commercial teams.

Desirable

• Experience with Stripe, including Dashboard, Radar or Sigma.
• Knowledge of payment optimisation techniques, including routing, authentication, network tokenisation and digital wallets.
• Experience configuring or assessing fraud and transaction monitoring rules.
• Knowledge of payment APIs, integrations and platform change delivery.
• Familiarity with PCI DSS, card scheme standards and BACS requirements.
• Experience with Power BI or another data visualisation tool
• SQL, Python or similar skills used to extract and analyse payment data

As a Disability Confident employer, we're committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you're applying for a job with us, you'll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS).For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our careers website.

Regrettably, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary you will also receive...

Flexible working

We champion a flexible hybrid working approach.

Competitive bonus scheme

All colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus.

Financial wellbeing

As well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award winning package which includes - discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support.

Mental wellbeing programme

We have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs.

There's more!

25 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your weeks, access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more ...

Join us and you'll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you'll be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we'll give you all the support, training and development you need. Our 4Cs principles are simple: we believe by creating the right culture for our colleagues and giving them the right tools to do their job, we'll deliver good outcomes for every customer, helping us to grow the company profitably and sustainably and allowing us to invest in the communities we serve.

Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.

At Hastings Direct, we're committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.