Head of Payments & Operational Strategy

First Interstate Bank; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 211,000 - 347,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO + holidays

Student debt repayment program

401(k) retirement plan with 6% match

Job summary

First Interstate Bank is seeking a Director of Payments and Operational Strategy to lead and align payments and fraud risk initiatives with the COO. You will shape enterprise roadmaps, drive modernization of payments platforms, and govern risk controls across multiple channels while delivering measurable business results.

You will collaborate with technology, finance, risk, and external partners to implement secure, scalable solutions and provide clear, decision-ready analyses to executive

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in payments or banking.
• Knowledge of faster payments, debit/credit cards, ACH, wire transfers, and ATM networks.
• Strong enterprise payment fraud risk management knowledge and controls.
• Proven ability to develop strategy and lead complex initiatives.
• Experience managing vendors, budgets, and service levels.
• Ability to analyze data and present clear recommendations to executives.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes enterprise strategies and multi-year roadmaps for Payments and Fraud Risk.
• Leads modernization across faster payments, debit/credit cards, ACH, wires, and ATM capabilities.
• Establishes governance, policies, controls, metrics, and reporting for payment services.
• Oversees payment fraud analytics, prevention systems, and risk indicators.
• Partners with the COO to advance initiatives that improve efficiency and performance.
• Drives innovation through new technologies and fintech partnerships.
• Collaborates with business lines and control functions to manage risk and resilience.
• Establishes performance measures for adoption, volume, revenue, and client experience.
• Manages vendor and technology partner relationships and SLAs.
• Provides analysis and recommendations to COO and the Board as needed.
• Aligns stakeholders to achieve strategic objectives across the organization.

Skills

Payments leadership

Payment fraud risk management

Strategic planning

Vendor management

Data-driven decision making

Executive communication

Governance and controls

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business/Finance/Operations/Technology

Master's Degree preferred

Banking education preferred

Job description

First Interstate Bank is seeking a Director of Payments and Operational Strategy to lead and align payments and fraud risk initiatives with the COO. You will shape enterprise roadmaps, drive modernization of payments platforms, and govern risk controls across multiple channels while delivering measurable business results.

You will collaborate with technology, finance, risk, and external partners to implement secure, scalable solutions and provide clear, decision-ready analyses to executive