Payment Network Specialist

Hello Clever; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Leave policy

Wellness allowance

Technology allowance

Hybrid work

Team events

Job summary

Hello Clever is seeking a New York-based payments professional to lead bank and payment partner implementation and oversee US payment network performance. This hands-on role requires deep knowledge of banks, payment networks and the full lifecycle, partnering across Compliance, Legal, Finance, Product, and Engineering.

You will translate partner requirements into reliable payment flows, launch suppliers, resolve issues, and ensure onboarding, treasury and support teams meet US-specific needs.

Qualifications

• Five+ years managing payments at banks, providers, fintechs or networks.
• Deep knowledge of US rails: funding, settlement, reconciliation, returns and incidents.
• Experience implementing USD bank partners and payment flows (payouts, funding).
• Ability to translate requirements into precise payment workflows.
• Strong written communication and stakeholder coordination.
• Willingness to work from New York with APAC overlap.

Responsibilities

• Lead bank and payment supplier enablement from discussions to go-live.
• Define and test US payment flows, settlements and reporting.
• Coordinate with Compliance, Legal, Finance, Product and Eng.
• Monitor flows, incidents and fixes; communicate with stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Sales to determine payment methods and volumes.
• Handover to Onboarding, Treasury and Support teams; ensure adoption.

Skills

Payments

US rails

Bank partnerships

Vendor onboarding

Issue resolution

Documentation

Cross-functional

Tools

Visa Direct

AFT/OCT

FedNow

RTP

ACH

Wires

Job description

About Us

Hello Clever is building the next generation of payments and loyalty infrastructure by turning every transaction into growth for merchants.

We're an AI-powered fintech operating across 26+ markets, helping businesses move money in real time and convert payments into measurable outcomes like higher repeat rates, bigger baskets, and smarter customer engagement. Our platform combines local account-to-account rails, embedded cashback and loyalty products, and powerful data intelligence through Clever AI, so merchants can launch offers, optimise ROI, and scale faster, all through a single integration.

We recently crossed $70M in live ARR and are on track to pass $100M by the end of 2026 - just 2.3 years after reaching our first $1M. It's an exciting milestone that reflects the scale of what we're building and the opportunity ahead.

We're also proud to be recognised on the global stage, including being named Australia's fastest-growing fintech, recognised in Forbes Asia's Top 100, ranked among the AFR Fastest-Growing Companies, and selected for Inc. Magazine's Best in Business.

About The Role

Hello Clever is seeking a New York-based payments professional to lead bank and payment partner implementation and oversee US payment network performance. This role brings practical knowledge of banks, payment networks and the full payment lifecycle to supplier onboarding, launches and ongoing performance. You will work in person with the New York team and across time zones with colleagues in Asia Pacific.

You will be our hands-on US payments lead: translate partner and commercial requirements into reliable payment flows, help launch bank and payment suppliers, resolve payment and settlement issues, and ensure our global Onboarding, Treasury and Support teams implement US-specific requirements. The role requires independent judgement and direct payments experience, along with the discipline to document decisions, owners and controls.

• Position: Payment Network Specialist
• Level: Specialist
• Location: New York City
• Working Mode: Hybrid
• Reports to: Financial Networks Team Lead
• Salary USD 150,000

What You Will Own

Bank and payment supplier enablement

• Partner with Network and Banking Partnerships managers and Sales from early supplier discussions through payment capability assessment, due diligence, implementation and go-live.
• Attend bank and payment partner meetings as the payments subject matter expert. Assess and test payment flows, funding and settlement arrangements, cut-off times, reporting, exception handling, support paths and launch dependencies.
• Coordinate the payment flow information, documentation and actions required by new suppliers, working with Compliance, Legal, Finance, Product and Engineering where their approval or implementation support is needed.
• Maintain a clear implementation plan and readiness checklist, with owners, decisions, risks and evidence of testing before launch.

US payment flows and controls

• Map each US payment flow from initiation through confirmation, settlement, reconciliation, returns or refunds and support resolution. Identify gaps between partner requirements and the processes used by our global teams.
• Design and implement US-specific procedures, service levels, controls and escalation paths with global Onboarding, Treasury and Support managers. Keep ownership of each team's daily responsibilities clear.
• Work directly on complex payment and settlement exceptions, partner escalations and incidents; coordinate root cause analysis, corrective action and partner communications.
• Monitor partner and rail performance, payment and settlement risks, recurring failures and launch quality. Use data and case evidence to prioritise fixes and report clearly to US and global stakeholders.

Cross functional coordination

• Assess merchant payment needs with Sales, including payment methods, transaction volumes, funding and settlement requirements.
• Translate US Sales and partner needs into precise requirements for global Onboarding, Treasury and Support teams, Product and Engineering, and follow them through testing, handover and adoption.
• Support new US payment methods and bank connections, and work with the Merchant Activation team on payment flow validation, partner readiness, testing and resolving dependencies before merchant go-live.
• Build trusted working relationships with the New York colleagues and teams in Asia Pacific; run effective handovers and maintain agreed overlap for time-sensitive decisions.

What You Bring

• At least five years of direct, hands-on experience managing payments at a bank, payment provider, fintech, processor or network, including payment flows and partner implementation.
• Working knowledge of US bank and payment rails, including the practical requirements of funding, settlement, reconciliation, returns, exceptions and incident management. Hands-on experience across multiple rail types is required, with practical understanding of Visa Direct AFT/OCT, RTP and FedNow, same-day and next-day ACH, and domestic and international wires.
• A track record of implementing USD bank partners (funding, virtual accounts and payouts), payment providers or network partners, including the ability to challenge incomplete designs and ask detailed questions about payment flows, funding and settlement. Practical exposure to stablecoin on- and off-ramps, including fiat settlement and reconciliation, is expected.
• Strong process and control design, with the ability to turn ambiguous requirements into procedures that distributed teams can use.
• Confidence working directly with external partners and senior internal stakeholders, with clear written communication and organised follow-through.
• A practical, hands-on approach: comfortable investigating a live issue, building a tracker, writing a procedure and convening the right people to resolve a dependency.
• Ability to work from New York with the local team and collaborate regularly across Asia Pacific time zones. Authorisation to work in the United States is required.

Why join Hello Clever?

• High-Growth Fintech - Be part of a company leading the future of real-time payments and loyalty solutions.
• Global impact - We're live in 26+ markets and growing fast.
• Category-defining product - Real-time payments, instant cashback, AI-powered merchant tools.
• Mission-driven - We're here to make money smarter, fairer and faster for everyone.
• Dynamic Culture - Join a passionate, results-driven team that values innovation and collaboration.

Benefits & Perks

• Leave that supports real life - Enjoy Birthday Leave and Menstrual Leave in addition to your standard annual leave.
• Invest in your wellbeing and growth - Receive an annual Wellness and Development Allowance to use toward what helps you feel and perform at your best.
• Technology support - Access a Technology Allowance to help you create a productive working setup.
• Flexible hybrid working - Enjoy the balance of collaborating in person and working remotely.
• Celebrate together - Connect with the team through quarterly social events and our annual company trip.