Payments Modernization Project Lead - AI & Automation

ApTask; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

ApTask in the United States seeks a Project Manager to lead the Payments & Deposits Services Modernization initiative, guiding automation, AI, and workflow transformations across PDSS. You will oversee end-to-end governance, budgeting, and cross-functional delivery with operations, technology, and vendor teams.

The role drives cost savings, reduces risk, and improves client experience by modernizing check processing, wires, ACH, and related platforms; you will manage scope, milestones, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business or IT.
• Proven PM experience in financial services or banking operations.
• Knowledge of payments (ACH, wire, RTP) and modernization programs.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and executive-level storytelling.
• Experience with agile delivery and benefit tracking.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate multiple concurrent modernization workstreams from intake through delivery, ensuring milestone tracking, risk mitigation, and timely issue resolution.
• Drive project governance and reporting, providing clear, timely status, metrics, and escalations to leadership and business partners.
• Manage financial forecasting, budgeting, invoice tracking, and benefit realization (cost savings, FTE efficiency) across the initiative.
• Coordinate cross-functional scope, requirements, dependencies, and resource planning across operations, technology, risk, and vendor teams.
• Monitor cost, schedule, and technical performance across all initiative components; identify and elevate risks and issues appropriately.
• Partner with process owners and SMEs to prioritize opportunities, develop business cases, and manage the pipeline through funding checkpoints.
• Define and manage project scope, objectives, deliverables, and value proposition across stakeholders and lines of business.
• Develop integrated project plans, manage the critical path, and report progress against milestones and target outcomes.
• Ensure client and operational impacts are fully considered in planning, solution design, and change management.
• Support vendor engagement and contract management responsibilities, ensuring adherence to obligations and performance expectations.
• Lead communication planning and stakeholder engagement across teams, leadership groups, and offshore/onshore delivery partners.
• Follow the organization’s required processes for how work is delivered, how changes are controlled, and how artifacts are tracked.
• Champion continuous improvement and operational excellence throughout the initiative lifecycle.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned in alignment with organizational needs.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Agile delivery

Financial forecasting

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

ApTask in the United States seeks a Project Manager to lead the Payments & Deposits Services Modernization initiative, guiding automation, AI, and workflow transformations across PDSS. You will oversee end-to-end governance, budgeting, and cross-functional delivery with operations, technology, and vendor teams.

The role drives cost savings, reduces risk, and improves client experience by modernizing check processing, wires, ACH, and related platforms; you will manage scope, milestones, and