Payments Optimization Analyst

Ridgewood Savings Bank; New York (NY); On-site; USD 57,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Ridgewood Savings Bank is seeking a detail-oriented professional to manage and optimize payments, overdrafts, and ACH processing. You will analyze payment flows, identify bottlenecks, and implement improvements in collaboration with IT, product, operations, risk, and branch teams.

The role requires maintaining reports and dashboards, monitoring fraud and risk, and ensuring compliance with bank policies. Strong English communication, proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and Outlook, and the ability

Qualifications

• Undergraduate Degree preferred.
• A good knowledge of English for oral and written communication.
• Proficient knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain rapport with branch personnel.
• Maintain confidential customer and Bank information in a responsible and secure manner.
• Knowledge of basic accounting debit and credit principles, including balancing reports, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and customer transactions.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support payment optimization initiatives, including new methods, rails, technologies, and infrastructure improvements with IT, product, operations, risk, and other business partners.
• Analyze end-to-end payment flows, including ACH and real-time payments, to identify bottlenecks, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer and branch experience.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and documentation to track payment performance, processing times, failures, trends, audit support, and compliance needs.
• Monitor fraud, operational risk, and industry/payment trends; recommend or support controls, process changes, and emerging payment enhancements.
• Maintain the legacy Overdraft Program, including daily review of overdrawn accounts, View/Nautilus reports, customer notices, opt-in maintenance, waiver letters, and Fresh Start Agreement monitoring.
• Review accounts for charge-off, determine collection strategy, remove Overdraft Privilege services when appropriate, place holds, redeem funds when available, and close accounts as needed.
• Balance ACH reject files, return file reports, Federal Reserve settlement activity, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and related customer or Bank accounting transactions.
• Support NACHA, Federal Reserve, OFAC/IAT, and Bank requirements while reviewing ACH activity for fraud or operational risk indicators.

Skills

English proficiency

Communication

Attention to detail

Rapport with staff

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Customer service

Education

Undergraduate degree preferred

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Outlook

Job description

The estimated salary for this position is $57,000-$62,000/Annually.

Duties and Responsibilities/Results:

Optimization and Enhancement Duties

• Lead or support payment optimization initiatives, including new methods, rails, technologies, and infrastructure improvements with IT, product, operations, risk, and other business partners.
• Analyze end-to-end payment flows, including ACH and real-time payments, to identify bottlenecks, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer and branch experience.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and documentation to track payment performance, processing times, failures, trends, audit support, and compliance needs.
• Monitor fraud, operational risk, and industry/payment trends; recommend or support controls, process changes, and emerging payment enhancements.

Overdraft Duties

• Maintain the legacy Overdraft Program, including daily review of overdrawn accounts, View/Nautilus reports, customer notices, opt-in maintenance, waiver letters, and Fresh Start Agreement monitoring.
• Review accounts for charge-off, determine collection strategy, remove Overdraft Privilege services when appropriate, place holds, redeem funds when available, and close accounts as needed.
• Document collection activity, notify branches of charge-offs through DNA activity, report unpaid balances to ChexSystems, and make recommendations to management when repayment arrangements are unsuccessful.
• Provide customer and branch support for overdraft matters, including excessive-user monitoring, collection communications, counseling notices, and compliance with Bank policies, procedures, and regulations.

ACH Duties

• Review and resolve ACH rejects, load errors, origination exceptions, pre-notes, stop payments, unauthorized debit forms, reversals, recalls, direct deposit tracers, and ACH-related inquiries.
• Meet daily ACH processing deadlines by coordinating branch and department responses, entering required system updates, and ensuring timely processing, posting, return, escalation, or resolution.
• Balance ACH reject files, return file reports, Federal Reserve settlement activity, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and related customer or Bank accounting transactions.
• Support NACHA, Federal Reserve, OFAC/IAT, and Bank requirements while reviewing ACH activity for fraud or operational risk indicators, including micro-entry name matching, retry reports, unusual activity, duplicate fee concerns, death alerts, deceased depositor matters, and Treasury reclamations.

Miscellaneous Duties

• Maintain effective on-site collaboration, access to source documentation, management approvals, systems, tools, and time-sensitive workflows needed to support operational productivity.
• Sign into remote access systems at least weekly to maintain connectivity and familiarity with offsite tools and resources. Perform additional duties as assigned.

Job Specifications:

• Undergraduate Degree preferred.
• A good knowledge of English for oral and written communication.
• Proficient knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Outlook,
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain rapport with branch personnel.
• Maintain confidential customer and Bank information in a responsible and secure manner.
• Knowledge of basic accounting debit and credit principles, including balancing reports, general ledger entries, suspense accounts, and customer transactions.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a multi-task, fast-paced environment and meet daily payment processing deadlines.
• Strong research, problem-solving, critical thinking, attention to detail, organization, professionalism, and customer service skills.
• Ability to detect, assess, and elevate unusual or suspicious payment activity.