Senior Payment Operations Analyst

Bankwell Financial Group; New Canaan (CT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Bankwell Financial Group is seeking a Senior Payment Operations Analyst to lead complex payment processing functions, including wires, ACH, and FX, while ensuring regulatory compliance and strong control environments.

You will handle investigations, reconciliations, and screening, with collaboration across IT, Compliance, Finance, and Retail to maintain operational continuity and audit readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in payment operations within banking or financial services.
• Advanced knowledge of payment platforms (SWIFT, ACH, FedLine) and regulatory frameworks (BSA/AML, OFAC, KYC).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel; data analysis experience preferred.
• Nacha AAP and/or APRP certification strongly preferred.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy with high-risk processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with root-cause analysis.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across systems and workflows.
• Strong written and verbal communication, collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Experience in risk management or regulatory compliance is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily payment processing activities—high value wires, ACH transactions, and FX payments; maintain accuracy and risk controls.
• Lead complex investigations into rejected transactions, processing errors, or unusual activity; provide timely resolutions.
• Perform daily processing of ACH, Wire and RDC files with accurate reporting.
• Conduct daily reconciliations to ensure activity aligns with ledgers and records.
• Perform fraud and sanctions screening; escalate as needed.
• Identify and mitigate operational, regulatory and fraud risks within payment workflows.
• Maintain audit-ready records of transactions, exceptions, and system changes.
• Ensure AML/KYC compliance across payment workflows and regulatory readiness.
• Lead UAT for system enhancements, integrations, and platform upgrades.
• Collaborate with IT, Compliance, Finance, Retail to resolve systemic issues.
• Produce and analyze recurring and ad hoc payments reports for management and audits.
• Assist with deposit operations and broader banking operational needs when required.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

5+ years payment ops

SWIFT/ACH/FedLine

BSA/AML/KYC

Excel proficiency

Nacha AAP/APRP

Attention to detail

Analytical skills

Multitasking

Communication skills

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Economics or related

Tools

Excel

SWIFT

FedLine

Job description

About Bankwell

Bankwell is a commercial bank with more than $3 billion in assets that serves the banking needs of businesses and individuals. At Bankwell, we pride ourselves on our unique ability to bring you high touch, high quality banking with the expertise and dedication of our experienced team of professionals. When it comes to business, our deep industry knowledge, flexibility and innovative treasury and financing services enable us to find the right solutions for our business and commercial clients. We’re passionate about giving back and are actively involved with many not-for-profit organizations that help shape and improve the lives of others. We’re dedicated to giving our time and talent to support the communities we serve. More about Bankwell can be found at www.mybankwell.com.

Summary of Position

The Senior Payment Operations Analyst is a subject matter expert responsible for leading complex payment processing functions, ensuring operational integrity, and driving efficiencies within the bank’s electronic payments environment. This role supports critical functions involving wire transfers, ACH, and other electronic payments while serving as an escalation point for complex issues, high risk transactions, and regulatory inquiries. The Senior Analyst plays a key role in strengthening control environments, executing advanced investigations, supporting audits and exams, and supporting cross functional initiatives that enhance payment systems, processes, and compliance with regulatory standards.

Responsibilities include

• Execute daily payment processing activities—including high value wires, ACH transactions, and foreign exchange payments—ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and effective risk controls.
• Lead complex investigations into rejected transactions, processing errors, or unusual activity; provide timely resolutions and root cause analysis.
• Perform daily processing of ACH, Wire and RDC files, ensuring timely submission and completeness and accuracy of related reports.
• Conduct daily reconciliations to ensure payment activity aligns with internal ledgers and operational records.
• Perform fraud and sanctions screening, escalating items as required.
• Identify and mitigate operational, regulatory and fraud risks within payment workflows.
• Maintain detailed audit-ready records documenting transaction activity, exception handling, and system or process changes.
• Ensure compliance with banking regulations, such as AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements across all payment workflows, serving as a key contributor in audit preparedness, responses, and remediation activities.
• Identify control gaps and implement stronger risk mitigation practices across payment operations.
• Partner with customer service and frontline teams to resolve escalated client payment inquiries and deliver high quality support.
• Monitor payment systems and electronic services platforms, ensuring operational continuity and proactively addressing emerging issues.
• Produce and analyze recurring and ad hoc reporting for management, audits, and operational performance reviews.
• Lead user acceptance testing (UAT) for system enhancements, integrations, and platform upgrades to ensure alignment with operational and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews to validate accuracy and compliance.
• Collaborate with IT, Compliance, Finance, Retail, and other stakeholders to resolve systemic issues and improve payment related processes.
• Lead efforts to streamline workflows, reduce risk, and implement process or system enhancements that elevate operational efficiency.
• Assist with deposit operations and broader banking operational needs, when required.

Requirements

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in payment operations within a banking or financial services environment, including complex domestic, international and FX wire processing.
• Advanced knowledge of payment platforms and systems (e.g., SWIFT, ACH, FedLine, wire transfer systems) and regulatory frameworks such as BSA/AML, OFAC, KYC and broader consumer regulations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, with a focus on Excel; experience with data analysis tools preferred.
• Nacha AAP and/or APRP certification strongly preferred.
• Exceptional attention to detail and proven ability to maintain accuracy when handling high risk operational processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to independently investigate issues, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities across systems and workflows.
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills
• Strong communications skills and the ability to work effectively both independently and within cross-functional teams.
• Ability to identify and mitigate risks, with experience in risk management or compliance a plus.

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

This job description is a general description of essential job functions. It is not intended as an employment contract, nor is it intended to describe all duties someone in this position may perform. All employees are expected to perform tasks assigned by supervisory personnel, regardless of job titles or routine job duties.

Bankwell is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of Americans with Disabilities Act and certain other state or local laws. Please inform Bankwell’s Human Resources representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

All employees are responsible for complying with banking regulations that apply to Bankwell. This includes, but is not limited to, adhering to the BSA and various consumer protection regulations, and complying with OFAC sanctions. Employees are required to complete compliance training and follow policies and procedures for applicable regulations based on their role. An employee’s failure to comply with banking regulations will be individually reviewed and assessed. The result of non-compliance may impact job performance ratings and may be serious enough to require termination of employment.