Sr Consultant, Cash Operations

ACCA Careers; Tempe (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Trust, a leading global financial services firm, seeks a Senior Consultant, Cash Operations in Tempe to investigate and resolve complex payment and cash transactions, ensuring timely movement of client funds. You will partner with Operations, Relationship Management, Client Service, Risk, and Technology to drive process improvements and support a robust payment environment.

Ideal candidates bring 3–5+ years in Cash Operations or related fields, strong problem-solving, and experience

Qualifications

• Knowledge of payment operations, cash management, wire transfers, and money movement.
• Experience investigating payment exceptions, transaction failures, and operational issues in financial services environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify root causes.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and resolve complex payment and cash transaction exceptions across channels and systems.
• Research payment transactions that fail during processing and implement corrective actions.
• Track and resolve payment inquiries where funds have not reached the destination and coordinate with internal teams.
• Utilize payment processing applications such as MTS and GPP to support daily operations.
• Analyze payment trends and recurring issues to identify process improvements and risk reductions.
• Collaborate with Relationship Managers, Client Service, and Operations to provide updates and resolutions.
• Work with Technology to investigate recurring failures and drive long-term solutions.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls and regulatory requirements governing payments.
• Support operational risk management by documenting and escalating payment issues timely.
• Participate in system implementations, initiatives, and payment projects.
• Coordinate with partners to support testing and workflow changes.
• Assist in managing deliverables, action items, and stakeholder communications.
• Identify opportunities for automation and efficiency in payment processes.

Skills

Payment operations

Transaction research

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Process improvement

Regulatory compliance

Operational risk

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Money Transfer System (MTS)

Global Payment Platform (GPP)

Job description

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Department Overview

Responsible for investigating, resolving, and processing complex payment and cash transaction activities. Acts as a subject matter resource for payment exceptions, transaction research, and operational issue resolution while partnering with internal stakeholders and technology teams to improve processing efficiency, mitigate operational risk, and support strategic business initiatives. Contributes to projects, system enhancements, and process improvement efforts impacting payment operations.

Role Summary

The Senior Consultant, Cash Operations is responsible for the investigation, resolution, and processing of complex payment and cash transaction activities within Northern Trust’s Payment Services function. This role focuses on managing payment exceptions, researching transaction failures, troubleshooting operational issues, and ensuring the timely and accurate movement of client funds. The successful candidate will serve as a key resource for resolving complex payment‑related issues, partnering closely with internal stakeholders across Operations, Relationship Management, Client Service, Risk, and Technology teams. This position requires strong analytical skills, operational expertise, and the ability to identify trends, drive process improvements, and contribute to projects and system enhancements that support a best‑in‑class payment processing environment.

Major Duties

• Investigate and resolve complex payment and cash transaction exceptions across various payment channels and processing systems.
• Research payment transactions that fail during processing, identify root causes, and execute corrective actions to ensure successful completion.
• Track and resolve payment inquiries where funds have not reached the intended destination, partnering with internal teams to determine status and resolution.
• Utilize payment processing applications, including Money Transfer System (MTS), Global Payment Platform (GPP), and related banking systems to support daily operations.
• Analyze payment trends, recurring exceptions, and operational issues to identify opportunities for process improvements and risk reduction.
• Partner with Relationship Managers, Client Service teams, and Operations partners to provide updates, facilitate issue resolution, and support a positive client experience.
• Collaborate with Technology teams to investigate recurring transaction failures, system deficiencies, and workflow inefficiencies, helping drive long‑term solutions.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls, operational procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements governing payment processing and cash movement activities.
• Support operational risk management by documenting, escalating, and resolving payment‑related issues in a timely manner.
• Participate in system implementations, operational initiatives, process improvement efforts, and payment‑related projects.
• Coordinate with business, operations, and technology partners to support testing, process changes, and workflow enhancements.
• Assist in managing project deliverables, tracking action items, documenting requirements, and communicating updates to stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for automation, operational efficiencies, and enhanced client outcomes through process analysis and continuous improvement efforts.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of payment operations, cash management, wire transfers, and money movement processes.
• Experience investigating payment exceptions, transaction failures, and operational issues within a financial services environment.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to evaluate complex situations and identify root causes.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Effective communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to collaborate across Operations, Technology, Risk, and Client Service teams.
• Demonstrated ability to identify process improvement opportunities and contribute to operational excellence initiatives.
• Project coordination or project management experience supporting operational, technology, or business process initiatives preferred.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to track deliverables, coordinate stakeholders, and drive issues through resolution.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience in Cash Operations, Payment Services, Treasury Operations, Banking Operations, or a related financial services environment.
• Experience processing, researching, and resolving payment transactions, wire transfers, cash movement activities, or payment exceptions.
• Financial services, custody, banking, asset servicing, or investment banking experience preferred.
• Experience working with payment processing platforms and transaction investigation workflows strongly preferred.
• Exposure to operational projects, technology enhancements, system implementations, or process improvement initiatives preferred.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment‑based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment‑based visa).

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.

Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [e-mail], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

About Our Tempe Office

The Northern Trust Tempe office opened in 2015 with 75 employees and now serves over 75 different business functions with more than 700 employees. The team is recognized as a Global Capability Center that delivers exceptional value, quality, expertise and innovation through our diverse talent.