Payments Officer

Our client is an established and actively expanding Financial Services firm. As a consequence, the need has arisen to hire a new Payments Operations Specialist to join a growing team. You will be entering a dynamic environment in a firm that is undergoing active growth and transformation in it processes so the ideal applicant will havea track record of successfully operating in similar environment previously. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing organisation that offers genuine career progression.

THE ROLE: Payments Operations Officer

Our client is looking for a Payments Operations specialist to join their expanding team. Reporting to the Payments Operation Manager, your main responsibility will be to ensure the timely and accurate processing of supplier payments, claims, and employee expenses according to established procedures and deadlines.

As part of the Finance Operations team, you will play a crucial role in the success of the organization. Your skills in collaboration, task execution, and adaptability will be key in meeting your goals and fulfilling stakeholder expectations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Payments Operations Officer

* Set up supplier payments, claims payments, and employee expenses, ensuring payments are made in line with agreed SLAs for timeliness and accuracy.

* Take accountability for payment runs, communicate clearly with banking authorizers over critical payments and authorization deadlines, and flag to senior stakeholders if payments are at risk of being missed.

* Process manual payments, handling the processing of manual payments that fall outside of the payment run, following established procedures to ensure payments are made in line with SLAs and without error. Enforce best practices and push back on payments that do not follow the appropriate process.

* Accurately enter and register invoices into the expense management system, ensuring invoices are included in the appropriate payment run, and notify senior stakeholders if payment deadlines are breached.

* Respond to queries related to accounts payable, manual payments, etc., promptly addressing and resolving queries from internal stakeholders and suppliers, ensuring accuracy and compliance, and providing excellent customer service.

* Provide analysis to support month-end activities performed by the accounting teams, including saving banking statements and correspondence.

* Perform reconciliations of cash receipts.

* Handle the processing of employee expense payments, ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures.

* Prepare and send daily bank balance emails to relevant stakeholders, providing up-to-date financial information and flagging insufficient cash in the account for known future payments.

* Regularly monitor the group payments inbox, ensuring timely processing and response to queries, and escalate to senior stakeholders if payment deadlines cannot be met.

* Provide cover for other team members, assisting in their tasks and responsibilities during their absence.

SKILLS / EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Payments Operations Officer

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a finance or accounting operations team. While experience in the financial services industry is preferred, it is not mandatory. A strong understanding of accounting terms and standards, along with excellent communication skills and attention to detail, is essential.

* Experience working in a banking and payments or similar team, handling payments in multiple currencies.

* Understanding of UK and international banking protocols and procedures.

* Strong knowledge of banking best practices, including anti-fraud procedures and AML guidelines.

* Experience using P2P software.

* High attention to detail and accuracy.

* Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively to meet strict deadlines.

* Basic understanding of finance and accounting terms.

* Excellent verbal, written communication, and interpersonal skills.

* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

* Proven ability to work collaboratively within teams.

* Adaptable to change and skilled at identifying process improvement opportunities.

* Effective problem-solving and decision-making capabilities