Head of GPS Operations

Department Profile:

Payment Services provides the backbone support to the bank business functions primarily for GB, MSS, GPS and GTS.

The role is critical in order to control the operations of Payment Services by ensuring efficient and secure processing and to improve systems efficiency and profitability on an ongoing basis.

Role Purpose:

The jobholder must understand the life cycle of all transactions through out Zengin, BOJnet, SWIFT etc. Failure of one of these systems requires the jobholder to provide business proper work-around solutions.

Despite high-volume and complexity of transactions, the jobholder must lead onshore and offshore teams to deliver high quality and error-free services, simultaneously complying with both onshore and offshore regulations.

The jobholder needs to build good relationships with internal /external counter parties like other departments, local banks, overseas banks and regulators etc. to process payments and to resolve issues.

Supporting system enhancements and automations etc. by joining UAT testing is required, and it needs knowledge related to system logics and life cycles of all transaction types.

The jobholder manages the staff in GPS Operations team and develops their potential and raise the bar of their skillsets to improve work efficiency and safeguard the bank from potential loss

Proactive management of operation cost through processes re-engineering migration and automation as well as implementing adequate controls to mitigate operational risks are key focus of this job.

Role Purpose:

To lead and direct service delivery of an experienced team of 10 FTE handling Payments and Cross border Remittances operations for JPY. The key responsibilities and results include:

• Daily operation checking and performance monitoring for both Domestic and Cross-boarder Cross Currency payments
• Execute process strategies with a vision of becoming ‘best-in-class’ in electronic processing team.
• This requires ongoing interaction with all major business functions (including: customer group management, sales management, service and implementation functions, IT, operations, legal and regulatory functions etc.) to drive business performance and achieve strategic objectives. In achieving these results, the job holder provides business leadership, technical subject matter expertise, commercial influence, guidance and recommendations to a multitude of functions.
• Quality, productivity, resource, and cost management.
• Given the ‘operational’ nature, the role requires to structure and implement solutions for end clients across various industrial sectors and geographies (e.g. CIB). 
• The results are measured in numerous ways including strategic cost management, industry awards, process performance indicators, customer satisfaction levels as measured through external surveys.
• The incumbent is responsible for interfacing with the regulator. Cross border remittance is highly regulated and therefore requires senior management oversight to ensure Bank’s reputation is protected.
• Drive design and implementation of new technology. This takes an important dimension given the multitude of payment mechanisms in Japan and are at a transformational stage.
• Engage in relevant Internal/external audit and inspection for supporting Manager.
• Reporting incidents and crisis, also escalating any issues timely to manager.

Principal Accountabilities:

Impact on Business

• Drive Process Excellence and leverage technology to achieve best-in-class status in the industry and in the ASP region.
• Strategic Cost Management

Customers / Stakeholders

• Ensures highest levels of customer satisfaction (both internal and external) while delivering best-in-class solutions and processes.
• Ensure highest level of engagement with multiple stakeholders both internal and external (e.g. regulators)
• Leadership & Teamwork
• Lead and manage the Operations team and performance of business partners ie 3rd party vendors and correspondent Banks.

Operational Effectiveness & Control

• Provide process leadership to identify and manage operational risk.
• To mitigate compliance and reputational risk to the Bank.

Major Challenges:

To direct and lead operations Japan for all electronic payment channels. The key aspects which make the role complex and dynamic are:

• Payments is a high value product. The complexity arises because of fierce competition wherein customer expectations are very high in terms of delivery. The Bank has to be cautious and yet competitive to protect Bank’s reputation.
• Operating in a dynamic business environment wherein payment mechanisms are transforming constantly leading to new product and implementation. The rate of change in the electronic payment space is very high. Every year at least 1 or 2 major systems changes/releases.
• High Operating Risk with Fraud risk at the heart of the operation.
• Multiple Business Stakeholders with significant requirement for customizations and service delivery.

Given the above, the job holder is expected to engage multiple parties across the spectrum of the Bank i.e iWPB & CIB, along with support stakeholders i.e Compliance and other support function. The jobholder has to maintain a fine balance between regulatory requirement, client / business interests and ensure bank’s interest are maintained at all points of time without compromising on controls. This requires strong communication and resilience to ensure that the Bank acts appropriately and within the realms of the Japan law.  The individual transaction sizes are very high and therefore a wrong decision can hurt the Bank’s reputation badly.

The jobholder is expected to direct and provide leadership to a team which is geographically spread. A large part of the team comprises of unionized staff which requires the job holder to engage the labour unions along with HR. This leads to complexity wherein the job holder is expected to build scalability for business growth and yet not increase banking assistants.

The jobholder is expected to be a key member of the INM Operations leadership and will need to drive initiatives such as Operational transformation, strategic cost management goals and customer service goals.

Management of Risk (Operational Risk / FIM requirements):

• The job holder has to ensure that all guidelines as laid out internally
• A key risk aspect where the job holder is expected to provide leadership
• Identify mitigants & steps to drive NIL incidents. Ensure risk is reviewed periodically through RCA mechanism and accordingly updated on Helios.
• Train & build a team that continuously monitors & reviews processes to plug revenue leakage.

Knowledge & Experience / Qualifications:              

This role requires 7-11 years of overall Banking exposure with 2-3 years of specialized experience in managing payments area. Skills required for success are:

• People and Stakeholder Management
• Strong Communication and decision making ability
• Thinking and Problem solving skills
• Customer Drive 
• Ability to prioritise own work and maintain good control in a changing environment
• Strong sense of initiative and pro-activeness and self-driven by acting as role model for junior level staff
• Customer service oriented with an ability to think creatively and out of the box
• Communication and inter-personal skills
• Business level of English and Japanese (listening, speaking and writing)