Head of Services and Payments Operations - South Africa

About the role

Citi is hiring a Services and Payments Operations Head for its South Africa franchise, based in Johannesburg. The role leads the Payments Operations team, which is accountable for the movement of funds, intra-day funds management and compliance on monetary transactions, with the aim of performing transactions and delivering high-volume cash management services. As a senior operations leader, the incumbent also represents operations in local franchise matters and may take on duties beyond the core scope.

Key responsibilities

• Process regular, restricted and legal transfers, client and firm payments, receivables, trade transactions, liquidity flows and wholesale card activity.
• Handle instruction receipts and authentication, entry instructions and verification, processing and recording, and reporting and reconciliation.
• Oversee cash management operations such as cash handling, check processing, returned items and lock-box operations.
• Lead projects and resolve complex and varied issues.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in business, planning and analysis, and as an analytical or procedural expert on cross-functional projects.
• Analyse operational processes and best practices to recommend customised business solutions to internal clients.
• Manage resources and work allocation, and advise or coach new or lower-level personnel.
• Assess risk in business decisions, uphold compliance with laws, rules and regulations and policies, and escalate, manage and report control issues transparently.

Required profile

• 10+ years of experience in a related role, at senior to advanced level.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; Master's degree preferred.
• Proven record of leading projects and executing strategies.
• Proven work organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication, and the ability to remain unbiased in a diverse environment.

What we offer

• A competitive base salary, reviewed annually.
• A business-casual workplace with a hybrid model of up to two days per week working from home.
• Additional benefits supporting employees and their families.