Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago · 12 hours ago
Senior Specialist Payments & Member Support
Chicago, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$63K/yr - $105K/yr
3+ years expFederal Home Loan Bank of Chicago is a member-owned bank that partners with financial institutions to provide funding and support community investments. The Senior Specialist, Payments & Member Support is responsible for ensuring the reliability of payment capabilities and enhancing the member experience through effective payment operations and product ownership activities.
Banking
Responsibilities
Collaborate with a high-performing team that is at the forefront of an evolving technological landscape in the banking industry
Facilitate processing of payments (Wires, ACH, Internal Book transfers), in order to provide liquidity to our members and their local communities
Manage the accurate and timely resolution of internal and external questions via Salesforce regarding Bank products, accounts, reports, and reconciliations with a high level of service
Support the product lifecycle: requirements gathering, user stories, backlog grooming, release readiness, and user acceptance testing
Conduct impact assessments, maintain business rules and process documentation, and assist with cross‑functional coordination for system enhancements
Help track KPIs, identify trends, and recommend improvements to increase efficiency, accuracy, or member satisfaction
Assist in preparing communications, training materials, and internal guidance for new features or operational changes
Perform daily processing and monitoring for Wires, ACH, and Book Transfers, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to internal controls
Manage payment exceptions, returns, and investigations and support end‑of‑day and cutoff activities
Collaborate with Technology partners to address issues, validate fixes, and maintain operational readiness
Follow and help enhance first line controls, including reconciliations, callbacks, entitlements, segregation of duties, and workflow documentation
Ensure adherence to applicable rules and guidelines (e.g., NACHA, OFAC, Fedwire Operating Circulars, internal policies)
Participate in audits, exams, and risk assessments by preparing evidence and supporting remediation activities
Act as a payment operations subject matter resource for internal partners and member institutions
Support Member Services with payment‑related inquiries, cases, and documentation
Help deliver clear, consistent communication to members regarding operational changes, cutoffs, or enhancements
Participate in department process reviews, efficiency initiatives, and operational readiness efforts
Contribute to projects involving payment platform enhancements, control improvements, resiliency activities, and change management
Assist in developing and maintaining SOPs and playbooks
Qualification
Required
3–5 years of experience in payments operations, treasury operations, or payment product support within a bank, financial institution, or payment provider
Working knowledge of Wires (Fedwire), ACH (NACHA), or internal transfer processes, including exceptions and returns
Strong attention to detail, operational discipline, and familiarity with risk/control concepts
Some experience with requirements gathering, UAT, or change management
Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills
Ability to work cross‑functionally in a fast‑paced, time‑sensitive environment (especially during cutoffs)
Experience supporting institutional or wholesale payment operations
Exposure to NACHA rules, OFAC workflows, fraud prevention, or BSA/AML processes
Familiarity with Tableau, Databricks, or other workflow/analytics tools
Operational Excellence: Reliable execution and disciplined adherence to procedures
Risk Awareness: Understands payment risks and follows control protocols closely
Curiosity & Growth Mindset: Actively builds knowledge of payments and product ownership
Collaboration: Works effectively across Operations, Technology, Risk, and Member‑facing teams
Analytical Mindset: Uses data to identify issues and recommend improvements
Clear Communication: Translates payment details into understandable guidance
Preferred
Certifications (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, Agile training) are a plus
Understanding of ISO 20022 formatting is helpful but not required
Benefits
Retirement program (401k and Pension)
Medical, dental and vision insurance
Lifestyle Spending Account
Competitive PTO plan
11 paid holidays per year
Company
Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Our Mission: To partner with our members in Illinois and Wisconsin to provide them competitively priced funding, a reasonable return on their investment in the Bank, and support for their community investment activities.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Eric Geiger
Chief Technology Officer
Mike Zeifert, CFA
SVP, Chief Credit Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase