Senior Manager, Payments Strategy-(Hybrid)

Central 1 cooperatively empowers credit unions and other financial institutions to deliver banking choice to Canadians. Central 1 provides critical services at scale to enable a thriving credit union system. We do this by collaborating with our clients, developing strategies, products and services to support the financial well-being of their more than 5 million diverse customers in communities across Canada. For more information, visit www.central1.com.

What we offer:

• Work-life flexibility 

• Hybrid work environment 

• Variable annual incentive plan

• Generous annual vacation allotment

• Top-notch flexible benefits plan including family building and gender affirmation

• Retirement Plan, matched contributions at 6%

• Access to a learning platform and educational assistance support

• Access to a virtual wellness platform

• Career development opportunities

• Wellness Flex Fund to support personal interest and activities

• Day off to volunteer in your community and other paid time off options

• Corporate discounts

*subject to employment agreement

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Senior Manager of Payments Strategy to play a key role in shaping and executing our strategic vision. In this role, you will work closely with the AVP, Head of Payments Strategy, and the Payments leadership team to drive strategic initiatives and support the annual planning process. The ideal candidate is adaptable, able to manage multiple high-priority initiatives simultaneously, and brings strong analytical and communication skills to influence and deliver results

What you'll be doing:

Strategic Planning:
 

• Manage the annual payments strategic planning process and collaborate, consult, and support business units as appropriate

• Support monthly, quarterly and annual Payments leadership team planning meetings

• Support delivery of quarterly reports and planning materials to the Board of Directors and applicable sub-committees

• Support monthly and quarterly Payments line of business All Hands and Townhall meetings

• Track the progress over time of the strategies and initiatives in the strategic plan and monitor the metrics / measures of success in KPI dashboards

• Consistently improve KPI dashboards through automation and data insights

• Keep abreast of emerging issues, trends, and evolving regulatory requirements to identify new opportunities and assess potential impacts

Strategy Development & Strategic Initiatives:
 

• Support the formulation of the Payments strategy and roadmap, and identify resources, processes, and technologies required to enable the strategy

• Support the development of strategy workshop facilitation materials – this includes key activities involved in developing Board and Executive Leadership Team meeting agendas and critical follow-on actions

• Lead competitive and analytical assessments to support making strategic choices (e.g., where to play; how to win) and develop / implement appropriate solutions

• Lead the design and implementation of high-priority strategic initiatives as required

Collaboration and Stakeholder Relationship Management:
 

• Provide strategic advice and thought leadership to key stakeholders across the Payments line of business to ensure effective articulation of strategy and required capabilities

• Collaborate with AVP, Head of Payments Strategy and the Payments leadership team to prioritize and stage initiatives and to ensure consistency in approach across teams

• Establish working relationships with Executives and key stakeholders, and effectively communicate key messages and make recommendations

• Partner with other areas of the organization and/or external vendors to facilitate the achievement of deliverables and overall objectives

Leadership Responsibilities:     
                                    

• Demonstrate confidence, influence and mentorship to peers and stakeholders

• Work collaboratively with the rest of the organization

• Strategic thought leader

• Take ownership and drive business results

What you'll have:

• Bachelor's degree in commerce, engineering, or economics (or equivalent) is required; a Master’s degree in business would be an asset

• 5+ years of relevant experience across strategy development and delivering major strategic initiatives

• Experience from a strategy-consulting / management consulting firm with a specific focus in the financial services sector would be an asset

• Experience with financial analysis, business casing, and project management

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Strong storyboarding and ability to make clear, concise presentations

• Ability to translate complex business concepts into plain language for executive consumption

• Strong leadership potential and ability to facilitate meetings with C-level executive stakeholders

• Solid relationship building skills (internal and external networks)

• Strong analytical, problem solving, prioritization, and decision-making skills

• Entrepreneurial minded and results-oriented

• Ability to challenge the status quo and drive continuous improvement

• Committed to innovation and continuous learning

• Strong knowledge of digital payments technologies and trends

• Excellent proficiency in MS Teams and Office 365 platforms

• Ability to incorporate AI tools in your daily tasks to augment your work

• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment

• Ability to represent the company professionally to outside business and/or client contacts

Salary range:$120,000-$135,000
 

The salary range represents the job rate determined for the successful candidate who is fully competent in the role. The actual salary will vary depending on market conditions and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training

 #LI-Hybrid
 

Central 1 is an equal opportunity employer and committed to building an inclusive workforce by creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong and has the opportunity to be successful. We welcome all applicants to join our diverse workforce and we will provide an accessible candidate experience including, but not limited to accommodations to interview sites and alternate formats upon request to our Recruitment team.