Product and Payment Manager

At Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we're committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CFSI, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

The Product & Payments Manager is responsible for overseeing the bank's payments products and solutions, ensuring alignment with customer needs, regulatory compliance, and market competitiveness. This role involves leading product innovation, managing vendor relationships, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize performance and customer satisfaction.

The Product & Payments Manager drives initiatives to improve adoption and engagement, ensure operational efficiency, and enhance the customer experience while supporting the bank's broader strategic goals.

Essential Responsibilities:

Leadership and Team Collaboration:

• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including IT, operations, compliance, marketing, and legal, to achieve product objectives.
• Partner with senior leadership to align payment solutions with the bank's broader strategy.
• Provide guidance to ensure operational efficiency and adherence to bank policies.

Product Innovation and Performance:

• Lead the full product lifecycle from ideation to launch, ensuring products address customer needs, comply with regulations, and remain competitive.
• Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies to inform product roadmaps and drive innovation.
• Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess product effectiveness and identify growth or optimization opportunities.

Vendor and Relationship Management:

• Manage relationships with external vendors and service providers, ensuring contract compliance and performance.
• Negotiate favorable terms and develop strategic partnerships to enhance product offerings.
• Address vendor performance issues and recommend improvements.

Customer Focus and Marketing:

• Develop strategies to improve customer adoption, engagement, and satisfaction with payment solutions.
• Collaborate with marketing teams to create go-to-market strategies and promote payment products effectively.
• Gather customer feedback and analyze behavioral data to identify and address pain points.

Operational and Regulatory Management:

• Ensure payment products meet all regulatory requirements and operate efficiently.
• Collaborate with risk management teams to identify and mitigate fraud risks.
• Maintain proficient knowledge of, and demonstrate ongoing compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to this position, ensure ongoing adherence to pertinent policies, procedures, and internal controls, and meet all job-specific training requirements in a timely fashion.

Ancillary Duties:

As an integral member of the Retail Banking team, this position is responsible to provide assistance wherever necessary to help the department and the Bank in achieving their annual goals.

Education, Training, and Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field normally required
• Valid driver's license
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older

Skills:

• Strong project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership abilities
• Knowledge of payment systems (debit, credit, ACH, mobile payments, emerging technologies)
• Working knowledge of regulatory compliance (e.g., PCI DSS, Reg E, ACH rules)
• Proficient in Excel and other PC applications
• Attention to detail, critical thinking, and organizational abilities
• Must be able to consistently demonstrate the Company's core values: Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, and Humility

Experience:

• Minimum seven (7) years in payments product management, retail banking, or financial services normally required
• Proven expertise in vendor management, strategic planning, and cross-functional team leadership

Compensation: Commensurate with experience plus potential for annual merit increase. In addition to your competitive salary, you will be rewarded benefits including: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation, Medical, Vision & Dental insurance, 401K with generous match, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, Banking discounts and the list goes on!

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk or sit. Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to focus.

The Company is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

The Company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability. If you have a physical or mental impairment and would like to request an accommodation with respect to the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department.