Payments Specialist - Full Time

Why Meridian?

At Meridian, our aspiration is to integrate our purpose into everything we do for people, the planet, and communities. We believe that our greatest opportunity is to create opportunity and meet people where they are.

Find our story here: About Meridian

The role:

Reporting to the Director, Credit Card & Payments, the Payments Specialist is a subject matter expert responsible for the day-to-day management, support, and continuous improvement of Meridian's payment services, which may include ABMs, debit cards, mobile debit and mobile wallet, Interac e-Transfer, wires, AFTs, bill payments, cheque clearing, and foreign currency. The role coordinates payments incident response and escalations, oversees payment vendors and service providers, maintains payments governance and documentation, and supports the delivery of the department's payments modernization initiatives.

Key Responsbilities

Projects & Initatives

• Participate in the development of future payment products and services that support Meridian’s blueprint for growth.

• Provide recommendations, analysis, and support business decisions that are member-centric, cost effective and revenue driven.

• Provide input and support initiatives including business case, project charters, business requirements, and executive requests.

• Research emerging trends / best practices to determine implications of proposed payment solutions.

• Keep abreast of internal Meridian and external partner/vendor/association system changes and/or projects that may have a direct or indirect impact on payments.

• Review and make recommendations to the Director regarding existing and new payment partners and contracts.
• Develop, evaluate and update payment documentation and training as required.

Maintenance & Support

• Effectively manage and support a variety of payment services, which may include:
  • ATM/POS Channel management
  • Debit Card management
  • Interac e-Transfers
  • Cheque Clearing
  • Wires
  • Bill Payments
  • AFT
  • Other Payments
  • Maintain, update, and manage debit card inventory.
  • Provide support to partners and Member payment escalations.
  • Leverage ongoing payment analysis, key performance indicators, and metrics to highlight trends to make recommendations that will enhance systems, processes, products and services.
  • Maintain status checklists and reports for monitoring performance and progress including compliance with service and operational standards.

Relationship Management

• Proactively manage and work with external partners: provide/receive/review reporting, ensure process changes are implemented and research additional services available to improve efficiency within the Payments team.
• Communicate new updates to policy and procedures and service disruptions/outages to all appropriate stakeholders.
• Maintain a high level of communication with Operations and Delivery to deliver quality support and meet service standards.
• Liaise with internal and external partners as appropriate to assist with the resolution of unique payment issues.
• Prepare vendor meeting materials, lead discussions, and review vendor contracts and propose changes where warranted.

Regulatory

• Accountable for Compliance regulations, annual audits, attestations, and execution of action plans.
• Manage various standards and internal controls in areas relating to the administration of payments by working with key stakeholders.
• Determine appropriate solution to errors or omissions using established policies, including regulatory requirements.
• Responsible for regulatory processes to ensure risks are mitigated and compliance requirements are met.
• Keep abreast of regulatory changes assessing the need to create or update existing policy and procedures.Participate in annual audit by external auditors

How you will succeed:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage payment products, services, and operations.
• 5 -7 Years of experience working within the financial services industry.
• 5 Years working within area of specialty/expertise, specifically:
  • ATM/POS Channel management
  • Debit Card Management
  • E-Transfer
  • Cheque Clearing
  • Wires
  • Bill Payments
  • AFT
  • Cash Services
  • Payments Modernization
• Relationship Management (including external vendors)
• Interac (including supporting Annual Audit Process)
• Strong proficiency in payments regualtions
• Strong organizational, analytical and time management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Understand business risks and exhibits sound judgement and decision-making capabilities
• A passion for new product development and payment innovation
• Member Focus - Personally demonstrating that our Members are our highest priority.
• Proactive - Seize the initiative by anticipating needs and identifying opportunities to provide a higher level of service.
• Open Communication - Engaging in honest and transparent dialogue to develop mutual understanding, trust and cultivate deeper relationships.
• Business Savvy - Continuously acquiring the knowledge needed to do one's job to the fullest, using internal or external resources and applying the knowledge productively.
• Partner Orientation - Initiates opportunities for collaboration and maintains productive relationships to achieve shared goals.
• Integrity - Doing the right thing by always acting with openness, honesty, and respect.
• Talent Developer - Nurtures and supports direct reports, identifies strong team members, develops digital and analytical skills in direct reports.
• Creates a Supportive and Positive Team Environment: creates and contributes to a positive team environment which encourages innovation, risk-taking, and learning; speed up team learning through sharing best practices; leverages the strengths and opportunities of the broader marketing team.

This role represents an existing vacancy. Internal candidates are being considered as part of our standard process.

Salary Range: CAD $59,800 - $89,800

Compensation for this role is based on a combination of skills, experience, and internal equity. Candidates with stronger alignment to the role’s requirements may be placed higher within the range. Your recruiter will share more information about our total rewards package during the hiring process.

Office Location: St. Catharines Corporate Office with the ability to travel to our Toronto Corporate office as needed. This is a hybrid work opportunity.

Build the Future of Banking with Us

At Meridian, we’re not just adapting to the future—we’re shaping it. We see talent as a catalyst for sustainable growth, community impact, and future-readiness. As the financial landscape evolves, we’re looking for team members who bring:

• Embedding & leveraging technology – Confidence and willingness to learn and integrate AI and emerging technologies into new ways of working. Experience with low/no code tools like the Microsoft Power Platform and generative AI productivity tools like Microsoft Copilot is considered an asset
• Critical Thinking – The ability to analyze, evaluate and interpret information from various sources and apply logic and problem solving to make decisions.
• Data Driven– Leverage data and insights to identify, prioritize and improve member experience and business efficiency.
• Curiosity & Flexibility – Comfortable navigating and embracing change and uncertainty, ask more questions, explore more options. Continuously learn and grow.

What's in it for you?

As a Certified Living Wage Employer, you are guaranteed to earn a living wage with us, including an impressive benefits package which includes:

• Paid vacation time, and other time off
• Employer-paid health benefits
• Defined contribution pension matching
• Financial benefits including free banking, and special rates on mortgages, lines of credits and more
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Unique rewards and recognition program

You will benefit from an inclusive and collaborative work environment that encourages creativity, curiosity, and celebrates success. You will also receive the right training, tools and technology needed to delight our Members, with the opportunity to learn from diverse industry leaders, who have hailed from top organizations around the world.

Our Story:

Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has more than 75 years of banking history and is 100% owned by its members. With 89 retail branches and 15 Business Banking Centers across Ontario and $ 30B in assets under management, Meridian offers a broad range of financial products and services to its retail, business banking and wealth members. With over 2000 employees and corporate offices located in Toronto and St. Catharines, Meridian has a track record of creating and delivering innovative new offerings and is committed to investing in the communities that we serve. Our plan is to build on our momentum as we deliver on our purpose - helping our members achieve their best life.

Our Commitment to You:

Meridian is committed to promoting an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected, and supported. We are dedicated to employing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and Members in which we live and serve.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Please note that due to the volume of applications, only those under consideration will be contacted for an interview.

Thank you for your interest in Meridian Credit Union.

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