Director of Payments Risk & Security Technology

About the role

Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer, the Director leads the bank's integrated strategy for enterprise defense, emerging-threat readiness, and advanced customer payments intelligence. Operating at the intersection of Information Security, Infrastructure, Payments, Operational Risk, and Customer and Employee Protection, this role ensures controls, analytics, and modernization initiatives are aligned to real, explainable risks rather than purely theoretical frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Defense Strategy
  • Lead cross-functional threat and vulnerability analysis that spans InfoSec, Infrastructure, Payments, and Operational Risk.
  • Build and maintain the enterprise defense roadmap anchored to measurable risk reduction and customer protection.
  • Evaluate emerging risks tied to social engineering, identity compromise, advanced payment manipulation, and customer behavior patterns.
• Payments Intelligence & Analytics
  • Own the strategy for payment-risk analytics across ACH, wires, Card, Faster Payments, and digital channels.
  • Partner with Fraud, Digital Banking, and Core vendors to enhance behavioral analytics and anomaly detection.
  • Drive insight generation using event-based data, patterns, machine learning opportunities, and external threat intel.
  • Serve as the technology-informed advisor for new payments capabilities, ensuring cyber and operational risk alignment from day one.
• Cross-Functional Governance & Prioritization
  • Create and facilitate the bank’s integrated Security and Payments Defense governance framework.
  • Translate complex risks into business-aligned prioritization for executives, operational leaders, and technology teams.
  • Ensure control owners across security, infrastructure, and payments are aligned on timelines, dependencies, and value of each initiative.
  • Develop dashboards that communicate maturity shifts, risk thresholds, and future posture needs.
• Technology Architecture & Modernization
  • Partner with Infrastructure and Enterprise Architecture to influence control design, telemetry, and automation.
  • Evaluate vendor solutions (SIEM, SOAR, analytics platforms, payment monitoring tools) and ensure integration with modern stack.
  • Identify opportunities to leverage cloud-native security, event streaming, and advanced behavioral modeling.
  • Drive operational efficiency by reducing complexity and eliminating unnecessary manual processes.
• Customer-Facing Security Innovation
  • Extend the bank’s internal risk and control maturity to customer-facing solutions by advising Digital and Payments teams on protection features.
  • Lead the strategy and thought leadership for next-generation customer safeguards, including risk-based authentication, behavioral biometrics, safe-push payment flows, and payment interlocks.
  • Drive a cultural shift from reactive client guidance to proactively designing safeguards that anticipate real human behavior.
• Advisory, Communication & Leadership
  • Serve as an advisor to the CIO, Director of Info Security, Director of Infrastructure, Director of Operational Risk, and Chief Client Experience Officer.
  • Communicate technical risks and analytical findings clearly to Executive Leadership, Audit, and Regulatory partners.
  • Provide situational leadership across functions without direct ownership of budgets or staff.
  • Mentor teams in advanced analytics, threat awareness, and modern payments risk concepts.
  • Partner with Enterprise Learning and Development to enrich appropriate education plans.
  • Participates in special projects or duties as assigned.
• Compliance and Risk Management
  • Perform compliance and risk management duties as required or assigned.

Requirements

• 10+ years in security engineering, threat analysis, payments technology, or enterprise architecture.
• Experience in a mid-sized or regional bank environment.
• Robust communication and relationship management skills.
• Strong hands-on technology background: cloud platforms, event streaming, modern auth, API-based architectures, security tooling, and payments systems.
• Deep understanding of ACH/wire/Faster Payment rails, digital banking platforms, and the fraud patterns unique to each.
• Proven ability to lead through influence across security, infrastructure, risk, and payments teams.
• Payments or cyber certifications (CAMS, CISM, CISSP, ETA certifications) preferred.
• Strong understanding of NIST CSF, FFIEC guidance, payments modernization, and real-time payments risk.
• Familiarity with Jack Henry, Bottomline, and other typical community/regional bank platforms.
• Understanding or familiarity of advanced fraud and security platforms and services.
• Strong analytical instincts capable of connecting customer behavior, technology patterns, and controls.
• Experience evaluating security and payments vendors, with strong discernment between effective solutions and shelfware.
• Strong detail orientation with high level of organizational skills and ability to multi-task, managing interruptions with multiple projects.
• Demonstrated self-motivation and initiative; ability to work well both independently and with others.
• Able to prioritize assignments and handle multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of service to clients in a deadline driven environment under the direction of management.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate with and work effectively with diverse groups of people, managing conflict and negotiating for results when needed.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical people.
• Preferred experience working in the financial services industry.
• Ability to work additional hours as required by operational and production workloads.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of ACH/wire/Faster Payment rails, digital banking platforms, and the fraud patterns unique to each.
• Experience in a mid-sized or regional bank environment.
• Experience in security engineering, threat analysis, payments technology, or enterprise architecture.
• Experience in leading through influence across security, infrastructure, risk, and payments teams.
• Experience in evaluating security and payments vendors, with strong discernment between effective solutions and shelfware.
• Experience in developing dashboards that communicate maturity shifts, risk thresholds, and future posture needs.
• Experience in extending the bank's internal risk and control maturity to customer-facing solutions.
• Experience in leading the strategy and thought leadership for next-generation customer safeguards.
• Experience in mentoring teams in advanced analytics, threat awareness, and modern payments risk concepts.
• Experience in partnering with Enterprise Learning and Development to enrich appropriate education plans.
• Experience in participating in special projects or duties as assigned.
• Experience in performing compliance and risk management duties as required or assigned.

Skills

• Cloud platforms
• Event streaming
• Modern auth
• API-based architectures
• Security tooling
• Payments systems
• NIST CSF
• FFIEC guidance
• Jack Henry
• Bottomline
• Advanced fraud and security platforms
• Machine learning
• External threat intel
• Behavioral analytics
• Anomaly detection
• Payment monitoring tools
• Cloud-native security
• Event streaming
• Advanced behavioral modeling
• Operational efficiency
• Reduction of complexity
• Elimination of unnecessary manual processes
• Risk-based authentication
• Behavioral biometrics
• Safe-push payment flows
• Payment interlocks
• Health, Financial, Retirement, and Work/Life Benefits
• Compliance and risk management duties

Benefits

The bank offers a comprehensive benefits package to secure your overall wellness and help you become and remain a fulfilled and productive employee. Benefits include Health, Financial, Retirement, and Work/Life Benefits. For more details, please refer to the benefits overview provided by the bank.

Pay

Pay Range: $126,222 - $189,332. The compensation range represents the low and high end of the base compensation range for this position located in Spokane, Washington. Actual compensation will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. This position is also eligible to participate in an applicable annual bonus.

Schedule

Regular, reliable attendance is required.

Location

Spokane, Washington.