Banking Operations Senior Specialist
About the company
OTE Group is the largest technology company in Greece and a member of the Deutsche Telekom Group. Through technology and innovation, we work to create a better world for all.
Diversity, inclusion and equality are at the core of our corporate culture.
This is the reason why we create an equal working environment in which our people can excel for their expertise, professional experience, conscientiousness, and responsibility.
Become part of our network and let’s create your future together!
About the role
We are looking for an experienced and driven Banking Operations Senior Specialist with a strong background in financial services and banking. This role combines operational excellence with strategic product ownership, focused on the full lifecycle management of transaction banking products and payment solutions.
You will work across SEPA, SWIFT, TARGET2, and ISO 20022 ecosystems, ensuring that our transaction services meet regulatory standards, market trends, and evolving customer needs. You will play a pivotal role in managing product delivery, enhancing service performance, and ensuring seamless operations across clearing, settlement, reconciliation, and client experience.
Key Responsibilities
Product Lifecycle & Operational Ownership
- Own and manage the end-to-end lifecycle of transaction and payments products – from concept to launch, operations, maintenance, and optimization.
- Collaborate with internal teams (Operations, IT, Compliance, Risk and Security Managers) to ensure seamless delivery and operational efficiency of services.
- Maintain and optimize the complete payments lifecycle, including initiation, authorization, clearing, settlement, and reconciliation.
- Ensure robust compliance with regulatory frameworks (e.g. PSD2, SWIFT, ISO 20022) and scheme rulebooks (SEPA, TARGET2).
Strategic Product Management
- Define and communicate the product strategy and roadmap, aligning with bank-wide objectives and customer expectations.
- Monitor performance and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for transaction services, recommending improvements in functionality, pricing, and operational execution.
- Track market trends and competitor offerings to identify opportunities for service enhancement or new product development.
- Lead or support participation in interbank bodies and industry groups (e.g. SWIFT, DIAS) to influence and respond to evolving standards.
Payments Expertise & Integration
- Manage SEPA (DCT, DCT, Instant), TARGET2, and SWIFT cross-border payments, ensuring operational excellence and regulatory alignment.
- Drive and support full ISO 20022 adoption across all flows (pacs, camt, pain, acmt messages).
- Coordinate with technical teams to define, test, and validate message structures and integration scenarios.
Operational Excellence
- Design and document operational workflows, ensuring scalability, resilience, and regulatory compliance.
- Serve as a point of escalation for complex operational issues within the transaction and payments domain.
- Support internal readiness by developing training materials and toolkits for stakeholders (Operations, Sales, Support).
- Organize and lead product pilots, UAT, demos, and internal testing to validate functionality and gather stakeholder feedback.
Qualifications & Skills
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Banking, Business Administration, or a related field.
- At least 4 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a strong focus on payments, transaction banking, or treasury operations.
- Strong understanding of payments infrastructure: SEPA, SWIFT (FIN & CBPR+), TARGET2, and ISO 20022 XML messaging standards.
- Proven track record in product operations, lifecycle management, or product ownership within a banking environment.
- Demonstrated ability to translate regulatory and business requirements into operational processes and technical specifications.
- Familiarity with banking systems, payment engines, and tools like Jira, or similar project management platforms.