Payment Operations Associate

Payment Operations Associate“Be at the Heart of Every Transaction”At Castle Trust Bank, we pride ourselves in being a fintech challenger bank, providing specialist property mortgages, retail finance lending and savings accounts to a variety of customers. Delivering excellent customer outcomes starts with getting the fundamentals right. Our Payment Operations team plays a vital role in ensuring customer payments, reconciliations and operational processes are completed accurately, efficiently and securely every day.This role is based in Basingstoke and will require attendance in the office five days per week during the probation period to support onboarding and the development of role competency. Upon successful completion of probation and achievement of full competency, the role will transition to a hybrid working pattern of three days in the office and two days working from home.The role and what you’ll lead and deliver:We're looking for a Payment Operations Associate to join our growing team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in payments, reconciliations or financial operations who enjoys working with data, solving problems and maintaining high standards of accuracy.You'll work across our Savings, Property, Omni and Treasury business lines, helping to ensure payments are processed correctly, controls are maintained and customers receive a seamless experience.Payments ProcessingProcess inbound and outbound payments accurately and within agreed service levels.Complete daily payment activities across multiple business areas.Ensure all payment instructions meet internal procedures and regulatory requirements.Investigate and resolve payment exceptions, returned payments and processing errors.Reconciliations & ControlsPerform daily and monthly reconciliations across bank accounts and internal systems.Investigate and resolve reconciliation discrepancies.Operate key controls, maintain accurate audit trails and escalate issues where required.Support effective risk management through adherence to operational procedures and controls.Stakeholder Support & Continuous ImprovementRespond to customer and internal operational queries within agreed service levels.Support change initiatives, testing activities and system enhancements.Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and operational efficiency.Maintain accurate procedures and contribute to knowledge sharing across the team.What you’ll bring: EssentialExperience working within a high-volume payments, reconciliation or financial operations environment. Advanced Excel skills, including formulas, lookups and pivot tables, with the ability to manage and analyse large datasets. Experience using General Ledger or Finance systems, with a sound understanding of debits, credits and transaction matching. Strong attention to detail, analytical thinking and problem-solving capability. Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively. A customer-focused approach and strong verbal and written communication skills. A proactive mindset, high levels of integrity and the confidence to identify and escalate issues appropriately. A willingness to learn, adapt and support continuous improvement initiatives.DesirableExperience working within a banking or financial services environment. Awareness of Consumer Duty principles and financial services regulation. Studying towards an AAT qualification or similar.Currently studying towards AAT or an equivalent professional qualification.Why join Castle Trust Bank?Competitive salaryPerformance bonus (based on individual and company performance)Generous contributory pension through Hargreaves LansdownLife Assurance25 days’ holiday + option to buy/sell 5 days Additional paid volunteering day Private healthcare through Equipsme (includes cash back for Dental and Optical treatment)Free access to BHSF Rise EAP to support colleague health and wellbeing Gym discountsSeason ticket travel loans (if applicable)A supportive, inclusive culture where your work has real impactCaught your attention? If so, we’d love to talk to you and tell you more about what it’s like to work at Castle Trust Bank - The Place To Work! Castle Trust Bank is an equal opportunity employer where we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our colleagues to thrive. We welcome applications from all and will not discriminate against any status/characteristic protected by law and will always base our decisions on merit.We are proud to support people with disabilities and are committed to be a Disability Confident employer. If you are a person with a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be offered an interview. Should you require any reasonable adjustment to support you in your application for one of our opportunities, please contact talent@castletrust.co.ukhttps://www.castletrust.co.uk/careers/who-we-are

Payment Operations Associate

“Be at the Heart of Every Transaction”

At Castle Trust Bank, we pride ourselves in being a fintech challenger bank, providing specialist property mortgages, retail finance lending and savings accounts to a variety of customers.

Delivering excellent customer outcomes starts with getting the fundamentals right. Our Payment Operations team plays a vital role in ensuring customer payments, reconciliations and operational processes are completed accurately, efficiently and securely every day.

This role is based in Basingstoke and will require attendance in the office five days per week during the probation period to support onboarding and the development of role competency. Upon successful completion of probation and achievement of full competency, the role will transition to a hybrid working pattern of three days in the office and two days working from home.

The role and what you’ll lead and deliver:

We're looking for a Payment Operations Associate to join our growing team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in payments, reconciliations or financial operations who enjoys working with data, solving problems and maintaining high standards of accuracy.

You'll work across our Savings, Property, Omni and Treasury business lines, helping to ensure payments are processed correctly, controls are maintained and customers receive a seamless experience.

Payments Processing

• Process inbound and outbound payments accurately and within agreed service levels.
• Complete daily payment activities across multiple business areas.
• Ensure all payment instructions meet internal procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Investigate and resolve payment exceptions, returned payments and processing errors.

Reconciliations & Controls

• Perform daily and monthly reconciliations across bank accounts and internal systems.
• Investigate and resolve reconciliation discrepancies.
• Operate key controls, maintain accurate audit trails and escalate issues where required.
• Support effective risk management through adherence to operational procedures and controls.

Stakeholder Support & Continuous Improvement

• Respond to customer and internal operational queries within agreed service levels.
• Support change initiatives, testing activities and system enhancements.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and operational efficiency.
• Maintain accurate procedures and contribute to knowledge sharing across the team.

What you’ll bring:

Essential

• Experience working within a high-volume payments, reconciliation or financial operations environment.
• Advanced Excel skills, including formulas, lookups and pivot tables, with the ability to manage and analyse large datasets.
• Experience using General Ledger or Finance systems, with a sound understanding of debits, credits and transaction matching.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical thinking and problem-solving capability.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• A customer-focused approach and strong verbal and written communication skills.
• A proactive mindset, high levels of integrity and the confidence to identify and escalate issues appropriately.
• A willingness to learn, adapt and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Desirable

• Experience working within a banking or financial services environment.
• Awareness of Consumer Duty principles and financial services regulation.
• Studying towards an AAT qualification or similar.
• Currently studying towards AAT or an equivalent professional qualification.

Why join Castle Trust Bank?

• Competitive salary
• Performance bonus (based on individual and company performance)
• Generous contributory pension through Hargreaves Lansdown
• Life Assurance
• 25 days’ holiday + option to buy/sell 5 days
• Additional paid volunteering day
• Private healthcare through Equipsme (includes cash back for Dental and Optical treatment)
• Free access to BHSF Rise EAP to support colleague health and wellbeing
• Gym discounts
• Season ticket travel loans (if applicable)
• A supportive, inclusive culture where your work has real impact

Caught your attention? If so, we’d love to talk to you and tell you more about what it’s like to work at Castle Trust Bank - The Place To Work!

Castle Trust Bank is an equal opportunity employer where we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our colleagues to thrive. We welcome applications from all and will not discriminate against any status/characteristic protected by law and will always base our decisions on merit.

We are proud to support people with disabilities and are committed to be a Disability Confident employer. If you are a person with a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be offered an interview. Should you require any reasonable adjustment to support you in your application for one of our opportunities, please contact talent@castletrust.co.uk

https://www.castletrust.co.uk/careers/who-we-are

Castle Trust Bank was launched as 'Castle Trust' in October 2012 initially offering investment products and specialist mortgage finance. As we grew, we expanded our operations with the acquisition of Omni Capital Retail Finance in 2017, adding point of sale finance to our range of services. We completed our conversion to become a fully authorised bank in June 2020, and continue to go from strength to strength. With just over 200 staff working from our offices in Basingstoke and the City of London, we serve over 200,000 customers across our savings, specialist finance and retail finance arms.Find out more about our products hereOur values We put customers first We are forward thinking We take professional pride We achieve together We are open and transparent Where you’ll be working We have a large operations centre based in Basingstoke, where our Property, Savings and Omni operations teams are based. In addition, it is the home to the majority of our Shared Services teams including Technology, Marketing, HR, Finance, Compliance and Internal Audit. Our registered head office is in the City of London is home to our Risk, Treasury and Legal teams, as well as some of our Executive team. We are a short walk from Bank and Liverpool Street tube stations. What we have to offer: We have ambitious plans and we're always looking for remarkable people to join our talented teams. As well as a competitive base salary, we can offer you: Annual bonus scheme Vitality at Work Employee Assistance Programme Pension scheme Life assurance Season ticket loans Corporate local gym memberships Recognition schemes & long service awards Eye test vouchers Cycle to Work scheme Electric Car Scheme (salary sacrifice) Annual flu jabs Perkbox benefits package ESG Committee Regular social activities and events through our ESG Committee You can keep up to date with company news, vacancies and what it's like to work here by following our LinkedIn page.

Castle Trust Bank was launched as 'Castle Trust' in October 2012 initially offering investment products and specialist mortgage finance. As we grew, we expanded our operations with the acquisition of Omni Capital Retail Finance in 2017, adding point of sale finance to our range of services. We completed our conversion to become a fully authorised bank in June 2020, and continue to go from strength to strength.

With just over 200 staff working from our offices in Basingstoke and the City of London, we serve over 200,000 customers across our savings, specialist finance and retail finance arms.

Find out more about our products here

Our values

• We put customers first
• We are forward thinking
• We take professional pride
• We achieve together
• We are open and transparent

Where you’ll be working

We have a large operations centre based in Basingstoke, where our Property, Savings and Omni operations teams are based. In addition, it is the home to the majority of our Shared Services teams including Technology, Marketing, HR, Finance, Compliance and Internal Audit. Our registered head office is in the City of London is home to our Risk, Treasury and Legal teams, as well as some of our Executive team. We are a short walk from Bank and Liverpool Street tube stations.

What we have to offer:

We have ambitious plans and we're always looking for remarkable people to join our talented teams. As well as a competitive base salary, we can offer you:

• Annual bonus scheme
• Vitality at Work
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Season ticket loans
• Corporate local gym memberships
• Recognition schemes & long service awards
• Eye test vouchers
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Electric Car Scheme (salary sacrifice)
• Annual flu jabs
• Perkbox benefits package
• ESG Committee
• Regular social activities and events through our ESG Committee

You can keep up to date with company news, vacancies and what it's like to work here by following our LinkedIn page.