Senior Reconciliation and Settlement Officer

Hiring company: National Payment and Innovation Company of Trinidad and Tobago Source: Tsenta Job Summary The Senior Reconciliation and Settlement Officer is the lead hands-on practitioner in the settlement and reconciliation function of the national payment rail operated by NPICTT. Working under the Head, Settlement and Reconciliation, the Senior Officer performs and coordinates the daily reconciliation and settlement of the nation’s payments — taking the most complex and material reconciliations, executing the settlement cycle to schedule, resolving the difficult breaks, and providing quality review and day-to-day guidance to the Officers on the team. The role sits between the Head, who owns the settlement and reconciliation framework and its risk, and the Officers, who perform routine reconciliation and settlement support. The Senior Officer carries the depth of settlement and reconciliation judgement to operate the function confidently day to day, to be relied upon on the harder items, and to deputize for the Head on operational matters. Because reconciliation accuracy and settlement integrity protect the Company’s and participants’ funds and the State’s revenue, the role demands exacting accuracy, control discipline and record-keeping. Main Responsibilities Reconciliation Operations Perform and coordinate daily reconciliation across the national rail — matching transactions across the switch, the scheme, participant records, settlement files and settlement-account statements — taking personal responsibility for the most complex, high-value and material reconciliations. Investigate and resolve difficult, aged or material reconciliation breaks and variances that are beyond routine handling, and determine root cause. Review and quality-check the reconciliations performed by Officers before they are finalised, and confirm completeness of coverage. Escalate genuinely unresolved or high-risk items to the Head, Settlement and Reconciliation, with analysis and a recommended course of action. Maintain reconciliation working papers, logs and evidence to an auditable standard, and uphold that standard across the team. Settlement Operations Execute the settlement cycles of the national scheme day to day — the preparation, validation, processing and confirmation of settlement files and postings — to defined schedules and cut-offs. Support settlement across the Central Bank’s real-time gross settlement system and the correct application of settlement instructions, operating within the framework set by the Head. Monitor participant settlement positions, funding and net positions, and identify and escalate funding shortfalls, exposures or anomalies promptly. Coordinate settlement configuration and reconciliation set-up for the onboarding of new participants and channels, in support of the Head. Controls, Compliance and Records Operate and, where assigned, own the execution of reconciliation and settlement controls in accordance with procedures, scheme rules, accounting standards and regulatory requirements. Maintain accurate and complete financial-operations records, reconciliation logs and settlement documentation, and ensure the team’s records meet the same standard. Support fraud prevention and operational-risk monitoring by identifying and escalating anomalous or suspicious items. Act as a principal point of preparation for audits and reviews — organizing documentation, providing information and responding to queries. Team Guidance and Quality Provide day-to-day guidance, direction and informal supervision to Officers, Reconciliation and Settlement, allocating and checking work particularly at cut-off and period-end. Support the induction and development of Officers, and share knowledge of reconciliation and settlement practice. Deputize for the Head, Settlement and Reconciliation on operational reconciliation and settlement matters where appropriate. Reporting and Improvement Prepare and consolidate reconciliation summaries, exception reports and settlement reports for the Head, and ensure their accuracy. Track reconciliation and settlement metrics, analyze trends and surface recurring issues. Identify opportunities to improve reconciliation and settlement processes, controls and automation, and support their implementation. Perform other related duties in support of the function’s objectives. Requirements Person Profile The ideal candidate is an accomplished and detail-oriented financial-operations practitioner with solid experience in reconciliation and settlement, or in general accounting operations with a reconciliation and settlement focus, and some experience of guiding, checking or coordinating the work of others. The individual is highly accurate, control-minded and methodical, resolves complex discrepancies to root cause, and operates confidently to fixed cycles and cut-offs. A sound working understanding of settlement concepts — settlement cycles, funding and net positions, and settlement finality — is expected, together with strong reconciliation and accounting fundamentals; exposure to payments, banking or financial-market infrastructure is an advantage. The successful candidate demonstrates integrity, reliability and the sound judgement required of a lead practitioner trusted with the accuracy of national settlement and the protection of public and participant funds. Academic Qualifications and Experience Academic Qualifications A Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Accounting, Finance, Banking, Business Administration or a related discipline; or an equivalent combination of qualification and demonstrable experience. Progression toward a professional accounting qualification, such as ACCA or CAT, is an advantage. Experience A minimum of four (4) to six (6) years in reconciliation, settlement, accounts payable and receivable, general-ledger or bank-reconciliation work, or financial-services operations, with demonstrable depth in reconciliation and settlement. Demonstrable experience resolving complex or material discrepancies to root cause. Some experience guiding, checking, coordinating or informally supervising the work of others. Experience with reconciliation or accounting systems and strong spreadsheet capability. A sound working understanding of settlement concepts — cycles, funding, net positions and finality; experience in payments, banking or a transaction-intensive environment is strongly preferred. Experience supporting audit through the organization of documentation and provision of information.