Central Operations Specialist

Opportunity Overview

A financial institution is seeking an experienced Central Operations Specialist III to join its banking operations team.

This position is designed for an operationally strong banking professional with particular experience in legal processing, wire transactions, reconciliations, and higher-risk deposit operations.

The Specialist III will independently handle routine and complex operational responsibilities while serving as a resource for transaction exceptions and processing questions. Accuracy, judgment, documentation, and risk awareness are critical because the position handles transactions and legal requests that can have significant financial and regulatory implications.

What Makes the Opportunity Different

• Significant responsibility for legal processing
• Review and release of outgoing wire transactions
• Exposure to complex and higher-risk banking operations
• Broad responsibilities beyond a narrowly defined processing function
• Opportunity to serve as a senior operational resource
• Independent reconciliation and exception-resolution responsibilities
• Exposure to audit, examination, and compliance processes
• Opportunity to mentor and support junior operations employees

Responsibilities

Legal Processing

• Process levies, subpoenas, summons, garnishments, restraining notices, and other legal orders affecting customer accounts or funds
• Review supporting documentation and ensure requests are handled according to applicable requirements and internal procedures
• Research and resolve legal-processing exceptions
• Escalate complex or unusual issues when appropriate

Wire Operations

• Review and release outgoing wire transactions
• Ensure required documentation, approvals, limits, and dual controls are satisfied before funds are released
• Research and troubleshoot wire-processing issues
• Assist with complex wire exceptions

Central Operations

• Perform daily and monthly reconciliations
• Research and resolve outstanding or out-of-balance items
• Process operational adjustments and collections
• Support cash ordering, shipments, inventory, and balancing
• Perform account-maintenance and callback functions
• Support specialized account reporting and other recurring operational requirements
• Provide backup coverage across central operations functions

Senior-Level Support

• Serve as an escalation resource for operational questions and transaction exceptions
• Provide guidance and mentoring to junior operations team members
• Maintain accurate documentation supporting internal audits, external examinations, and compliance reviews
• Identify potential operational risks, control weaknesses, or process gaps and escalate them appropriately

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 5+ years of financial institution operations experience
• Strong bank or credit-union operations background
• Hands-on experience processing legal orders such as levies, subpoenas, garnishments, or summons
• Experience with wire transactions; review/release experience strongly preferred
• Strong reconciliation and balancing skills
• Knowledge of deposit products and payment processing
• Ability to research and resolve operational exceptions independently
• Strong attention to detail
• Sound judgment and risk awareness
• Ability to prioritize multiple time-sensitive responsibilities
• Professional communication skills
• Experience supporting or mentoring less-experienced operations staff is beneficial
• High school diploma or equivalent required

Preferred Experience Characteristics

Candidates will be particularly attractive if they have experience across several of the following areas:

• Legal processing
• Wire operations
• Deposit operations
• Reconciliations
• ACH
• Adjustments and collections
• Cash operations
• Account maintenance
• Operational exception management
• Banking compliance and audit support

Candidates do not need to have performed every function.

Strong legal-processing experience combined with solid overall banking operations knowledge is particularly valuable.

Not a Fit If You

• Have no meaningful financial institution operations experience
• Have little or no exposure to legal orders affecting deposit accounts
• Are uncomfortable working with high-risk or time-sensitive transactions
• Struggle with detailed documentation and procedural requirements
• Require significant supervision to research routine operational exceptions
• Do not have a strong accuracy and control mindset
• Are looking exclusively for a customer-facing branch or sales position

Compensation

The compensation will depend on experience and overall alignment with the position.

Candidates with particularly strong experience in legal processing, wire operations, reconciliations, and complex banking operations may be especially competitive.