Technical Lead - Payments

Join Servus Credit Union - Canada’s Largest Credit Union! 

We are hiring for a full-time Technical Lead - Payments to join our Responsive Banking Solutions Platforms Team! 

Posting closes: April 15, 2026, end of day

Employment Status: Full-time; 37.5 hours per week; Remote First  

 

At Servus Credit Union, we do things differently—because we’re a credit union, not a bank. And that difference matters.  

We believe in putting people before profits, which is why our members are also our owners. Every dollar we earn is reinvested into the things that matter most: our members, our employees, and our communities. Whether it’s through profit sharing, competitive rates, or local initiatives that make a real impact, we’re here to help Albertans feel good about their money.  

We’re looking for passionate, values-driven people to join our team. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds who are aligned with our values and are eager to contribute in meaningful ways. If you're excited to grow your career with a team that’s innovative, hardworking, collaborative and deeply rooted in community, we want to meet you.  

 Join Servus and discover a better way to work.  

The Technical Lead – Payments is a senior-level technical leadership role accountable for the design, delivery, integration, and ongoing evolution of enterprise payment platforms and services. The role provides hands-on technical leadership for systems supporting Canadian payment rails and emerging payment capabilities, ensuring platforms are secure, resilient, scalable, and compliant with regulatory and industry standards. 

The Technical Lead – Payments acts as a key technology partner to Payment Product and Payment Operations, collaborating early and continuously to understand business needs, operational challenges, and product objectives. This role is accountable for helping define, shape, and recommend fit‑for‑purpose technology solutions that address business problems, enable product capabilities, and support efficient, scalable payment operations. The Technical Lead ensures that business requirements are translated into clear technical designs that balance member experience, operational efficiency, risk, and long‑term platform sustainability 

Working closely with Enterprise and Solution Architects, the Technical Lead – Payments drives end-to-end technical delivery across real-time and batch payment services, including integrations with external networks, internal core banking systems, digital channels, fraud platforms, and downstream financial systems. The role balances modernization and innovation with the operational rigor required for mission-critical, member-facing payment services. 

A core focus of this position is advancing payments maturity—from dependable batch-based processing toward always-on, ISO 20022–aligned, and real-time payment capabilities—while recognizing the shared-service, vendor, and scale considerations typical of a credit union environment. 

 

What You'll be Doing: 

Payments Platform Leadership 

• Provide technical leadership for systems supporting Canadian payment rails including Interac e-Transfer®, Interac Debit, EFT (ACSS), Real-Time Rail (RTR), and cheque imaging, in alignment with Payments Canada rules and standards

• Lead design decisions that ensure high availability, low latency, resiliency, and scalability for member-facing and back-office payment services 

• Own technical oversight for payment processing flows including initiation, validation, clearing, settlement, reconciliation, returns, reversals, and exception handling

Business and Product Partnership 

• Partner closely with Payment Product and Payment Operations to understand business goals, regulatory drivers, and operational pain points, and to jointly define technology solutions that meet business needs and requirements

• Translate product concepts, operational needs, and regulatory requirements into clear technical options, solution designs, and delivery approaches 

• Act as a trusted advisor to Product and Operations, providing input on feasibility, trade‑offs, risk, cost, and long‑term implications of technology decisions

• Support the evolution of payment products and services by identifying technology opportunities that improve member experience, operational efficiency, and resilience 

System Integration and Modernization 

• Lead integrations with Payments Canada–operated systems (ACSS, Lynx, RTR), Interac services, and external payment gateways 

• Drive adoption and coexistence strategies for ISO 20022 messaging, supporting migration, translation, and backward compatibility across payment ecosystems

• Modernize legacy payment services to support 24x7 operations, improved observability, and future payment innovation while reducing technical debt 

CI/CD, DevSecOps, and Reliability 

• Lead and continuously improve CI/CD pipelines for payment platforms, enabling frequent, low-risk deployments while maintaining strict security and compliance standards 

• Ensure strong alignment with DevSecOps principles, including secure coding, automated testing, vulnerability management, and audit readiness 

• Champion system observability, including monitoring, alerting, logging, and performance metrics, with appropriate handling of sensitive and regulated data 

Risk, Compliance, and Fraud Enablement 

• Partner closely with Payment Operations, Risk, Fraud, and Compliance teams to ensure payment platforms support AML/ATF controls, fraud detection, real-time monitoring, and regulatory reporting requirements 

• Ensure solutions meet Canadian regulatory expectations, clearing rules, settlement timelines, and data residency requirements 

Team Leadership and Delivery Excellence 

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to software developers, systems analysts, and QA analysts, promoting best practices in secure coding, performance optimization, and resilient design 

• Collaborate with Agile Delivery Leads, Partners, Vendors to ensure payment platform priorities, technical health, and operational risks are effectively represented and prioritized in the backlog 

• Act as a senior technical escalation point for complex payment issues, incidents, and architectural decisions 

• Maintain strong Vendor relationships focused on supporting Servus’s needs within the broader payment ecosystem 

What you Bring: 

Experience and Education 

• 6+ years of experience in a senior software engineering or technical lead role supporting complex, mission-critical platforms 

• Completed a relevant certificate, diploma, degree, or professional designation; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered

• Demonstrated experience leading technical teams and delivering high-availability systems 

• Knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations related to privacy, PII, and anti-money laundering 

Payments-Specific Knowledge and Experience 

• Hands-on experience with the Canadian payments ecosystem, including Interac services, Payments Canada, and major payment gateways 

• Strong understanding of retail and wholesale payment flows, clearing & settlement cycles, reconciliation, and exception handling 

• Experience supporting both real-time and batch payment processing models 

Technical Skills 

• Deep knowledge of modern application development and integration patterns, including APIs, microservices, and event-driven architectures 

• Strong experience with source control (Git) and CI/CD platforms such as Azure DevOps or GitLab 

• Proficiency in common enterprise programming languages and data technologies (e.g., Java, C#, SQL, JavaScript/TypeScript) 

• Understanding of when and how low-code platforms (e.g., OutSystems) can be leveraged for high-velocity, high-quality delivery 

Agile and Ways of Working 

• Strong experience working in Agile delivery environments using tools such as Azure DevOps, JIRA, and Confluence 

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills 

• Proven ability to work effectively with vendors and external partners

 

Market and Industry Context (Payments & Open Banking) 

In addition to current Canadian payment rails, the Technical Lead – Payments is expected to consider evolving market trends and regulatory directions, including: 

• Real-Time Payments: Increasing consumer and business expectations for always-on, instant payment experiences and immediate funds availability 

• ISO 20022 Expansion: Broader use of rich data messaging to support enhanced reconciliation, fraud detection, and analytics 

• Open Banking / Consumer-Directed Finance: Emerging requirements to securely expose payment initiation and data services via APIs, enabling interoperability with fintechs and third-party providers

• Embedded Payments: Growth of payments embedded within digital and partner ecosystems, requiring secure, scalable API-based integrations 

• Operational Resilience: Heightened regulatory and industry focus on resiliency, cyber security, and incident response for critical payment infrastructure 

The Technical Lead – Payments ensures Servus’s payment platforms are well-positioned to respond to these trends while maintaining strong governance, risk management, and member experience. 

 

Licenses and Certifications: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Information Systems: A strong educational background in software engineering or information systems, with a focus on designing and managing large-scale, complex mission-critical systems. Well documented relevant experience will also be considered. 

 

Other Role Requirements: 

• Ability to work in an Agile environment 

• Excellent Attention to Detail 

• Excellent problem-Solving capabilities 

• Effective Communication

• Vendor Relationship Management

• Work arrangement: Remote first

• On occasion, may be asked to travel within Alberta for in-person meetings

• On occasion, may be asked to work outside of regular business hours (evening or weekend) to support banking system releases

Why Servus?   

Working for Servus has outstanding benefits. In addition to standard benefits like health and wellness, vacation and retirement savings programs, we also provide other important benefits such as:  

• Competitive compensation including performance-based incentive pay and profit share  
• Training & Development Opportunities 
• Career Advancement Potential  
• Flexible work options  
• Meaningful work towards individual and corporate goals   
• Opportunities to get involved and give back through an employee volunteer program  

At Servus, our employees are also members. This means you'll have all the benefits of being a member of the credit union including profit sharing, voting for the board of directors, and all of the financial services we provide…with a few additional perks! 

What happens next?  

We thank all applicants for their interest. Please note applications will only be accepted online and only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.  

At Servus Credit Union, we believe in being purposefully cooperative and working together to create a culture of Belonging for everyone. We are committed to an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace where everyone is valued, respected, and supported. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and accommodations are available during every stage of the hiring process upon request. Your skills, passion and curiosity may find they belong at Servus, so even if you don't check every box, we encourage you to apply!  

Employment Eligibility: The selected candidate(s) must successfully pass a criminal background check, reference check and credit check to qualify for hire by Servus Credit Union. 

Qualified applicants are invited to apply online. 

We thank all applicants for their interest. Please note applications will only be accepted online and only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.  
 

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