International Payments Team Lead

Accenture Industry and Enterprise

In today’s business environment, growth isn’t just about building value – it’s fundamental to long‑term business survival. So how do organizations sustain themselves? The key is a new operating model—one that’s anchored around the customer and propelled by intelligence to deliver exceptional experiences across the enterprise at speed and at scale. At Accenture Industry and Enterprise, you will deliver breakthrough business outcomes for clients—by harnessing talent, data and intelligence to revolutionize their operating models.

Role Purpose

The International Payments Team Lead is responsible for the day-to-day operational management and performance of the International Payments team, ensuring payments and payment-related cases are processed accurately, timely, and in line with applicable procedures, controls, service levels, and compliance requirements.

The role provides first-line operational leadership, supports analysts with complex cases and escalations, monitors workload and quality, develops team capability, and acts as a key interface between Operations, Quality, Training, SMEs, Service Desk, and client stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership

• Lead the daily activity of the International Payments team and ensure effective distribution and prioritization of workload.
• Monitor volumes, backlogs, productivity, turnaround times, service levels, quality and operational risks.
• Ensure adequate coverage and capacity across the different activities.
• Organize daily priorities and respond quickly to workload peaks, incidents or emerging operational issues.
• Ensure analysts follow approved procedures, controls and escalation paths.
• Coordinate handovers and maintain operational continuity.

2. International Payments Oversight

Provide operational oversight across the International Payments scope, including:

• Incoming and outgoing payment processing
• Payment exceptions and manual repairs
• Bank-to-bank transactions
• SWIFT-related payment handling
• Payment investigations
• Service Desk / after-care activities
• Cash Management activities
• Operational escalations
• Reconciliation and settlement-related controls where applicable

3. Case Support & Escalation Management

• Act as the first operational escalation point for analysts.
• Support the resolution of complex or unusual payment cases.
• Ensure high-risk or potentially critical cases are escalated through the appropriate channels.
• Coordinate with SMEs, Quality, Compliance, Fraud, Service Desk or client stakeholders when specialist input is required.
• Ensure escalations are documented and followed through to resolution.
• Identify recurring operational issues and drive appropriate corrective action.

4. Quality & Risk Management

• Monitor team quality results and adherence to operational controls.
• Support Root Cause Analysis and continuous improvement activities.
• Escalate critical errors, compliance concerns and systemic risks.
• Ensure the team follows process updates and procedural or regulatory changes.

5. Performance Management & Reporting

Monitor and communicate key operational indicators, including where applicable:

• Volumes and throughput
• Productivity
• Backlog / ageing
• SLA or turnaround-time performance
• Quality results
• Error rates
• Rework
• Escalations
• Training / competency status
• Operational risks and incidents

Provide clear updates to Operations Management and relevant stakeholders and establish recovery actions when performance moves outside agreed thresholds.

6. Stakeholder Management

• Act as a key operational contact for International Payments.
• Maintain effective communication with Operations Management, client stakeholders, SMEs, Quality, Training and supporting functions.
• Represent the team in operational governance meetings where required.
• Communicate risks, dependencies, performance concerns and required decisions clearly and proactively.
• Ensure agreed actions are assigned, tracked and closed.

Required Skills & Experience

Essential

• Experience within payments, banking operations, financial services or transaction processing.
• Strong understanding of operational risk and control environments.
• Previous experience leading, coaching or coordinating an operational team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, volumes and deadlines.
• Strong escalation and decision-making skills.
• Ability to understand and interpret procedures and operational controls.
• Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills.
• Ability to coach and develop employees in a structured operational environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to operational quality.

Preferred Technical Knowledge

Knowledge or experience in some of the following would be particularly relevant:

• International / Cross-Border Payments
• Incoming & Outgoing Payments
• SWIFT messaging (nice to Have)
• Straight-Through Processing (STP)
• Payment investigations and exceptions
• Cash Management
• Reconciliation / settlement concepts
• Correspondent banking
• Sanctions and payment compliance controls
• Fraud controls
• Operational Risk

Working Conditions:

May be required to work on Client-observed holidays and local holidays

Weekend availability may be required

Overtime may be required to meet deadlines or project needs

Legal: Must own a valid work permit or EU/Schengen Space Nationality to legally work in Portugal.

You must submit your CV in English.

What We Offer 

• Health insurance
• Life Insurance and Pension Plan Programs
• Free medical services at the office (Physician, Nutritionist, Psychologist)
• Wellness programs
• Flexben Program (Support for Education, Kindergarden, Training, Technology, Health)
• Employee Share Purchase Plan
• Personalized training paths and access to Udemy and Plurisight Plataforms
• Flex-ability program (financial and flexible support for people with disabilities)
• Special banking conditions

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 791,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities.

Visit us atwww.accenture.com

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