Senior Associate – Operations (Clearing & Deposits)

This role oversees daily clearing and deposits activities, ensuring high levels of accuracy, control and service quality. You will supervise processing across cheques, FPS, Autopay and direct debits, coordinate with compliance on AML reporting, drive operational improvements and testing initiatives, and develop team capability. The position suits an experienced operations professional with deep knowledge of Hong Kong market infrastructures, regulatory standards and end-to-end banking processes, who thrives in a collaborative, control-focused environment.

Our client is a well-established Asia-focused financial institution with a significant Hong Kong presence, supporting multi-currency retail and corporate clients through resilient clearing, deposits and payments capabilities. The organisation emphasises strong governance, operational excellence and disciplined risk management.

Responsibilities

• Supervise day-to-day clearing operations, ensuring accurate, timely processing of cheque deposits, batch issuance, FPS, Autopay and direct debit transactions per internal procedures and regulations.
• Monitor payment flows and reconciliations, investigate mismatches, and ensure balances are accurate across systems, maintaining strict controls and transparency over cheque and FPS activities.
• Prepare suspicious transaction reports and statutory returns, partnering with Compliance to uphold AML standards, document retention requirements, and timely submissions mandated by applicable regulatory frameworks.
• Provide cross-team support for deposits and account maintenance, streamlining workflows, resolving issues, and collaborating with stakeholders to improve turnaround time and overall operational customer experience.
• Drive operational risk and control activities, implement administrative procedures, and coordinate system changes, user acceptance testing, and production implementation to strengthen governance and audit readiness.
• Coach and supervise team members, providing guidance, documented procedures, and contingency training, including disaster recovery drills required by market infrastructure standards and internal policies.

Requirements

• Diploma or degree preferred; matriculated candidates with strong experience considered.
• Minimum eight years’ clearing and deposits operations experience, including four supervisory.
• Hands-on exposure to cheque processing, FPS, Autopay, and direct debits.
• Working knowledge of HKMA AML requirements and transaction monitoring practices.
• Familiar with Hong Kong Clearing House rules and industry operational standards.
• Proficient English and Chinese; solid Excel skills, basic VBA advantageous.