Shape the Future of Payments at M&T Bank!
Payments connect people and businesses to the opportunities that matter most. They are also among the most rapidly evolving, and mission-critical capabilities in financial services.
M&T Bank is seeking a Head of Payments Technology to define and deliver the next generation of the Bank’s payments ecosystem. Reporting to the Divisional Chief Information Officer for Wealth, Institutional Services, Core Banking, Operations Technology, and Payments, this executive will lead the strategy, architecture, engineering, modernization, and operation of the technology that enables money to move quickly, securely and reliably.
This is a rare opportunity to lead a portfolio at the center of M&T’s transformation. You will modernize critical payment platforms, advance real-time and emerging payment capabilities, build an AI-enabled engineering organization, and help shape how M&T serves clients, businesses, and communities for years to come.
The successful candidate will combine deep payments expertise with strategic vision, engineering credibility, operational discipline, and an ability to inspire large, diverse teams.
Primary Responsibilities
Define the Future of M&T’s Payments Ecosystem
- Develop and execute an enterprise payments technology strategy aligned with client needs, business priorities, risk expectations, and long-term growth.
- Connect technology investments to measurable improvements in client experience, business growth, operating efficiency, and risk reduction.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders on payments strategy, technology investments, transformation priorities, risks, and trade-offs.
- Build strong partnerships across Payments, Product, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Architecture, and Technology.
Modernize Mission-Critical Platforms
- Lead the transformation of platforms supporting Wire, ACH, SWIFT, RTP, FedNow, Digital Assets, and emerging payment capabilities.
- Drive major initiatives such as Wire transformation, Payments Hub implementation, cloud adoption, and application portfolio simplification.
- Advance cloud-enabled, API-driven, event-driven, and platform-based architectures.
- Balance the speed of transformation with the operational discipline required to protect clients and maintain uninterrupted payment services.
Build an AI-Enabled Engineering Organization
- Create a culture of engineering excellence grounded in ownership, innovation, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.
- Advance AI-enabled software engineering, DevSecOps, automation, observability, modern testing, and continuous delivery.
- Establish modern engineering practices that increase delivery speed without compromising quality or control.
- Create an environment where teams can experiment responsibly, learn rapidly, and scale proven ideas.
Deliver Resilience, Security, and Trust
- Ensure payment platforms meet demanding expectations for availability, resiliency, scalability, cybersecurity, recovery, and regulatory compliance.
- Embed risk and control requirements into architecture, engineering, delivery, and production operations.
- Strengthen operational resilience and production readiness.
- Make reliability and operational excellence defining characteristics of the payments technology organization.
Inspire and Develop Exceptional Teams
- Lead a large, multidisciplinary technology organization
- Attract, develop, and retain outstanding engineers, managers, and transformation leaders.
- Foster a culture where colleagues feel a strong sense of belonging, purpose, accountability, and opportunity.
- Model collaborative leadership and create an organization capable of sustaining long-term transformation.
Build Strategic Partnerships
- Develop relationships with technology providers, payment networks, fintech firms, industry organizations, and professional services partners.
- Monitor industry developments, evolving standards, regulatory expectations, and emerging technologies.
- Position M&T to respond thoughtfully and competitively to changes across the Payments ecosystem.
- Represent the Bank as a credible and forward-looking payments technology leader.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities
50 to 100+
Education and Experience Required
- A combined minimum of 15 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 4 years’ engineering and architecture experience and 11 years' large technology management / program leadership experience including people management
- Significant experience leading enterprise technology strategy, engineering organizations, and major transformation programs.
- Demonstrated ability to lead large organizations across multiple teams, locations, and time zones.
- Deep understanding of the payments ecosystem, including Wire, ACH, SWIFT, ISO 20022, RTP, FedNow, and emerging capabilities.
- Proven success modernizing mission-critical technology platforms in complex, highly regulated environments.
- Experience with cloud transformation, APIs, distributed systems, platform engineering, and event-driven architecture.
- Strong understanding of cybersecurity, operational resilience, recovery planning, technology risk, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
- Experience leading significant system enhancements, conversions, modernization programs, and complex production environments.
- Strong knowledge of Gen AI, AI-enabled technologies, and emerging technology trends, with demonstrated experience applying these capabilities to enterprise business challenges.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex programs, financial commitments, delivery streams, and organizational priorities.
- Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills.
- Experience presenting to executive leadership, management committees, business partners, and senior stakeholders.
- A record of building collaborative, accountable, and high-performing teams.
Education and Experience Preferred
- Master's degree
- Minimum of 14 years' technology management or large program leadership experience
- Experience with Azure cloud technologies
- Strong vendor, payment network, fintech, and strategic technology partnership experience.
Why Join M&T
At M&T, technology leadership is about more than implementing systems. It is about earning trust, strengthening communities, enabling clients, and building capabilities that stand the test of time.
In this role, you will lead a portfolio that is fundamental to client confidence, economic activity, operational resilience, and the Bank’s future growth. You will have the opportunity to modernize foundational platforms, introduce new payment capabilities, advance responsible AI adoption, and develop leaders.
You will work at the intersection of technology, product, operations, risk, and business strategy. You will influence decisions at the highest levels of the organization while remaining closely connected to the teams turning strategy into dependable outcomes.
If you are inspired by the opportunity to transform complex systems, build exceptional teams, and shape the future of how money moves, we invite you to bring your vision and leadership to M&T Bank.
#LI-JB3
Skills Required
- A combined minimum of 15 years of higher education and/or work experience
- At least 4 years of engineering and/or architecture experience
- At least 11 years of large technology management or program leadership experience, including people management
- Proficiency with project management, word processing, and spreadsheet applications
- Experience managing multiple complex projects
- Experience with large system enhancements, conversions, and production problem resolution
- Complete understanding of the system development life cycle
- Experience with application development software and hardware platforms
- Understanding of supported businesses and their terminology
- Excellent verbal, written, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
- Experience leading and directing teams, encouraging teamwork, and serving as a role model
- Understanding of technical, business, and operational impacts of projects or problems
- Confidence leading organizations of 100+ employees across multiple teams, locations, and time zones
- Experience presenting to executive leadership, management committees, and business stakeholders
- Significant experience leading enterprise technology strategy, engineering organizations, architecture functions, or major transformation programs
- Deep understanding of payment ecosystems, including Wire, ACH, SWIFT, ISO 20022, RTP, FedNow, settlement processing, transaction banking, and treasury services
- Proven success modernizing mission-critical platforms in highly regulated environments
- Expertise with cloud transformation, APIs, distributed systems, platform engineering, and event-driven architectures
- Strong understanding of cybersecurity, operational resilience, recovery planning, technology risk, and regulatory requirements
- Ability to connect technology investments to client outcomes, business growth, operational efficiency, and risk reduction
- Master’s degree
- At least 14 years of technology management or large program leadership experience
- Extensive product, platform, and technology leadership experience in payments, treasury management, transaction banking, or financial services
- Subject matter expertise in modern payment architecture, processing platforms, and integrated enterprise ecosystems
- Experience with Azure cloud technologies, DevSecOps, platform engineering, and agile delivery models
- Hands-on software engineering and/or architecture experience
- Experience leading large platform modernization initiatives, core system transformations, and complex production environments
- Understanding of Payments, Treasury Management, Operations, Risk, and Compliance functions
- Proven mentoring and leadership capabilities with a track record of developing future technology leaders
- Strong vendor management and technology partnership experience
- Excellent understanding of M&T’s technology landscape and application framework
M&T Bank Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about M&T Bank and has not been reviewed or approved by M&T Bank.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are positioned as a strong pillar, including a 401(k) match and the possibility of an additional employer contribution, plus access to an employee stock purchase plan.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are framed as competitive, with a flexible PTO approach and paid volunteer time called out as a meaningful add-on to standard leave.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing support appears comparatively robust, highlighted by mental-health therapy/coaching sessions and broader wellness programming alongside community-oriented perks.
M&T Bank Insights
What We Do
M&T Bank is a multi-state community-focused bank serving New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1856, the company provides banking, investment, insurance and mortgage financial services to more than 3.6 million consumer, business and government clients.
