Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelslama/), the Director leads the bank’s integrated strategy for enterprise defense, emerging-threat readiness, and advanced customer payments intelligence. Operating at the intersection of Information Security, Infrastructure, Payments, Operational Risk, and Customer and Employee Protection, this role ensures controls, analytics, and modernization initiatives are aligned to real, explainable risks rather than purely theoretical frameworks.
With a deep technology background, strong architecture fluency, and a comprehensive understanding of modern payments ecosystems including ACH, wires, faster payments, card networks, and digital and direct banking platforms, the Director serves as the strategic and operational connective tissue between security and payments. The role focuses on reducing customer impact, strengthening enterprise resilience, and advancing scalable, modern control capabilities across the bank.
Bank Overview:
Founded in 1902, Washington Trust Bank (http://www.watrust.com/) remains proudly independent. For more than 120 years, we have been focused on long-term client relationships. We dedicate our strengths as an independent regional bank to serving clients who understand the value of an established banking relationship (https://www.watrust.com/about/why-choose-washington-trust-bank) and who seek tailored financial products and services. Our heritage and mission remain clear today: we will be the best at understanding and meeting the financial needs of our customers.
Executive Chairman Peter Stanton is the fourth generation of his family to lead the Bank, growing from its small Spokane headquarters in 1902 to an $11B financial institution with 40 locations throughout Washington, Idaho and Oregon. We enjoy an advantage over our publicly traded competitors because we focus on long-term goals rather than quarterly results. We base our decisions on what is happening in our communities and what is right for our customers.
We have never strayed from our commitment to client service, continuing to grow our commercial, private banking, wealth management, small business and consumer portfolios even in the most challenging macroeconomic environments. Our sound business practices, innovation, knowledge and expertise have seen us through both the best and the most difficult economic cycles. Washington Trust’s longevity and success are a testament to our unwavering commitment to our clients and our employees.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Enterprise Defense Strategy
- Lead cross-functional threat and vulnerability analysis that spans InfoSec, Infrastructure, Payments, and Operational Risk.
- Build and maintain the enterprise defense roadmap anchored to measurable risk reduction and customer protection.
- Identify controls that are outdated, duplicative, or overbuilt; redirect investment toward modern, high-impact defenses.
- Evaluate emerging risks tied to social engineering, identity compromise, advanced payment manipulation, and customer behavior patterns.
Payments Intelligence & Analytics
- Own the strategy for payment-risk analytics across ACH, wires, Card, Faster Payments, and digital channels.
- Partner with Fraud, Digital Banking, and Core vendors (e.g., Jack Henry, Bottomline) to enhance behavioral analytics and anomaly detection.
- Drive insight generation using event-based data, patterns, machine learning opportunities, and external threat intel.
- Serve as the technology-informed advisor for new payments capabilities, ensuring cyber and operational risk alignment from day one.
Cross-Functional Governance & Prioritization
- Create and facilitate the bank’s integrated Security and Payments Defense governance framework.
- Translate complex risks into business-aligned prioritization for executives, operational leaders, and technology teams.
- Ensure control owners across security, infrastructure, and payments are aligned on timelines, dependencies, and value of each initiative.
- Develop dashboards that communicate maturity shifts, risk thresholds, and future posture needs.
Technology Architecture & Modernization
- Partner with Infrastructure and Enterprise Architecture to influence control design, telemetry, and automation.
- Evaluate vendor solutions (SIEM, SOAR, analytics platforms, payment monitoring tools) and ensure integration with modern stack.
- Identify opportunities to leverage cloud-native security, event streaming, and advanced behavioral modeling.
- Drive operational efficiency by reducing complexity and eliminating unnecessary manual processes.
Customer-Facing Security Innovation
- Extend the bank’s internal risk and control maturity to customer-facing solutions by advising Digital and Payments teams on protection features.
- Lead the strategy and thought leadership for next-generation customer safeguards, including risk-based authentication, behavioral biometrics, safe-push payment flows, and payment interlocks.
- Drive a cultural shift from reactive client guidance to proactively designing safeguards that anticipate real human behavior.
Advisory, Communication & Leadership
- Serve as an advisor to the CIO, Director of Info Security, Director of Infrastructure, Director of Operational Risk and Chief Client Experience Officer.
- Communicate technical risks and analytical findings clearly to Executive Leadership, Audit, and Regulatory partners.
- Provide situational leadership across functions without direct ownership of budgets or staff.
- Mentor teams in advanced analytics, threat awareness, and modern payments risk concepts.
- Partner with Enterprise Learning and Development to enrich appropriate education plans.
- Participates in special projects or duties as assigned.
- Performs compliance and risk management duties as required or assigned.
- Regular, reliable attendance is required.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE
- 10+ years in security engineering, threat analysis, payments technology, or enterprise architecture.
- Experience in a mid-sized or regional bank environment.
- Robust communication and relationship management skills.
- Strong hands-on technology background: cloud platforms, event streaming, modern auth, API-based architectures, security tooling, and payments systems.
- Deep understanding of ACH/wire/Faster Payment rails, digital banking platforms, and the fraud patterns unique to each.
- Proven ability to lead through influence across security, infrastructure, risk, and payments teams.
- Payments or cyber certifications (CAMS, CISM, CISSP, ETA certifications) preferred.
- Strong understanding of NIST CSF, FFIEC guidance, payments modernization, and real-time payments risk.
- Familiarity with Jack Henry, Bottomline, and other typical community/regional bank platforms.
- Understanding or familiarity of advanced fraud and security platforms and services.
- Strong analytical instincts capable of connecting customer behavior, technology patterns, and controls.
- Experience evaluating security and payments vendors, with strong discernment between effective solutions and shelfware.
- Strong detail orientation with high level of organizational skills and ability to multi-task, managing interruptions with multiple projects.
- Demonstrated self-motivation and initiative; ability to work well both independently and with others.
- Ability to prioritize assignments and handle multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of service to clients in a deadline driven environment under the direction of management.
- Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate with and work effectively with diverse groups of people, managing conflict and negotiating for results when needed.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical people.
- Preferred experience working in the financial services industry.
- Ability to work additional hours as required by operational and production workloads.
Pay Range: $126,222 - $189,332
The compensation range represents the low and high end of the base compensation range for this position located in Spokane, Washington. Actual compensation will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. This position is also eligible to participate in an applicable annual bonus.
What Our Culture Can Offer You:
Our benefit philosophy is to provide you with a comprehensive package to secure your overall wellness and help you become and remain a fulfilled and productive employee. Our benefits include Health, Financial, Retirement and Work/Life Benefits. We are proud to share an overview of our benefits HERE (https://www.watrust.com/assets/files/qFqeTTn6) as part of your total compensation.
Washington Trust Bank celebrates diversity in the workplace and actively recruits talent to help reflect the unique communities where we live and work. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination or harassment based on race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, genetic information and any other protected characteristics outlined by state, federal and local laws. We believe strength comes from the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our team, and we are dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
