Functional Specialist QA (ACH & ISO 20022)

Job Title: Functional Specialist – QA (ACH & ISO 20022)

Location: Remote

Duration: 12 Months

Ensure the quality, compliance, and resilience of ACH processing across NACHA and ISO 20022 rails. Design and execute automated test plans that validate file formats, payment messages, risk controls, and endtoend operational flows.

Role Summary
You will act as the ACH and ISO 20022 quality gatekeeper, validating NACHA file structures and ISO 20022 payment messages, testing ACH Positive Pay and debit filters, and ensuring robust coverage for returns, NOCs, IAT, microentries, sameday settlement, and rulechange regression. This role requires handson ACH experience at a financial institution (operations, settlement, or reconciliation), ACH domain depth (including AAP/APRP), and the ability to translate ISO schemas and business rules into executable test scenarios.

Core Responsibilities

1) Standards & Format Validation

• NACHA: Validate SEC codes (PPD, CCD, CTX, WEB, IAT, ARC, BOC, POP, TEL, RCK, XCK), addenda content (e.g., ANSI X12 for CTX), effective entry dates, batch control totals, file headers/controls, and microentry descriptors/compliance.
• ISO 20022: Author and execute tests for schemas and business rules in pain.001 (customer credit transfer initiation), pacs.008 (FI to FI credit transfer), pacs.002 (status), and camt.053/054 (statements/advices) where applicable to ACHorchestrated flows and downstream reporting.
• Mapping & Translation: Validate NACHA ↔ ISO 20022 transformations (field mapping, code set equivalence, amount/sign conventions, character sets, remittance structures), including CTX remittance ↔ ISO structured/unstructured remittance (RmtInf) integrity and truncation rules.

2) Positive Pay & Debit Filters (Risk Controls)

• Design tests for ACH Positive Pay rules: company ID lists/lists, authorized SEC code scopes, amount limits, frequency/velocity, effective date ranges, and accountlevel entitlements.
• Validate exception handling flows (match, mismatch, decision windows), notification channels, and posting suppression until a decision is applied.
• Test ACH debit blocks/filters, vendor enrollment/authorization lifecycles, and change management (add/update/remove authorizations) with audit trails.
• Verify exposure limits, limit hierarchies (account, company, TPS), nested TPS detection, and alert/escalation routing.

3) Lifecycle & Exception Scenarios

• Returns: Full set R01–R39, dishonored returns (R61–R67), contested dishonored; timing validations and reasoncode specific behaviors.
• NOC: Endtoend Notification of Change capture, routing to originator, remediation SLA verification, and regression.
• Reversals & Reclamations: Validate authorization, timing windows, account status changes (e.g., DNE flows).
• IAT: Gateway presence, OFAC screening, required addenda fields; test crossborder nuances in mapping to ISO messages.
• WEB Debit Account Validation: Validate the NACHA WEB Debit Account Validation Rule (preauthentication, account validation methods, failure handling).

4) Operational Quality & Posting Controls

• Validate sameday ACH vs nextday posting rules, cutoff behavior, holiday calendars, lateday exception handling, and settlement windows.
• Confirm reconciliation and reporting (ACH advices, settlement reports, exception queues; ISO camt messages where used).
• Verify audit readiness: comprehensive QA artifacts, defect evidence, risk signoffs, and rulechange coverage.

5) Security, Compliance, and Data Integrity

• Conduct OFAC/BSA/AML integration tests (screening, case creation, hold/release, escalation paths).
• Validate authorization records retention/warranty coverage, consent revocation, and dispute workflows (e.g., R10/R11 unauthorized).
• Ensure data lineage across NACHA files and ISO messages; verify remittance, company ID, and account data accuracy endtoend.

Required Qualifications

• Handson ACH expertise (ODFI/RDFI, IAT, returns/NOC, microentries, sameday ACH).
• Proficiency in NACHA Operating Rules & Guidelines and ISO 20022 payments message validation (schemas, semantic validations, business rules).
• Experience with test tools (REST, JMeter, Cucumber, Zephyr, UI test frameworks such as Playwright or Storybook) and databases (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB) for ledger/settlement and exception verification.
• Strong analytical documentation skills; defect triage and auditready reporting.

Industry Certifications (Required – One or Both)

• AAP – Accredited ACH Professional (NACHA): Core ACH rules, formats, risk, and operations proficiency.
• APRP – Accredited Payments Risk Professional (NACHA): Payments risk framework, fraud controls, TPS oversight, compliance.

Keywords: Functional Specialist, QA, Quality Engineer, ACH, NACHA, ISO 20022, AAP, APRP, Accredited ACH Professional, Accredited Payments Risk Professional, SEC codes, PPD, CCD, CTX, WEB, IAT, ARC, BOC, POP, TEL, RCK, XCK, addenda, ANSI X12, effective entry date, batch control, file header, micro-entries, same-day ACH, Positive Pay, debit filters, returns, NOC, reversals, reclamations, IAT, OFAC, BSA, AML, data lineage, remittance, company ID, account data, REST, JMeter, Cucumber, Zephyr, Playwright, Storybook, PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, defect triage, audit-ready, rule-change regression, settlement, reconciliation, exception handling, notification channels, posting suppression, vendor enrollment, authorization lifecycle, exposure limits, TPS, nested TPS, alert escalation, holiday calendar, cutoff behavior, late-day exception, OFAC screening, case creation, hold/release, consent revocation, dispute workflows, R10, R11, R01-R39, R61-R67, contested dishonored, authorization records, warranty coverage

About VDart Group
VDart Group is a global leader in technology, product, and talent solutions, serving Fortune 500 clients in 13 countries. With over 4,000 professionals worldwide, we deliver innovation, operational excellence, and measurable outcomes across industries. Guided by our commitment to People, Purpose, and Planet, VDart is recognized with an EcoVadis Bronze Medal and as a UN Global Compact member, reflecting our dedication to sustainable practices.