Description
Under the general supervision of the COO, the Vice President of Compliance and Risk serves as SCU Credit Union’s senior risk and compliance leader, responsible for leading the enterprise-wide risk and compliance strategy. This role designs and evolves the Compliance Management System (CMS) and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework to protect the organization while enabling growth, reducing friction and positioning SCU to act on strategic opportunities with confidence. The VP provides oversight across compliance, BSA/AML, fraud, and enterprise risk, and serves as the primary liaison with regulators and auditors, including NCUA and state authorities. This is a working leadership role requiring both strategic vision and hands-on execution, with an expectation to stay close to the work, translate strategy into action, and drive effective risk management across the organization.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
· Strategic Risk & Compliance Leadership:
Develops and champions a forward-looking, growth-oriented risk and compliance philosophy that balances regulatory obligation with business enablement. Partners with executive leadership and the Board to define risk appetite, tolerance thresholds, and strategic priorities reframing compliance as a competitive advantage that accelerates member service and product innovation.
· Compliance Management System (CMS):
Owns and evolves the credit union's CMS, ensuring it is dynamic, scalable, and designed to grow with the organization. Reviews, develops, and modernizes policies, forms, agreements, and disclosures to ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations while minimizing unnecessary burden on members and staff. Reviews all advertisements and product and service materials prior to finalization.
· Regulatory Relations & Examination Management: Serves as the primary point of contact for NCUA, state regulators, and external auditors. Leads examination preparation and management, cultivates proactive regulatory relationships, and ensures findings are addressed with urgency and strategic intent. Communicates examination results and risk posture clearly to the Board and executive team.
· BSA/AML and OFAC Oversight:
Provides executive oversight of the credit union's Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and OFAC programs. Ensures robust risk assessments, training programs, and monitoring systems are in place and continuously refined. Directly oversees the BSA Officer and ensures the program is both compliant and operationally efficient.
· Fraud Risk Management:
Provides strategic leadership of the fraud risk function, ensuring detection, prevention, and investigation capabilities keep pace with emerging threats. Balances fraud mitigation with a member-first mindset, designing controls that protect members without creating unnecessary barriers to access.
· Team Leadership & Culture Building: Leads, mentors, and develops compliance, BSA/AML, and fraud teams. Build a high-performing, mission-driven department culture where staff are empowered and equipped to operate as trusted business partners across the organization. Drives compliance awareness and training organization wide.
· Cross-Functional Partnership: Serves as a strategic advisor to business lines, lending, operations, and product teams providing compliance guidance that is practical, timely, and solution-oriented. Builds credibility as a partner who helps the organization find a path forward, not just identify obstacles.
· Policy, Process & Technology Innovation: Champions the use of technology, automation, and data analytics to modernize risk and compliance operations. Identifies opportunities to streamline processes, reduce manual burden, and deliver compliance functions more efficiently freeing staff to focus on high-value work and member impact.
· Enterprise Risk Management (ERM):
Designs, implements, and matures a comprehensive ERM framework across credit, operational, regulatory, reputational, and strategic risk domains. Leads enterprise-wide risk assessments and develops risk dashboards and reporting for the Board and senior leadership. Ensure risk considerations are embedded into business planning, new product development, and process design.
Requirements
· Demonstrated ability to think strategically and translate risk principles into practical, growth-enabling frameworks.
· Deep knowledge of NCUA regulations, federal and state banking laws, BSA/AML requirements, and emerging regulatory trends.
· Residential lending compliance experience preferred.
· Proven track record of building and leading high-performing compliance or risk teams.
· Visionary leadership style with the ability to influence and inspire at all levels of the organization, including the Board.
· Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills — able to translate complex regulatory concepts into clear, actionable guidance for business partners.
· Experience managing regulatory examinations and building productive relationships with regulators.
· Proficiency in leveraging technology, data, and analytics to modernize compliance and risk operations.
· Experience using software applications.
· Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
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The pay range for this position is $114,000 to $148,000 per year and is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. The range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, sales or revenue-based metrics, and business or organizational needs and affordability.
SCU Credit Union is an equal employment opportunity employer.