Enterprise Compliance Program Manager

Your influence will come through sound judgment, thoughtful challenge, strong cross-functional relationships, and the ability to turn complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable risk guidance.

Responsibilities

• About the Role Compliance is more than making sure requirements are followed.
• It’s about understanding where risk exists, asking the right questions, and helping the organization address issues before they become larger problems.
• As the Enterprise Compliance Program Manager, you’ll play a key second-line role in strengthening Southland Credit Union’s Compliance Management System and providing independent oversight across the organization.
• Reporting to the VP, Enterprise Risk Management, you’ll evaluate compliance risks, challenge business practices, monitor controls, oversee regulatory change, and help leadership understand where attention is needed.
• This is an individual-contributor role with no direct reports.
• Major Duties and Responsibilities Where Your Compliance Expertise Makes a Difference You’ll help design, maintain, and assess Southland’s enterprise Compliance Management System as part of an independent second-line governance function.
• That includes maintaining the compliance risk inventory, governance calendar, monitoring and testing plan, issue-escalation protocols, training oversight, management information, and program documentation.
• A significant part of the role is independent monitoring and testing.
• You’ll develop and execute risk-based compliance reviews that are separate from first-line quality-control activities, evaluating whether controls are appropriately designed and operating effectively.
• When you identify weaknesses, you’ll document the evidence and conclusions, identify systemic issues, and validate that remediation is sustainable.
• You’ll also help the organization respond to regulatory change.
• You’ll identify applicable developments, document interpretations and impact assessments, identify accountable business owners, challenge implementation plans, track milestones, and independently assess readiness.
• Business owners remain responsible for implementation, while you provide the independent oversight and challenge needed to help ensure requirements are appropriately addressed.
• Turning Risk Into Action The work extends across many areas of the organization.
• You’ll analyze complaint information across channels to identify trends and root causes, challenge corrective-action plans, and escalate potential compliance, Fair Lending, UDAAP, operational, reputational, and regulatory risks.
• You’ll provide second-line oversight of complaint processes without taking ownership of routine complaint handling.
• You’ll maintain the enterprise Fair Lending and UDAAP risk-assessment and monitoring framework, analyze outcomes and exceptions, document issues, and provide objective challenge where potential discrimination or consumer harm may exist.
• You’ll also provide second-line review and escalation for marketing, advertising, disclosures, campaigns, and Member communications, working within clear boundaries so content owners retain responsibility for accuracy, approvals, and implementation.
• Another important part of the role is helping the organization manage compliance risk as things change.
• Before new or modified products, services, systems, channels, vendors, disclosures, or Member journeys are implemented, you’ll perform second-line compliance risk assessments, document conditions, challenge unresolved risks, and escalate material concerns through established governance.
• Giving Leadership a Clear View of Compliance Risk Strong compliance programs depend on information leaders can understand and act on.
• You’ll maintain the enterprise compliance issue inventory, assign risk ratings and escalation thresholds, monitor corrective-action commitments, and prepare concise reporting for management committees, Senior Leadership, and the Board or an appropriate Board committee.
• You’ll also facilitate the collection of compliance materials for regulatory examinations and compliance audits, coordinating request logistics, evidence control, and finding tracking with Audit and Controls or other designated partners.
• Throughout the work, you’ll maintain clear boundaries between the second line and other functions.
• You’ll collaborate with BSA/AML/OFAC, Fraud Risk, Operational Risk, Legal, Information Security, and Internal Audit while maintaining the independence required of a second-line risk function.
• When significant or unresolved compliance exposure arises, you’ll use independent judgment, provide documented challenge, and escalate appropriately to the VP, Enterprise Risk Management and established governance committees.
• Knowledge and Skills What Helps You Succeed Experience Demonstrated experience leading or materially supporting an enterprise-wide Compliance Management System or second-line compliance program within a regulated financial institution.
• Experience challenging and advising senior business owners across lending, deposits, payments, marketing, digital, operations, and Member-facing channels while maintaining constructive relationships with Legal, other risk functions, and Internal Audit.
• Be at Your Best in This Role If You: Understand consumer financial protection requirements, Fair Lending, UDAAP, complaint-risk management, regulatory change governance, risk assessments, independent monitoring and testing, policy governance, and regulatory examination practices.
• Can independently evaluate compliance risks and controls and distinguish first-line execution from second-line oversight.
• Know how to identify systemic root causes and trends, document defensible conclusions, and influence sustainable remediation without direct authority over business owners.
• Can translate regulatory risk into clear business terms and prepare reporting appropriate for executive and Board-level audiences.
• Exercise sound independent judgment and discretion when evaluating complex compliance issues and handling sensitive regulatory matters and internal investigations.
• Maintain strict confidentiality when working with privileged, sensitive, or restricted information.
• Compliance may operate behind the scenes, but the work ultimately supports the trust our Members place in Southland.
• A strong compliance framework helps ensure that products, processes, communications, and decisions are aligned with regulatory requirements while protecting the organization and the people we serve.
• At Southland, People Helping People also means doing what is right for the Member and the organization.

Requirements

• Communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, and can work effectively with individuals at all levels inside and outside the organization.
• Are highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Are comfortable working independently while also building productive relationships across functions.
• Are proficient with standard office technology and business systems applicable to the role.
• In this role, you’ll help bring that principle into the way compliance risk is identified, challenged, communicated, and addressed.
• This is a role for someone who is comfortable asking difficult questions, digging into the details, and helping others see risk from a different perspective.

Preferred

• & Certifications Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, Law, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
• A recognized consumer-compliance certification, such as CRCM, is preferred.

Pay

• & Pay Transparency Southland Credit Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• In accordance with California law, the pay range for this position is included in the job posting.
• Actual compensation will be based on qualifications, experience, skills, and business needs.
• Salary Minimum USD $99,000.00/Yr.
• Salary Maximum USD $125,000.00/Yr.

Why Southland?

Your ability to influence without direct authority will be just as important as your technical compliance knowledge. If you’re looking for a compliance role where you can shape an enterprise-wide program, work across functions, provide meaningful independent challenge, and help strengthen the way Southland manages regulatory risk, we’d like to hear from you.