The UFCU Information Technology team (Team IT) serves to inform, manage, integrate, and enable all critical UFCU technologies and IT processes.  Team IT also serves as the key resource through which UFCU remains informed regarding general market IT trends, including technologies and IT processes utilized by or under development within the financial sector and the broader FinTech community.

This Vice President of Information Technology/CIO is responsible for performance of all aspects of Information Technology within this mission-driven and member-centric cooperative. A member of the executive team, the person in this role is first and foremost a leader of people through whom UFCU can successfully plan, develop, and execute information technology strategies and tactics supportive of UFCU’s goals and strategic objectives. This leader must recruit, develop, and inspire talented IT professionals, men and women of integrity with strong collaborative and relational skills who are exceptionally process- and systems-oriented.

The Vice President-Information Technology/CIO reports to the Executive Vice President – Operations and Strategy. Critically, this leader effectively partners with other Vice Presidents across all functional business units on issues of strategy, technology selection, tactics, and operational execution necessary to successfully address and accomplish enterprise priorities and objectives, respectively.

This leader will influence and direct deployment and use of technology across the entire organization while leading, motivating, and directing Team IT to effectively collaborate and partner with critical internal and external resources, including executive colleagues. This leader will serve as a key advisor to other UFCU leaders regarding strategic planning, assessment of IT industry trends, and other IT issues within the financial services technology arena. This leader must continually demonstrate integrity and credibility by matching words and actions, effective listening, and serving to solve strategic and tactical information technology challenges.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Initiatives and Organizational Planning:

• Provide executive-level oversight and direction to issues of information technology selection, strategic planning, operational performance, risk management, cyber security and security viability.
• Ensure information technological safety and soundness to optimize support of UFCU’s mission.
• Assist the EVP – Operations and Strategy in the annual strategic priorities planning process.
• Advise and assist UFCU in the selection and deployment of technologies. Present recommendations independently and challenge business partners’ thinking regarding technology.
• Promote a culture of continuous process improvement.
• Establish vision and strategy of Information Technology in alignment with and to support organizational needs and communicate such strategies to the UFCU Board of Directors.
• Provide direction and oversight of the annual IT Strategic and Tactical plans.
• Maintain succession plans for critical positions and ensure critical talent/skills are identified and in place to support organizational growth and needs.

Operations:

• Ensure the timely, accurate and consistent completion of all information technology initiatives in alignment with regulatory expectations through the selection and oversight of process and project management techniques.
• Promote and ensure the integrity of all information technology systems and functions.
• Sequentially prioritize and assure process improvement projects are completed timely and achieve project deliverables.
• Ensure the credit union complies with federal laws and regulations set forth by the National Credit Union Administration and other regulatory agencies with respect to protection of Member data.
• Ensure that selected third-party technology suppliers are aligned with UFCU’s values and culture.

Culture and Leadership:

• Position UFCU as a corporate role model within its marketplace, ensuring all information technology strategies and practices comply with law both technically and in spirit, and reflect appropriate social responsibility.
• Demonstrate UFCU leadership standards through support for our culture, values, and behavioral expectations.
• Serve as a thought leader while collaborating with business colleagues to achieve organizational objectives.
• Build and nurture strong internal and external relationships to influence desired outcomes and achieve organizational goals.
• Build and nurture a culture of organizational maturation and growth, one that values continuous improvement of business processes to enhance execution, effectiveness, and ability to scale to successfully meet member and employee expectations.
• Create a climate in which people apply new skills and accrue new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs.
• Commit to individual professional growth and development for all Information Technology colleagues.
• Maintain a presence in CUNA and other industry organizations to obtain and share learnings throughout the Credit Union Cooperatives.
• Continuously display behavioral standards described below to exemplify and promote UFCU culture.

Others:

• Actively seek and establish relationships with external strategic technology partners and allies through which the organization’s size and competitive position within its marketplace can be effectively leveraged, thereby strengthening the depth of its relationships with members.
• Though primarily focused internally, participates in Partner and SEG events. Provides service to community organizations in order to strengthen awareness and positively influence public perception of credit unions and to accrue public relations benefits for the Credit Union.

LEADERSHIP, CULTURAL, AND BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS

1. Advances recommendations regarding processes and technologies to business partners; vets and potentially challenges recommendations put forward by business partners regarding technologies and processes.
2. Willing to make difficult decisions for the welfare of the organization and accepts responsibility for such decisions;
3. Nurtures an organizational environment in which employees are encouraged and have confidence to communicate to leadership ideas, recommendations, problems or opportunities of any kind;
4. Is determined to attain and maintain the quickness and spirit of a small company which values all-hands involvement, egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, and agility;
5. Liberally delegates to and empowers others while paying attention to details; can differentiate time-bound issues for importance and urgency.
6. Is action oriented, achieves objectives, gets things done while ensuring an intense focus on quality and collaboration;
7. Maintains a relentless dissatisfaction with the status quo; relishes change, challenges things that aren’t apparently broken, always keeping in mind members’ interests;
8. Focuses intently on creating an environment in which the brightest, the most creative, are attracted, retained, and unleashed to accomplish great things;
9. Honors core and cultural values (i.e., Membership, Integrity, Community, Education, Service, character, trust, self-discipline, individual dignity, etc.) and is flexible executing on them;
10. Displays optimism and enthusiasm, encourages staff at every opportunity;
11. Simplifies matters in communications, rather than making them more complex, thereby adding to organizational speed; avoids technological language when outside the IT team;
12. Takes role and responsibility seriously, but not him/herself too seriously;
13. Minimizes bureaucracy, fosters trustworthy relationships, internal informality, and “hand-shake decisions.”

Leadership Competencies:

Leading Self

1. Emotional Intelligence
2. Compelling Communication
3. Executive Presence
4. Authenticity
5. Courage

Leading Others

1. Leading Change
2. Coaching and Developing Others
3. Energizing the Organization
4. Driving Innovation

Leading the Organization

1. Member Focused
2. Establishing Strategic Direction
3. Business Savvy

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science or other relevant field; MBA is strongly preferred
• 10+ years of proven senior leadership-level experience setting strategy for and successfully leading an organization or corporate division of a mission-driven company that is substantial in size and resources
• Demonstrated experience developing strategies at the C-suite level
• Thorough understanding of and ability to apply knowledge of information technology, project management and risk management to position the cooperative for success
• Creative and analytical abilities
• Outstanding communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal abilities
• Demonstrated cultural competence (awareness, attitude, knowledge, willingness and skills to work effectively with diverse generational employee and member population)
• Expert knowledge of principles and processes involved in business and organizational planning, coordination, and execution
• Exceptional judgment and analytical, decision-making skills; excellent people leadership skills, system analysis and evaluation skills
• Driven, fact-based, results-oriented and collaborative with a proven track record for leading, aligning, and managing teams against high-performance objectives
• Socially skilled in engaging with all roles throughout the organization
• Track record of coaching, mentoring, developing, and motivating peak performance within leadership team
• A passion for building and sustaining professional relationships both internal and external to the cooperative

For more information and to apply click here.