Senior Vice President of Information Technology Operations (SVP of IT Operations)

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced IT operations leader to join our team as the Senior Vice President of IT Operations (SVP of IT Operations). This pivotal role is dedicated to driving operational excellence, execution efficiency, and strategic clarity across our IT landscape.

Reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), the SVP of IT Operations will provide governance and oversight to teams responsible for business platforms, technology infrastructure, and problem resolution. This leader will play a crucial role in ensuring seamless technology operations that support our organization's growth and transformation.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker, trusted advisor, and decisive leader with expertise across all areas of IT. They will foster strong partnerships with business leaders to implement proactive, forward-thinking solutions that align technology with business objectives.

As we embark on a new core system implementation and execute our five-year strategic plan focused on innovation, efficiency, and member experience, the SVP of IT Operations will be instrumental in shaping the future of our technology ecosystem and ensuring long-term success.

If you’re someone who thrives on possibility, who looks at challenges as opportunities, and is passionate about leaving an indelible mark, this role may be for you.

Where you will have an impact:

Strategic Leadership

• Works as a strategic partner and advisor with the CIO and credit union leadership team to provide vision and leadership to ensure successful execution of business initiatives and strategic goals.
• Proactively cultivates business partnerships and leads IT teams to sustain and mature the partnerships.
• Ensures IT operations use up to date and best in class strategies and frameworks to deliver exceptional experiences, value, and ensure the highest satisfaction for stakeholders.
• Champions concerted efforts to improve business processes through smart and sustainable automation leveraging the project portfolio management initiative.
• Creates, implements, and maintains a service management and IT operations strategy and roadmap.

Operational Management

• Identifies IT operational capability gaps and devises solutions to remedy while leaning into innovation opportunities.
• Ensures IT change management and issue resolution practices strive for minimal disruption and adhere to proper service level agreements.
• Leads team efforts to ensure optimal employee and member experiences.
• Manages and negotiates contracts for vendors, suppliers, and service providers.
• Establishes processes in alignment with the CIO and finance teams to manage expenses and forecast budgets.
• Establishes performance plans for employees that improve capability gaps and, when possible, align with employee passions.
• Ensure teams support and meet NCUA and other governance requirements, frameworks, and best practices to ensure optimal information security.
• Identifies and leads tactical initiatives to ensure the technology infrastructure is performing at an optimal level and can meet current requirements and anticipates future business needs.

Business Systems Management

• Establishes a team leveraging existing resources that focuses on supporting, maintaining, and optimizing critical business platforms and applications such as the core banking platform, customer relationship management platform, Microsoft 365 platform, and others.
• Identifies the best course of action that enables the credit union to recognize and utilize data as an asset.

Infrastructure Management

• Establishes a team leveraging existing resources that focus on supporting, maintaining, and optimizing the credit union’s technology infrastructure that includes compute, data storage, and network systems, including physical, virtual, client/server, and cloud environments.
• Ensure minimal disruption to members and the business leveraging business continuity and disaster recovery best practices.

Incident and Support Management

• Establishes a team leveraging existing resources that focus on first line problem resolution for employees with clarity on prioritization and escalation requirements in efforts to provide exceptional customer experiences.
• Device and manage on call processes and procedures to meet credit union needs that include after hour capabilities.

What You Bring to the Table:

Education and Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in IT operations management leading multiple teams aligned with IT operations disciplines with 5 years in the credit union or financial services space.
• Proven track record for developing IT operations strategies and implementing roadmaps that optimize the business.
• Expert knowledge of IT operation frameworks such as ITIL required, advanced education and certifications preferred.
• Experience leading complex enterprise projects and initiatives.
• Experience managing and supporting credit union core platforms through conversions desired.

Skills & Competencies

• Transformation Leadership: Ability to lead teams through digital transformations that align to business needs.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic thinker capable of bridging the gap between business and IT through strategic roadmaps.
• Innovative Thinking: Ability to identify opportunities to lead “outside the box” thinking that enable unique and business appropriate solutions.
• Relationship Building: Purposefully develops trusting, professional relationships to build value through collaboration.
• Analytical: Ability to assess change readiness, track adoption metrics, and leverage data for decision-making.
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to influence and engage stakeholders across all levels without direct authority.
• Adaptability: Resilience in navigating ambiguity and uncertainty in a fast-paced environment.

Key Performance Indicators

• Successful execution of projects and initiatives that support the business, improve IT excellence, and enable innovation.
• Successful execution of the core banking system conversion, with IT operations readiness and adoption by September 2026.
• Successful creation and implementation of a service management and IT operations strategy.
• Measurable improvement of credit union’s satisfaction and value perception of IT solutions and processes.
• Minimal disruption to members and employees due to technology infrastructure and solutions.
• Improved IT maturity that enables effective execution on business projects, strategic use of analytics, and technology solutions.
• Improved credit union perception of IT innovation leadership.

Physical Requirements:
Congressional Federal is committed to working with its employees to reasonably accommodate them with the physical aspects of the position. The following list outlines the physical considerations that are normally encountered in this job.

• Ability to communicate with staff, members and the public.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment.
• Must be able to sit for extended periods of time and to occasionally lift and move items up to 20 lbs. in weight.

Why Join Us?

Compensation – Our goal is to ensure you have a competitive base salary. That’s why we regularly review the market value of jobs and make adjustments, as needed.

Performance and Recognition – You are rewarded for achieving success by merit increases and incentive programs; this position is incentive eligible based on achieving certain targets.

Benefits – We offer a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program that includes an employer match 401K contribution. As a mark of our commitment to employee well-being, we also offer an employee assistance program and employee wellness.

Work-Life Balance – You will also be eligible for paid vacation of 15 days and 10 days of Sick leave on an annual basis.

Tuition Assistance - We support the career development of all employees. This program provides financial assistance to employees who wish to further their education and career in relation to their current duties and responsibilities, or for potential future positions in the organization.