Role
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. 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.
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.
Education & 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.
You’ll 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Are comfortable working independently while also building productive relationships across functions.
- Are proficient with standard office technology and business systems applicable to the role.
Why Southland?
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. 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. 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.
Equal Opportunity & 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.