Director of Compliance and Issues Management

Role Overview

The Director of Compliance and Issues Management at Cal Coast Credit Union spearheads the strategic oversight of the organization's compliance management system (CMS) and enterprise issues management framework. This key leadership position ensures the credit union remains compliant with federal and state laws, internal policies, and regulatory expectations by overseeing compliance governance, issue identification, escalation, remediation, and reporting.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage and lead compliance analysts including hiring, workflow distribution, coaching, and performance reviews.
• Oversee CMS pillars such as regulatory change management, compliance testing, policy and procedures maintenance, monitoring, complaint handling, and issue remediation.
• Develop and administer an enterprise-wide issues management framework covering intake, risk assessment, root cause analysis, remediation, validation, escalation, and reporting.
• Advise senior leadership and business units on compliance risks, regulatory policies, and effectiveness of controls.
• Conduct or support at least six risk-based compliance reviews annually, focusing on high-risk operations.
• Ensure timely, accurate compliance guidance via help desk and contribute to resolution and documentation of issues.
• Coordinate with BSA Officer to maintain alignment with BSA/AML/OFAC regulations and oversee related compliance responsibilities including SAR/CTR quality reviews and fraud trend monitoring.
• Lead the complaint management function ensuring timely tracking, escalation, trend analysis, and regulatory compliance, including identifying potential UDAAP violations.
• Maintain exam-readiness documentation and support regulatory audits and exams.
• Contribute to department budgeting and strategic planning while building team expertise and capacity.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Law, or related discipline is mandatory; advanced degree preferred.
• At least 10 years of experience in financial institution compliance with leadership responsibilities; credit union background advantageous.
• Professional certification such as CRCM strongly preferred; CAMS, CIPP, CCBCO or equivalent beneficial.
• Advanced knowledge of consumer compliance rules, BSA/AML/OFAC, privacy laws, deposit operations, marketing, and lending regulations.
• Experienced with GRC frameworks, three lines of defense, and interacting with auditors, examiners, and regulators.
• Proven track record designing or overseeing issues management and remediation tracking within regulated financial environments.
• Excellent communication skills capable of influencing at all organizational levels.
• Strong analytical skills to convert regulatory requirements into operational processes.
• Proficient with compliance software tools and Microsoft Office; familiarity with Symitar preferred.
• Strong multitasking, organization, independent judgment, and regulatory escalation skills.

Additional Information

• The role reports directly to the AVP, Compliance & Legal and has two direct reports.
• Work is primarily office-based in San Diego, CA, requiring occasional prolonged sitting and exposure to standard office noise.
• Staff may perform varied projects and administrative tasks as assigned, with management reserving the right to modify duties.
• Key internal relationships include AVP Compliance & Legal, BSA/AML Officer, Chief Audit & Risk Officer, and teams across lending, operations, marketing, digital, and branch functions.
• Interfacing regulators include NCUA, DFPI, and potentially CFPB in the future.
• Salary range is approximately $130,813 to $163,517 annually.