AVP, Branch Operations Officer

Ion Bank•Naugatuck, CT

About The Position

Who We are: At Ion Bank, we pride ourselves on providing exemplary customer service and building lifetime relationships by partnering with our customers to identify and achieve their financial goals. We are passionate about our Service Standards and live by them every day. As a result of Ion’s continued growth, the bank consistently provides robust and diverse development programs for its employees with a goal of personal expansion. Not only does Ion prioritize its internal team, but additionally values the communities that the employees serve. The bank consistently encourages volunteerism from its employees to support customers and beyond. Apply now to join the Ion community! Who we are seeking for this role: The ideal candidate will demonstrate and encourage high standards of behavior that is consistent with Ion’s service Philosophy of Safety & Security, Accuracy, Responsiveness, Friendly, Personalized Service. Consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to Ion, willing to go “above and beyond” whenever necessary. This individual thrives in an environment that encourage teamwork and promotes inclusion by working with a variety of people. As a Branch Operations Officer you are responsible for: Driving operational excellence and ensuring regulatory compliance across all branch locations. This role develops and implements accurate, efficient, and compliant operational procedures that support the delivery of outstanding customer service within the Retail Banking system.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
Minimum 10 years of banking operational experience, including at least 5 years in a supervisory role, and several years of training experience.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and optimize branch operational policies and procedures to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and compliance across the Retail network.
Ensure appropriate controls exist within all branch workflows, mitigating operational, fraud, and compliance risk.
Maintain and update Retail Banking Control Assessment Documents (CADs) for audit and regulatory readiness.
Conduct surprise branch audits and support internal/external exam requests.
Partner closely with BSA/AML, Compliance, Operations, Security, and Technology to ensure processes meet regulatory and operational standards.
Interfaces with core service provider, auditors, examiners and other retail banking vendors.
Identify, evaluate, and implement enhancements to Retail Banking applications, ensuring alignment between system capabilities and operational procedures.
Lead operational impact assessments for software upgrades, releases, and modifications.
Serve on User Committees for Teller/Platform systems and collaborate with vendors on performance, enhancements, and issue resolution.
Oversee the annual disaster recovery test with the core provider.
Lead the Retail training function, including teller, platform, Consumer Lending and Contact Center programs.
Ensure training content reflects current procedures, technology, compliance expectations, and customer experience standards.
Design and implement training content. Within in person led classroom and virtual training sessions.
Collaborate with Regional Manager(s) to identify skill gaps and provide targeted training, coaching, and on-site support.
Establish and maintain a structured process for assigning retail employee training and ensuring the creation and upkeep of all employees and course evaluations.
Serve as an operational partner to Regional Managers, ensuring branches meet service, compliance, and performance expectations.
Provide on-site branch support for training, coaching, workflow optimization, and issue resolution.
Communicate branch operational strengths, risks, and opportunities to Regional Managers and leadership.
Serves as the Safe Deposit Subject Matter Expert.
Lead operational components of new branch openings, relocations, consolidations, or mergers.
Support enterprise initiatives by collaborating with cross-functional project teams to design and enhance retail workflows, improve efficiency, and streamline customer journeys.
Generate and analyze reports related to branch activity, operational performance, and project outcomes.
Provide leadership and oversight for High School Branch locations, ensuring operational adherence, educational value, and strong community partnership.
Maintains up-to-date knowledge and required training for all relevant States and Federal regulations we have branch locations.
Responsible for compliance with regulations related to this position and receiving appropriate training including but not limited to: Reg. E – Electronic Fund Transfers Act, Reg. DD – Truth in Savings Act, Reg. CC – Availability of Funds. Right to Financial Privacy Act, Reg. H – Bank Protection Act, Information Security Standards (GLB) (Including Data Protection Act), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), USA Patriot Act, Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), Reg. GG – Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, Reg. BB – Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), FDIC Insurance Rules, Reg. P – Privacy of Consumer Financial Information