Compliance Program Manager

Exciting•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

The Compliance Program Manager plays a critical role in advancing Desert Financial’s enterprise risk strategy and enabling responsible organizational growth. This position develops, maintains, and strategically enhances the core components of the credit union’s compliance management system to ensure strong, scalable regulatory execution. The role leads Regulatory Change Management, oversees thirdâparty compliance risk, and conducts HMDA and fair lending reviews that inform enterpriseâlevel risk decisions. Through proactive consultation and regulatory insight, the Compliance Program Manager advises business leaders, shapes policy and control design, and supports the development of new products, services, and channels. This position is instrumental in growth readiness efforts—ensuring emerging initiatives, operational changes, and strategic priorities align with regulatory expectations, enterprise risk appetite, and industry best practices. What you will do here: Regulatory Change Management. Monitor, analyze, and interpret regulatory developments impacting credit union operations. Assess operational and compliance impacts of regulatory changes and coordinate with business units to ensure timely implementation. Maintain regulatory change documentation, including applicability assessments, action plans, and testing results. Communicate regulatory updates in a clear, actionable manner to stakeholders and leadership. Consultative Guidance & Strategic Growth Readiness: Partners with business units to provide proactive compliance advice, regulatory interpretation, and support in developing policies and procedures aligned with regulatory expectations. Conducts compliance training and awareness sessions, prepares materials for audits and examinations, and routinely interacts with senior leadership, auditors, and examiners. Contributes to enterprise planning and growth initiatives by identifying compliance risks and control needs associated with new products, channels, and increased operational complexity. Provides riskâbased insights and recommendations to leadership to support scalable, sustainable growth and informed strategic decisionâmaking. Fair Lending Analysis & HMDA Review. Conducts fair lending statistical analysis across mortgage and consumer lending products, including model development, comparative file reviews, and portfolioâlevel trend evaluation. Assesses data integrity and oversees secondâline HMDA preâsubmission reviews. Identifies disparities or emerging risks, provides expert analysis of findings, and delivers recommendations to strengthen controls and ensure compliance with fair lending requirements. Risk Assessments. Conducts compliance risk assessments and targeted monitoring and testing activities across business lines. Evaluates the effectiveness of existing controls, identifies gaps, and recommends enhancements. Partners with business units to develop and implement corrective actions and ensure timely remediation of identified issues. Strategic Projects & New Product/Service Development. Serve as a compliance subject matter expert for crossâfunctional projects, system implementations, and operational enhancements. Evaluate compliance requirements for new products and services, ensuring proper controls, disclosures, and processes are designed and implemented. Assist in developing risk assessments, testing plans, and postâimplementation reviews. Third-Party Compliance Oversight. Support the credit union’s thirdâparty risk management program by evaluating vendor compliance controls and regulatory requirements. Conduct ongoing monitoring of highârisk and critical vendors, including compliance reviews, due diligence assessments, and contract compliance evaluation. Collaborate with Vendor Management and business owners to identify and mitigate compliance risks associated with external relationships. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements

General business, finance, legal studies, or a related field preferred.
Combination of education with 10+ years of consumer/mortgage lending responsibilities required.
8+ years of mortgage experience, primarily in a compliance role required.
Regulatory Expertise & Analytical Thinking A deep and current knowledge of financial services regulations (NCUA, CFPB, ECOA, HMDA, etc.) is foundational.
Ability to interpret ambiguous regulatory language, assess operational impact, and translate complex requirements into practical guidance required.
Project Management & Organizational Discipline Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage deadlines and documentation across multiple initiatives simultaneously are essential to sustaining performance at this scope required.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Consultative Communication — Demonstrated ability to build credibility as a trusted advisor — communicating compliance requirements clearly and constructively without being obstructive, Influence outcomes and support strategic growth initiatives required.
Risk Assessment & Control Evaluation — Structured, risk-based thinking — knowing how to prioritize findings, design testing plans, and frame recommendations in a way that drives real remediation rather than just documentation required.
Data Analysis & Statistical Proficiency — Comfort working with large datasets, building or validating analytical models, and identifying patterns or disparities. Strong skills in tools like Excel, SQL, or statistical software are a meaningful differentiator in this role required.
Credit Union Compliance Expert (CUCE) or NAFCU Certified Compliance Officer (NCCO) designation required.
Certified Mortgage Compliance Professional (CMCP) required.

Nice To Haves

Ability to speak and write in Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

Monitor, analyze, and interpret regulatory developments impacting credit union operations.
Assess operational and compliance impacts of regulatory changes and coordinate with business units to ensure timely implementation.
Maintain regulatory change documentation, including applicability assessments, action plans, and testing results.
Communicate regulatory updates in a clear, actionable manner to stakeholders and leadership.
Partners with business units to provide proactive compliance advice, regulatory interpretation, and support in developing policies and procedures aligned with regulatory expectations.
Conducts compliance training and awareness sessions, prepares materials for audits and examinations, and routinely interacts with senior leadership, auditors, and examiners.
Contributes to enterprise planning and growth initiatives by identifying compliance risks and control needs associated with new products, channels, and increased operational complexity.
Provides riskâbased insights and recommendations to leadership to support scalable, sustainable growth and informed strategic decisionâmaking.
Conducts fair lending statistical analysis across mortgage and consumer lending products, including model development, comparative file reviews, and portfolioâlevel trend evaluation.
Assesses data integrity and oversees secondâline HMDA preâsubmission reviews.
Identifies disparities or emerging risks, provides expert analysis of findings, and delivers recommendations to strengthen controls and ensure compliance with fair lending requirements.
Conducts compliance risk assessments and targeted monitoring and testing activities across business lines.
Evaluates the effectiveness of existing controls, identifies gaps, and recommends enhancements.
Partners with business units to develop and implement corrective actions and ensure timely remediation of identified issues.
Serve as a compliance subject matter expert for crossâfunctional projects, system implementations, and operational enhancements.
Evaluate compliance requirements for new products and services, ensuring proper controls, disclosures, and processes are designed and implemented.
Assist in developing risk assessments, testing plans, and postâimplementation reviews.
Support the credit union’s thirdâparty risk management program by evaluating vendor compliance controls and regulatory requirements.
Conduct ongoing monitoring of highârisk and critical vendors, including compliance reviews, due diligence assessments, and contract compliance evaluation.
Collaborate with Vendor Management and business owners to identify and mitigate compliance risks associated with external relationships.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.