Vice President Card Strategy (Hybrid in Syracuse, NY)

Empower Federal Credit Union•Syracuse, NY

1d•$145,768 - $242,947•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Card Strategy sets the strategic vision for the credit and debit card portfolios, driving innovative, secure, and scalable solutions that fuel sustainable growth and exceptional member experiences. This leader ensures card products deliver simple, connected journeys from onboarding and every day to digital servicing and dispute resolution while maintaining strong financial performance, prudent risk management, and regulatory compliance. The role requires deep partnership across the enterprise and with external partners to deliver cohesive, competitive, and future-ready card solutions.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in card products, payments, or product management, including leadership roles.
Proven experience managing credit and/or debit card portfolios within a regulated financial institution.
Demonstrated success deploying solutions that improve both member experience and financial performance.
Strong strategic, analytical, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
Candidates with equivalent formal certifications or professional experience in card services, financial services, or related fields are also encouraged to apply. Empower FCU recognizes and values a variety of educational and professional backgrounds that contribute to success in this role.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a credit union or other member-centric financial institution.
Familiarity with card networks, processors, digital wallets, and modern payment ecosystems.
Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and developing senior product talent.

Responsibilities

Card Portfolio Strategy & Ownership: Define and execute the strategic roadmap for credit and debit card portfolios, balancing growth, profitability, and risk. Lead product development, enhancements, and lifecycle management across physical and digital channels. Optimize portfolio performance through product design, pricing, benefits, and controls that support responsible use and sustainable revenue.
Member Experience & Innovation: Identify and deploy solutions that elevate the member experience and improve engagement, efficiency, and financial outcomes. Translate member insights into intuitive, easy-to-use card experiences in partnership with Design, Content, and Research teams. Ensure card features and journeys are cohesive, connected, and friction-free across the full lifecycle.
Card-Based Commerce Solutions: Lead strategy and implementation of commerce solutions such as digital wallets, tokenization, merchant offers, rewards integration, installments, and real-time controls. Partner with fintechs, networks, processors, and merchants to expand everyday card utility and drive usage. Deliver solutions that grow revenue and engagement while maintaining strong fraud, risk, and compliance controls.
Performance, Financials & Risk Management: Monitor portfolio performance using data and analytics (usage, penetration, engagement, losses, fraud, revenue). Make data-driven recommendations to improve growth, profitability, risk outcomes, and member experience. Own portfolio financials, including budgeting, investment prioritization, vendor economics, and ROI evaluation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Finance, and Member Service to ensure solutions are scalable, compliant, and operationally sound. Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on card strategy, performance trends, risks, and investment opportunities.
Market & Industry Awareness: Stay current on payments trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory developments. Translate market and competitive insights into strategies that strengthen portfolio performance and differentiation.
People Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of card specialists and product managers. Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and disciplined execution. Establish clear goals and success metrics aligned with enterprise strategy.
Preform all other duties as assigned.