Vice President of People Operations

USALLIANCE Financial•Rye, NY

44d•$144,865 - $168,872•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of People Operations is the executive responsible for shaping and leading the credit union’s human capital strategy to support organizational growth, employee growth and engagement, operational excellence, and legal compliance. This role oversees all areas of Human Resources—including Talent Acquisition, Benefits & Compensation, Learning & Development, Organizational Effectiveness, HR Operations, and Employee Engagement—and ensures HR programs align with the credit union’s mission, vision, values, and commitment to serving members and communities. The VP is a strategic advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Directors, playing a critical role in workforce planning, culture, leadership effectiveness, and ensuring the talent structures necessary to support a highly regulated financial services environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field required.
10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a financial services, banking, or credit union environment strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience working with Boards and executive teams on regulatory matters, executive compensation, and succession planning.
Experience supporting multi-branch, multi-state, or geographically distributed workforces.
Ability to travel to operational centers as needed.
Deep knowledge of HR disciplines, financial services workforce expectations, and the regulatory considerations impacting people practices in a credit union or banking environment.
Strong business acumen with the ability to align talent strategies to lending, financial performance, member experience, and risk frameworks.
Proven ability to lead transformation, build scalable HR processes, and develop high-performing teams.
Exceptional relationship-building, communication, and influencing skills across all organizational levels.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or senior HR certification (SPHR, SHRM-SCP) preferred.
Previous merger and acquisition experience helpful

Responsibilities

Advise on human capital strategy to support organizational priorities such as differentiated products and service, member growth, operational efficiency, service excellence, and risk management.
Develop talent strategies that address current and emerging workforce needs across the organization.
Provide guidance to the CFO and CEO on HR trends impacting financial services, including succession planning, labor market shifts, and human capital–related regulatory expectations.
Lead workforce planning to ensure the credit union has the talent necessary to support growth and member service excellence.
Oversee executive and critical role succession planning to ensure leadership continuity and business resilience.
Strengthen recruiting strategies to attract top talent with financial services expertise while advancing the credit union’s reputation as an employer of choice.
Oversee compensation, benefits, and wage and hour compliance with consideration for regulatory expectations specific to financial institutions.
Ensure equitable, competitive rewards structures that support attraction and retention in a regulated, competitive industry.
Lead the design and optimization of HR systems and processes to assure accuracy, compliance, efficiency, and service quality.
Drive a culture grounded in cooperative values and aligned with core values of the credit union.
Oversee leadership development, career pathways, and training programs that strengthen financial acumen, risk awareness, operational excellence, and member service skills.
Ensure HR practices support a sound risk environment and align with relevant employment laws, including New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and multiple other states.
Build and sustain strong employee relations practices that promote fairness, trust, and operational consistency across all departments.
Serve as a key partner with Compliance & Internal Audit on matters involving workforce risk, investigations, and policy governance.
Understand and oversee change management principles for enterprise level initiatives.
Lead an HR team that delivers high-quality service and meets the expectations of a dynamic financial services organization.