VP, General Counsel

Premier America Credit Union•Los Angeles, CA

6d•$145,000 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

The General Counsel serves as Premier America’s legal advisor providing strategic legal guidance to the board of directors, executive leadership and senior management. The role oversees legal, regulatory, governance, contracts, litigation and supports third-party risk management. This role safeguards the legal and regulatory interest of a $3.5 billion state-chartered credit union and enables safe growth by providing practical, solutions-oriented counsel aligned with Premier America’s strategy, risk appetite, and regulator expectations. This role requires extensive legal and banking regulatory expertise, along with strong collaborative leadership to effectively manage Premier America’s legal functions. As a strategic partner to the senior leadership team, and the board of directors, this role advances strategic objectives by supporting compliance, strengthening risk management, and enabling stable, responsible growth, all in alignment with the broader objectives and member focused initiatives of Premier America.

Requirements

Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible legal experience, with significant focus on banking law, regulatory matters, litigation, and general corporate practice.
Demonstrated experience serving as a senior legal advisor and collaborative partner on highly complex, high-risk matters.
Proven track record handling highly complex, sensitive, and high-risk matters within a regulated financial institution or comparable environment.
Experience operating as a senior individual contributor with substantial autonomy and accountability.
Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university (required).
Juris Doctorate from an ABA Accredited Law School.
Strong executive presence with the ability to influence, advise, and challenge senior leaders constructively.
Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and people-management skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment with minimal supervision.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to adapt communication style to diverse internal and external stakeholders.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear business guidance.
Thorough understanding of banking regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements for national banks.
Advanced legal research, analytical, and judgment capabilities.

Responsibilities

Serve as Premier America’s primary legal advisor on banking, regulatory, and enforcement matters.
Provide legal guidance, advice and interpretation on lending, consumer deposits, business deposits, servicing, payments, digital banking and third-party risk management related matters.
Partner with external legal counsel to align legal advice on financial services matters with enterprise risk appetite and governance expectations.
Support board and committee matters related to financial services and regulatory issues.
Develop and execute legal strategies for regulatory matters, including examinations, inquiries, supervisory issues, and potential enforcement actions involving federal and state regulators.
Advise on regulatory examinations, supervisory findings and enforcement matters.
Serve as the accountable legal owner for significant credit union related disputes, regulatory proceedings, investigations and prelitigation strategy.
Direct outside counsel strategy, budget, fee structures, and quality of work.
Lead early dispute resolution and risk mitigation efforts to minimize legal exposure and business disruption.
Issue and oversee legal opinions, escalation frameworks, and risk assessments for material transactions and initiatives.
Negotiate, draft, and approve complex and high impact contracts, disclosures, policies, and procedures supporting banking operations and strategic initiatives.
Advise on legal aspects of product development, key vendor relationships, information security, privacy, and other matters directly impacting regulated banking activities.
Ensure legal frameworks support scalable growth while maintaining compliance and sound risk controls.
Provide informal mentorship and subject-matter guidance to Team Members on banking-related issues.
Act as a thought leader and escalation point for complex legal questions.
Collaborate with other business partners and stakeholders without formal supervisory responsibility.
Lead legal support for Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”), business combinations, purchase and assumption transactions, loan purchases and participations.
Advise executive leadership and the board of directors on transaction structure, regulatory approvals, legal due diligence and post-closing obligations.
Coordinate with outside counsel, internal stakeholders, regulatory agencies and counterparty to support execution of transactions.
Represents Premier America in industry associations, working groups, and regulatory forums, providing insight into legal and regulatory trends impacting the credit union.
Benchmark practices against peer institutions and recommend enhancements to policies, controls, and governance structures.
Build and lead the in-house legal function including management outside counsel relationships and managing the legal budgets.
Foster a culture of ethical conduct, sound judgment, and risk awareness across the organization.