Compliance Program Manager

More Than a Job. A Mission.

Some organizations exist to make a profit. We exist to make a difference.

For more than 87 years, Desert Financial Credit Union has been Arizona's most trusted financial partner, not because of the size of our balance sheet, but because of the depth of our commitment. To our more than 500,000 members. To the communities we call home. And to the more than 1,300 team members who show up every day not just to work, but to matter.

The Role What You'll Do & Why It Matters

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 third-party compliance risk, and conducts HMDA and fair lending reviews that inform enterprise-level 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 effortsensuring emerging initiatives, operational changes, and strategic priorities align with regulatory expectations, enterprise risk appetite, and industry best practices.

Your Day-to-Day:

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 risk-based insights and recommendations to leadership to support scalable, sustainable growth and informed strategic decision-making.

Fair Lending Analysis & HMDA Review. Conducts fair lending statistical analysis across mortgage and consumer lending products, including model development, comparative file reviews, and portfolio-level trend evaluation. Assesses data integrity and oversees second-line HMDA pre-submission 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 cross-functional 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 post-implementation reviews.

Third-Party Compliance Oversight. Support the credit union's third-party risk management program by evaluating vendor compliance controls and regulatory requirements. Conduct ongoing monitoring of high-risk 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.

What You Bring

Required:

• Combination of education with 10+ years of consumer/mortgage lending responsibilities.
• 8+ years of compliance experience at a financial institution.
• Microsoft Office (specifically Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel).
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Detail oriented and possess strong organizational skills.
• Credit Union Compliance Expert (CUCE) or NAFCU Certified Compliance Officer (NCCO) designation.
• Certified Mortgage Compliance Professional (CMCP).

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, legal studies, or a related field.
• Ability to speak and write in Spanish.

A Culture Built on People, Proven by the People Inside It

Desert Financial was named the #1 Best Place to Work in the extra-large business category by the Phoenix Business Journal a distinction determined entirely by confidential employee feedback. No spin. No marketing. Just the honest voices of the people who work here every day.

Here's what they said:

• 95% reported being engaged or highly engaged in their work and our mission.
• Supportive was the single most common word used to describe our culture.
• 80% of team members consistently feel recognized and valued.
• 82% believe leadership prioritizes people as our most important resource.

When leadership says people are our greatest asset, our team believes it, because they live it.

Why This Role. Why Now. Why Desert Financial.

If you're looking for a paycheck, there are easier paths.

But if you're looking for a place where your work connects to something larger, where your contributions are seen, your growth is funded, your voice shapes culture, and your community is better because you showed up, then you've found it.

At Desert Financial, the mission isn't a poster on the wall. It's the reason we come in every morning.

We'd love you to be part of it.

Benefits & Perks

We invest in the whole you. That includes our InvestED tuition program, fully funded education for team members and their families, plus medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) matching, paid volunteer time, and more than 70 total benefits designed to help you thrive inside and outside of work.

Desert Financial Credit Union is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, mission-driven workplace where every team member is valued and empowered to grow. Federally insured by NCUA.