Vice President, Retail Product & Support

Why Meridian? At Meridian our aspiration is to integrate our purpose into everything we do for people, the planet, and communities. We believe that our greatest opportunity is to create opportunity and meet people where they are. Find our story here: About Meridian Our Retail Banking Practice: Our vision is to be recognized as the financial institution that has the most local impact, supported by a purposeful value proposition to our Members. We have a passion for ensuring we maintain our tradition of exceeding Member expectations and helping them achieve their best lives. We deliver advice-based banking while providing tools that reduce complexity, offering the right information, and motivating our Members to reach their overall financial goals. Our Retail teams work alongside our partners in Wealth, Small Business, and Mobile Mortgage Specialists to support our Members' holistic financial growth. As Vice-President, Retail Product & Support: You will provide leadership and direction for the Retail Product team and Retail Operations. You are passionate about continuous improvement and work closely with stakeholders across the organization to execute on Retail Revitalization, Product and Operations programs. The position is accountable for pricing and profitability of Retail Deposit and Lending products and oversight of the Retail Operations team. In addition, the position will be responsible for contributing to and execution of Operations transformation as part of the broader Retail Revitalization program. Specifically, the position will oversee the transformation of Retail Operations to drive efficiencies, reduce costs including automation of functions through RPA, AI or digital advancement and/or the outsourcing of functions to external vendors where appropriate. The position will work very closely with the VP Transformation & Projects as a key stakeholder providing input into the development of Retail strategic programs. While keeping abreast of market trends and reviewing internal and external consumer data is essential, what becomes more important is the ability to analyze the information, derive insights that can be applied to new opportunities or to enhance existing products/services/operations, and finally taking that information to create and execute new strategic and operational plans. Relying on independent and collaborative means of engaging with internal and external stakeholders, conducting research, managing vendors and adhering to the regulatory environment is important in mitigating operational and reputational risk. The role will consistently focus on improving operations efficiency and effectiveness by identifying the appropriate use of technology solutions. The VP is a senior role within the organization that will report directly to the Senior Vice-President, Retail/Wealth. It is crucial that the individual is proactive and possesses a passion for working within a fast-paced and dynamic environment to achieve annual and long-term strategic goals and imperatives. What you will do: Product Management and Operations

• Strategically guide the product/service/operations roadmap and go-to-market approach with a focus on identifying new growth opportunities.
• Convert business ideas and research into actionable initiatives that promote efficiency, growth, retention, profitability and enhanced Member experiences.
• Gain a deep understanding of the Member experience while identifying and solving for gaps, addressing pain points, and generating new ideas that will grow market share, improve Member experience, increase Member retention and drive growth.
• Develop product, pricing, positioning strategies and financial models in collaboration with various stakeholders in the organization.
• Conduct market research, evaluate concepts, and lead key projects and initiatives from concept, to design, and implementation while anticipating Member needs, desires, and value perceptions.
• Understands all aspects of the business: business strategy and objectives, sales, and operations to ensure initiatives are carefully integrated and aligned with company priorities.
• Ensure recommendations take into account appropriate levels of risk, process effectiveness, and compliance/regulatory policies and guidelines.
• Provide proper consideration to the opportunities available to continuously advance the back-office operations including but not limited to insourcing, outsourcing, appropriate use of new and existing technology, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Accountable for the refinement of a continuous improvement strategy that will have measurable (decreased cycle time, increased capacity, decreased errors, and improved throughput) and visible impact across the enterprise and within Operations.
• Communicate new processes, operations, vendor solutions, enhancements in ways that employees with varying skills and capabilities can understand.
• Effectively document strategies and plans for consultation and review with stakeholders across Meridian.
• Monitor, review and report on key operational performance metrics and relations to provide informed insights and recommendations to senior management using dashboards, scorecards and executive reports.

Leadership, Employee Engagement and Collaboration

• Develop a high performing, engaged, and flexible workforce that will deliver exemplary Member products, services and experiences.
• Lead effective performance management processes, work with employees to create individual development plans, focus on succession planning and coaching strategies for direct reports.
• Accountable to internal and external partners for the delivery of exceptional service that builds trust through responsiveness, accuracy, consistency, and expertise.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to evaluate outcomes, recalibrate, and incorporate learnings in future initiatives.
• Ability to communicate at all levels (ELT/SLT) and use influencing skills to achieve stakeholder buy-in and prioritization of initiatives.
• Embed and lead change management practices within all projects.
• Establish working relationships with SLT and key stakeholders.
• Partner with other areas of the organization and/or external vendors to facilitate the achievement of deliverables and overall objectives.
• Provide leadership / be a champion through participation in relevant internal committees intended to improve delivery, staff engagement or cross team collaboration/effectiveness.
• Lead effective performance management processes, employee development plans, succession planning and coaching strategies for direct reports.
• Stay abreast of current economic environment and identify emerging issues and financial industry trends.
• Create a high-performance environment by fostering an inclusive work environment using a coaching mindset.
• Proactively build and maintain strong partnerships with peers across the organization and be seen as a strong collaborator.
• Build strong strategic relationships and networks with external partners and industry professionals to stay abreast of industry trends.
• Lead a diverse and engaged employee team.

How you will succeed:

• Bachelor's Degree with a minimum 10 years of experience working in financial services with experience in Retail deposit & lending product strategies and Retail Operations.
• Ability to lead initiatives, plan activities and resources, work hands-on, and manage/develop a team.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment with rapidly changing priorities.
• Results-driven with an ability to determine and articulate effectiveness and ROI.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for developing strategic business plans, building roadmaps, and presenting information to audiences at all levels within the organization – frontline to executives.
• Dynamic and collaborative with the ability to engage and influence at different levels within the organization, with solid relationship building skills to establish internal and external networks.
• Proven track record of designing products and journeys by anticipating consumer needs with broad experience in working with various financial products and services, understanding how they work and how profitability is derived.
• Strong analytical skills and experience analyzing primary and secondary market research and competitive analysis.
• Ability to challenge the status quo and drive constant improvement to achieve company goals.
• Strong strategic planning and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate with business partners in the development of solutions.
• Ability to adapt to changing business needs with innovative solutions.
• Sound judgement in dealing with complex issues, ambiguity, and conflict situations.
• Experience managing and developing direct reports.
• Experience with Confluence and Jira is an asset.

Join us! This role is hybrid. Office Locations are 3330 Bloor St W, Etobicoke, and 75 Corporate Park Dr, St. Catharines. Meridian has a remote work policy that allows flexibility for employees to work remotely but also requires regular time in the office for purposeful meetings to collaborate, innovate and build effective relationships with your team, your colleagues, your leader, and your Members which is very important to us. What's in it for you?

• We have an inclusive and collaborative working environment that encourages creativity, curiosity, and celebrates success.
• We provide you with the tools and technology needed to delight your candidates and clients.
• You'll get to work with and learn from diverse industry leaders, who have hailed from top organizations around the world
• Hybrid work arrangements with in-person office time to collaborate, innovate and form relationships with your colleagues
• This isn't your typical "corporate" job. We work hard and we have fun.

Our story: Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has more than 75 years of banking history and is 100% owned by its members. With 89 retail branches and 15 Business Banking Centers across Ontario and $ 30B in assets under management, Meridian offers a full range of financial products and services to its retail, business banking and wealth members. With over 2000 employees and corporate offices located in Toronto and St. Catharines, Meridian has a track record of creating and delivering innovative new offerings and is committed to investing in the communities that we serve. Our plan is to build on our momentum as we deliver on our purpose - helping our members achieve their best life. Experience the Difference! Meridian committed to promoting an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected and supported. We are dedicated to employing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and Members in which we live and serve. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. Please note that due to the volume of applications, only those under consideration will be contacted for an interview. Thank you for your interest in Meridian Credit Union. Follow us on Twitter at @MeridianCareers Connect with us on LinkedIn