AVP of Information Technology

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) of IT is a strategic leadership role responsible for the operational excellence and security of the credit union’s technology environment. This individual will bridge the gap between high-level strategy and technical execution, overseeing a diverse portfolio that includes infrastructure and member-facing core systems.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with deep roots in the Credit Union industry, possessing a mastery of the Symitar Episys core platform and a commitment to ITSM/ITIL frameworks.

Essential Functions

• Network & Telecom: Oversee the design, maintenance, and uptime of LAN/WAN, cloud architecture, and VoIP/telecom systems across all branches.
• Operations & Help Desk: Manage the ticketing system, ensuring high internal satisfaction and adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Business Continuity: Lead disaster recovery (DR) planning and testing to ensure 24/7 availability of member services.
• Maintain a robust security posture, overseeing firewalls, endpoint protection, and identity management.
• Ensure the credit union remains compliant with NCUA regulations and internal audit requirements.
• Manage the response strategy for potential security incidents or vulnerabilities.
• Symitar Oversight: Serve as the primary stakeholder for the Symitar (Episys) core environment, including PowerOn scripting, third-party integrations, and release management.
• Business Analysis: Lead the Business/System Analyst in translating department needs into technical requirements, ensuring IT initiatives align with business goals.
• Implement ITIL/ITSM best practices to standardize change management, incident response, and all other ITIL best practices
• Visionary Leadership: Ability to mentor technical staff while communicating complex IT concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ensure active and on-going coaching and development to assigned department staff
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the Information Technology department.
• Vendor Management: Experience negotiating contracts and managing relationships with key partners.
• Adaptive Problem Solving: A "cool under pressure" professional presence is essential for managing system outages or security threats.
• Responsible for managing risks specific to related job functions with an expectation to make and support risk-informed decisions and remain diligent in identifying emerging risks that could jeopardize the success of the Credit Union.
• All other duties as assigned.

Education & Certifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Business Administration. A Master’s degree (MBA or MS in IT Management) is highly desirable.
• ITSM Framework: ITIL 4 Foundation certification is required to ensure alignment with service management standards. Intermediate or Expert levels are a significant plus.

Technical Expertise

• Core Banking: Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience with the Jack Henry (Symitar) Episys platform. Familiarity with PowerOn, Synergy, OPCON and Image Center is preferred.
• Network & Telecom: Solid understanding of MSP, SD-WAN, Fortinet, and Cisco-based environments. Experience managing hosted VoIP/PBX solutions.
• Operations & Infrastructure: Mastery of Microsoft 365 administration, Azure/AWS cloud environments, and Nutanix virtualization.
• Security Operations: Experience with SIEM tools, multi-factor authentication (MFA) deployment, and vulnerability management.

Experience & Leadership

• Management: At least 5 years of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams (Help Desk, SysAdmins, and BAs).
• Financial Services: Deep understanding of the regulatory landscape (NCUA, GLBA, FFIEC) and the unique "people-first" culture of credit unions.
• Strategic Planning: Proven track record of developing 3-year IT roadmaps and managing CAPEX/OPEX budgets exceeding 1M+.

Physical Requirements 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, bend, kneel, and reach above or at shoulder level. The employee must occasionally lift/push/pull and/or carry up to 10 pounds.