Vice President Legal, Deputy General Counsel (Legal)
Role:
The Vice President of Legal plays a critical leadership role in supporting the General Counsel in overseeing all legal matters for the credit union. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, this position provides strategic legal counsel to executive leadership and the Board, ensuring regulatory compliance and sound governance practices. The VP will work closely with the VP of Risk Management and the VP of Compliance, providing legal guidance to their teams. This role will also lead efforts in contract negotiation, risk mitigation, regulatory oversight, and legal policy development, while managing internal and external legal resources. As the organization evolves, this role may expand to oversee teams in legal, risk, and vendor management.
Location: Our headquarters are based in Syracuse, NY. We work in a Hybrid Model requiring a minimum of 5 days in office per month.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities:
30% Legal Counsel & Strategic Advisory:
- Support the General Counsel in providing legal guidance and strategic counsel to executive leadership, senior management, and the Board of Directors on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues.
- Advise on legal matters affecting the credit union, balancing legal risks with business objectives and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Work closely with the VP of Risk Management and VP of Compliance, providing legal guidance to their respective teams on regulatory compliance and risk-related matters.
- Participate in strategic planning and serve as a legal partner in enterprise-wide decision-making, contributing to governance and organizational growth.
- Monitor and assess emerging legal trends and regulatory changes, providing insights on their potential impact on operations.
25% Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management:
- Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including NCUA, CFPB, BSA/AML, and OFAC, to safeguard the credit union's legal standing.
- Collaborate with the VP of Risk Management and VP of Compliance, offering legal guidance and expertise to their teams as they manage compliance and risk-related functions.
- Regularly review and monitor regulatory developments, ensuring the credit union's operations are aligned with changing laws and regulations.
- Advise on risk management initiatives and compliance-related matters, supporting the credit union's overall risk mitigation strategy.
20% Contract Management & Vendor Oversight:
- Lead the negotiation, drafting, and review of complex legal contracts and agreements to support the credit union's operations, ensuring they comply with legal and regulatory standards.
- Provide legal oversight for vendor relationships, including negotiating contracts, assessing legal risks, and ensuring alignment with the credit union's policies.
- Collaborate with the Vendor Management Administrator and other departments to manage vendor-related legal matters and ensure compliance with internal standards.
15% External Counsel & Legal Resource Coordination:
- Manage and coordinate work with external counsel, ensuring that legal support is cost-effective, timely, and high-quality.
- Oversee external legal engagements and ensure they align with the credit union's strategic goals and internal capabilities.
- Provide guidance and support to internal stakeholders interacting with external legal resources to ensure consistency and alignment with legal objectives.
5% Policy Development & Legal Operations:
- Develop and implement internal legal policies, processes, and training programs to promote a culture of compliance and legal awareness across the organization.
- Regularly evaluate and improve legal workflows, documentation standards, and operational efficiency, ensuring best practices are maintained.
- Promote legal risk management strategies and ensure they are integrated into daily business practices.
5% Other Duties as Assigned:
- Perform all other duties as assigned by leadership or the General Counsel, adapting to the evolving needs of the organization.
- Provide legal support as required across various projects and initiatives, ensuring the credit union's legal and compliance frameworks remain robust and effective.
Performance Measurements:
See Dayforce (HRIS) Performance Management for Goals upon start in role, and annually.
Knowledge and Skills:
Experience: A minimum of 10 years of legal experience, with at least 5 years in a senior or leadership role, preferably in financial services or a regulated industry.
- In-depth knowledge of credit union or banking regulations, governance structures, and financial institution operations.
- Proven ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and provide strategic legal counsel to support organizational goals.
- Demonstrated leadership in managing complex legal matters, influencing teams, and collaborating with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
Education: A Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school is required. An active license to practice law in New York State or eligibility for in-house counsel registration is also required.
Interpersonal Skills: Work involves extensive personal contact with others and is of a personal or sensitive nature. Motivating, influencing, and/or training others is key at this level. Outside contacts become important and fostering sound relationships with other entities (companies and/or individuals) becomes necessary and often requires the ability to influence and/or sell ideas or services to others.
Other Skills:
- Ability to negotiate complex legal agreements, vendor contracts, and settlements in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes benefit for the credit union.
- Strong organizational skills to manage multiple legal projects simultaneously, ensuring deadlines are met and priorities are balanced effectively.
- High attention to detail in reviewing legal documents, contracts, and compliance materials to ensure accuracy and mitigate potential legal risks.
- Skilled in resolving disputes and managing litigation with a focus on achieving favorable outcomes while maintaining positive relationships with external parties.
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior management, regulatory bodies, and external legal advisors.
- Ability to adapt to changing laws, regulations, and organizational needs, demonstrating flexibility in the face of shifting priorities or unexpected challenges.
- Strong sense of integrity and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
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 the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods at a time, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
This Job Description is not a complete statement of all duties and responsibilities comprising the position.
