Vice President - Compliance Support & Governance

Join our team and build your career with momentum as we champion your growth, elevate your ideas and engage you in purpose-driven work that makes a real difference every day.

Who we are

Founded in 1997, Merrick Bank is an FDIC®-insured financial institution headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, with over $10 billion in assets. A wholly owned subsidiary of CardWorks Financial Group, Merrick Bank serves roughly five million cardmembers and more than 100,000 merchant customers nationwide.

What we do

We provide credit cards, recreational loans, deposit accounts, merchant services and bank sponsorships to consumers and businesses. As a leader in non-prime lending and merchant acquiring, we combine innovative technology with data-driven insights to help underserved consumers build and strengthen credit while delivering integrated, scalable payment solutions for businesses.

Merrick Bank ranks among the top 20 FDIC®-insured credit card issuers in the U.S. and among the top 15 merchant acquirers by transaction volume.

Position Summary

This Vice President, Compliance Support & Governance role will drive consistency, coordination, and operational efficiency across all product teams at Merrick Bank (“MB”), a subsidiary of CardWorks Financial Group.This role leads centralized support functions, streamlines regulatory testing and review processes, and champions continuous process improvement. By fostering collaboration and standardization, this leadership role ensures that compliance activities are executed effectively and align with the strategic direction of MB.

Ideally, the qualified candidate will work at the following company location(s): South Jordan, UT; Wilmington, DE; Lake Mary, FL; or Pittsburgh, PA.  A hybrid/remote work model or other locations can be considered based on hiring manager decision and priorities of the role.

Essential Functions:

• Lead the governance, execution, and continuous improvement of the enterprise compliance framework, ensuring consistency, quality, and regulatory alignment across all business lines.
• Develop, implement, and maintain the Compliance enterprise Privacy framework for second-line oversight that supports consistent governance, regulatory compliance monitoring, risk assessment, reporting, and effective challenge of first-line privacy activities.
• Own the development, maintenance, and enterprise publication of compliance policies, standards, and procedures, including full lifecycle management of the Policy Manual and coordination of all policy reviews and approvals.
• Provide strategic oversight of compliance risk assessments, testing programs, issue management, findings, and remediation activities; perform quality reviews and ensure enterprise consistency in methodology, documentation, and execution.
• Direct preparation and delivery of compliance reporting and materials for senior leadership, management committees, the Board of Directors, and regulators; ensure ongoing exam and audit readiness across the department.
• Establish and administer centralized compliance calendars covering risk assessments, testing schedules, policy reviews, Regulation W analyses, CFPB submissions, and key regulatory commitments; monitor execution, track milestones, and escalate gaps or delays.
• Lead issue and findings governance, including ownership assignment, validation and pre-closure reviews, milestone tracking, escalation protocols, data integrity, consistent mapping/tagging, and ongoing oversight of open findings in Archer.
• Oversee enterprise complaint management governance, including regulatory liaison with FDIC, UDFI, and BBB; lead quality review and challenge of business line responses; identify emerging consumer compliance risks and improvement opportunities through trend analysis.
• Aggregate and analyze compliance metrics, trends, findings, and emerging risks across product and business teams to inform leadership decision-making and strengthen enterprise risk posture.
• Design, maintain, and enhance standardized compliance templates, tools, and methodologies for assessments, testing, issue management, reporting, and governance processes.
• Partner cross-functionally with business leaders, Compliance, CWS, Risk, Legal, and Internal Audit to ensure consistent interpretation and application of compliance requirements and effective execution of remediation.
• Lead departmental operational excellence by optimizing workflows, eliminating redundancies, implementing best practices, and continuously strengthening compliance operating effectiveness.
• Oversee compliance training strategy, development, deployment, monitoring, and issue resolution to ensure enterprise awareness and accountability.
• Mentor, develop, and engage compliance team members; foster a high-performance culture grounded in critical thinking, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and translate employee survey feedback into documented action plans that strengthen team effectiveness and retention.
• Maintain and govern compliance knowledge platforms and tools, including SharePoint, MyNet Roles and Responsibilities, and other compliance-related systems and repositories.
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• Compliance with Laws & Regulations:
• Responsible for developing, documenting, communicating, maintaining, and enforcing effective control system policies and procedures within your area of oversight.
• Responsible to act in a timely manner to update policies and procedures when changes in operating conditions occur and / or breakdowns or noncompliance with laws and regulations appear.
• Responsible for complying with all of the Bank’s internal control policies and procedures.
• Responsible for understanding and complying with all laws and regulations to which the Bank is subject.
• Responsible for communicating problems in operations, noncompliance with the code of conduct, noncompliance with laws and regulations, policy violations, or illegal acts.

Education and Experience:

• 9+ years of compliance and regulatory banking experience in consumer credit cards or equivalent educational or banking experience required.

• A minimum of 5 years of direct employee management experience is preferred.

• Applicable certification strongly preferred (CRCM, CAMS. Etc.).

Summary of Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge of banking laws and regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement scalable compliance frameworks, including second-line privacy oversight.
• Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage complex processes.
• Advanced communication and presentation skills, capable of interacting with executive leadership, external partners, and regulators.
• Proven leadership and team-building abilities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• High level of professional judgment, integrity, and accountability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and familiarity with compliance management platforms.
• Ability to foster teamwork, critical thinking, and a culture of accountability.
• Flexibility to adapt to changes in the regulatory environment and organizational priorities.
• Independent decision-making and sound judgment.
• Effective leadership and interpersonal skills to guide, mentor, and develop compliance staff.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Excel (including VLOOKUP and pivot tables) for data analysis and reporting.
• Familiarity with SharePoint and internal compliance management systems (e.g., Archer).

Why join us

We believe in putting people first by supporting our customers, employees and our partners while creating opportunities for everyone to reach their potential. From fostering work-life balance to rewarding good work and innovative ideas, we invest in what matters most, our people.

At Merrick Bank, you’ll be part of a collaborative, customer-focused team where you can grow your career while making a meaningful impact.

Our Employee Value Proposition

• Competitive Pay, including a Bonus Target or Variable Pay Incentive Program
• Benefits Package -Medical, Dental, and Vision (plus much more)
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Short- & Long-Term Disability
• Wellness Programs
• Group Life and AD&D Insurance
• Paid Vacation, Sick Days and bank Holidays
• Employee Engagement Activities including Employee Appreciation Day, DEI Employee Resource Groups, Corporate Social Responsibility, Service Recognition

We offer a total rewards package comprised of a competitive base rate of pay, variable pay incentive programs based on the role, and a comprehensive benefit suite.  Offered rates of pay are determined based on job-related knowledge, relevant experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, race, color, sex, or gender identity/expression (including pregnancy, childbirth, transgender status, or sexual orientation), religion or creed, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs. Everyone is welcome here, and we hire based on your ability to do the job, not any protected characteristics.

If you need help or reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process, please let your TA Partner know.