Vice President Card Strategy

Role

Vice President, Card Strategy sets the strategic vision for the credit and debit card portfolios, driving innovative, secure, and scalable solutions that fuel sustainable growth and exceptional member experiences. This leader ensures card products deliver simple, connected journeys from onboarding and every day to digital servicing and dispute resolution while maintaining strong financial performance, prudent risk management, and regulatory compliance. The role requires deep partnership across the enterprise and with external partners to deliver cohesive, competitive, and future‑ready card solutions.

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

• 25% Card Portfolio Strategy & Ownership:
  • Define and execute the strategic roadmap for credit and debit card portfolios, balancing growth, profitability, and risk.
  • Lead product development, enhancements, and lifecycle management across physical and digital channels.
  • Optimize portfolio performance through product design, pricing, benefits, and controls that support responsible use and sustainable revenue.
• 20% Member Experience & Innovation:
  • Identify and deploy solutions that elevate the member experience and improve engagement, efficiency, and financial outcomes.
  • Translate member insights into intuitive, easy‑to‑use card experiences in partnership with Design, Content, and Research teams.
  • Ensure card features and journeys are cohesive, connected, and friction‑free across the full lifecycle.
• 20% Card‑Based Commerce Solutions:
  • Lead strategy and implementation of commerce solutions such as digital wallets, tokenization, merchant offers, rewards integration, installments, and real‑time controls.
  • Partner with fintechs, networks, processors, and merchants to expand everyday card utility and drive usage.
  • Deliver solutions that grow revenue and engagement while maintaining strong fraud, risk, and compliance controls.
• 15% Performance, Financials & Risk Management:
  • Monitor portfolio performance using data and analytics (usage, penetration, engagement, losses, fraud, revenue).
  • Make data‑driven recommendations to improve growth, profitability, risk outcomes, and member experience.
  • Own portfolio financials, including budgeting, investment prioritization, vendor economics, and ROI evaluation.
• 10% Cross‑Functional Collaboration:
  • Work closely with Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Finance, and Member Service to ensure solutions are scalable, compliant, and operationally sound.
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on card strategy, performance trends, risks, and investment opportunities.
• 5% Market & Industry Awareness:
  • Stay current on payments trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory developments.
  • Translate market and competitive insights into strategies that strengthen portfolio performance and differentiation.
• 5% People Leadership:
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of card specialists and product managers.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and disciplined execution.
  • Establish clear goals and success metrics aligned with enterprise strategy.
  • Preform all other duties as assigned.

Performance Measurements

See Dayforce (HRIS) Performance Management for Goals upon start in role, and annually.

Knowledge and Skills

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in card products, payments, or product management, including leadership roles.
• Proven experience managing credit and/or debit card portfolios within a regulated financial institution.
• Demonstrated success deploying solutions that improve both member experience and financial performance.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and stakeholder‑management capabilities.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in a credit union or other member‑centric financial institution.
• Familiarity with card networks, processors, digital wallets, and modern payment ecosystems.
• Experience leading complex cross‑functional initiatives and developing senior product talent.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Candidates with equivalent formal certifications or professional experience in card services, financial services, or related fields are also encouraged to apply. Empower FCU recognizes and values a variety of educational and professional backgrounds that contribute to success in this role.

Leadership Competencies - How You Lead

• Integrity and Transparency
• Empathy and Compassion
• Communication and Collaboration
• Empowerment and Mentorship
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning
• Resilience and Accountability
• Recognition and Celebration
• Strategic Vision and Decision‑Making
• Accessibility and Approachability
• Inspiration and Influence

Other Skills

Business and Operational Excellence - What You Deliver:

• IT and Business 101: Maintain a basic to moderate understanding of IT and Business Products & Services. Understand the minimum necessary to lead projects effectively.
• Financial Acumen: Understand and regularly review financials. Know how financial levers work and how your team can influence and drive results up or down.
• Strategic Thinking: Understand and be able to articulate the organization's strategy up and down the pyramid including alignment with culture, the in‑flight year's business plan, and the 'why' behind all of it.
• Business Case Development: Write and articulate a proper business case, including capital needs, project scope, and recurring OPEX costs.
• Managing an RFP: Effectively lead and manage Request for Proposal (RFP) processes to ensure competitive, strategic outcomes.
• Vendor Management: Manage vendor performance and successfully negotiate contracts to support organizational goals.
• Budget Management: Create and manage a proper budget, maintaining accuracy within +/- 5% of actuals to budget.
• Executive Communication: Present confidently and with clarity to Board Committees and senior leadership audiences with executive presence i.e. the ability to influence and align stakeholders at all organizational levels, including Board members. This requires skills in building trusted relationships with senior executives and acting as a strategic thought partner on complex organizational challenges.
• Big Picture Leadership: Lead within the context of the big picture to align and work cross‑functionally and vertically. Effectively move forward projects, change management efforts, and resource allocation decisions.
• Incident Management: Properly facilitate and manage member‑impacting incidents. If not part of the direct role, participate in or consider involvement in the member incident committee.
• Communications Management: Properly facilitate and manage communications for both members and staff, ensuring clarity, transparency, and timely updates.

People Leadership - How You Build High‑Performing Teams:

• Performance Management: Work through performance management issues with HR (and/or appropriate leadership), including writing and delivering feedback up and down the organization, and implementing Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) when needed.
• Goal and Objective Setting: Write and communicate goals and objectives aligned from the top of the organization down to individual contributors. Ensure alignment by clearly communicating the 'why' and 'how.'
• Team Engagement: Facilitate and plan meaningful All Hands Meetings for and with teams, building and creating alignment and clarity across the organization.
• Culture and People Leadership: Create and foster a culture of delegation, empowerment, and accountability with managers, ensuring they do the same with their teams.
• Leadership Excellence: Consistently lead the way through Empower FCU's Leadership Excellence competencies and coach direct reports to demonstrate the same behaviors.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Regular use of hands and fingers to operate a computer, keyboard, and telephone.
• Near visual acuity required for working with digital content.
• Occasional light lifting of office supplies or equipment may be necessary (up to 20 pounds).
• Ability to attend in‑person events (branch visits, rallies, employee meetings) as needed.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Work Environment

• Hybrid work model requiring a minimum of 5 days per month in‑office at the Syracuse, NY headquarters.
• Standard office environment with moderate noise levels.
• Regular collaboration with colleagues via Microsoft Teams, email, and in‑person meetings.
• Occasional travel within the region for branch/department visits, volunteerism, leadership meetings, or employee engagement events.

This Job Description is not a complete statement of all duties and responsibilities comprising the position.

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