SVP Strategy & Performance Excellence

Why Westerra?

Here at Westerra Credit Union, every employee counts. Our teams are composed of high-performing individuals committed to being HONORABLE, INVENTIVE, and CURIOUS, which makes them GREAT! Our team members show up every day authentically being themselves and our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) focus is a critical pillar of our organization. We want you to feel comfortable being YOU.

All of our team members are working towards the same purpose - to teach one another to prosper. We strive to be a modern financial community where we all truly belong, both in the eyes of our employees and the members that we serve. We can't wait to see how you will contribute to this purpose, positively and intentionally, by impacting our members' lives through personal attention, financial education, community engagement and much more. This is true regardless of your role, as we are all member-facing. Founded by schoolteachers in 1934, we are a learning organization at our core and embed a growth mindset in our employees so that we all prosper!

What is the role?

The position is accountable for leading and shaping the credit union's strategic direction by overseeing and influencing key areas such as strategy development, strategic planning processes, documentation and communication. You will be accountable for ensuring that the enterprise-wide strategy is fully documented with regular reviews scheduled to evaluate performance outcomes and iteration. Furthermore, you will oversee the effective communication of the enterprise strategy to the senior leadership team, Board and all staff.

A critical component of the enterprise strategy is the effective design and definition of Westerra's mission and vision statements, ensuring that they are simple, resonate with our culture and brand values, and - importantly - are measurable for performance outcomes. As the senior leader for strategy and performance, you will be accountable for leading the efforts across our organization to drive performance excellence and growth outcomes through the establishment of a high-performance culture, supporting teams, departments and our senior leaders to understand strategy, strategic goals, performance management and - crucially - the setting of their own strategic plans: you will be accountable for ensuring that senior leaders' own strategies and their teams' performance goals are fully aligned to the enterprise strategy with full traceability.

As a senior leader, you will bring together strategically critical teams and functions under your command. Such teams will have significant impact on driving and communicating strategic priorities and effective change, and include areas of competence such as Member Experience, Business Intelligence, Continuous Improvement (inc. ownership and mapping of member journeys and business processes), Project & Change Management, Strategy, Board updates, Product Design; this will include influencing and helping shape the alignment of marketing and internal communications with overall strategic goals.

The principal driver for this role will be the achievement of growth outcomes and revenue increase, by ensuring that the organization is scalable, sustainable and optimized with the right roles that focus on skills and. This will require driving performance excellence by creating and tracking effective objectives, targets, and metrics through the implementation of a single source of truth database for management information.

The position will also involve fostering interdepartmental communication, influencing training and development to enhance leadership capabilities, to cultivate a continuous improvement culture, that empowers staff at all layers of the Credit Union to be encouraged to ask "why?" (e.g., why do we do things this way?). Additionally, you will lead member listening efforts, facilitating effective member journey mapping and communications strategies to improve the overall member experience.

To succeed in this role, you will possess strong leadership and communication qualities, a strategic and visionary mindset, and the ability to collaborate effectively across functions to drive results.

What will be expected of me?

At Westerra, all people leaders are expected to support, reward, recognize, and lead high-performing teams to drive Westerra Experience outcomes. They do this through:

• Leadership Attributes: Leaders embrace key foundational human-centric attributes that enable The Way We Lead Behaviors: Authentic, Empathetic, and Adaptive
• Leadership Behaviors: Leaders model and coach Westerra's Core Purpose, Cultural Tenets and Descriptors, and Be Statements
• Leadership Foundations: Leaders are effective at The Way We Lead approaches and foundational Westerra leadership responsibilities rolled out through our Westerra Experience University (WXU) and in the Job Architecture.

In the following table, the accountabilities and responsibilities of this role have been set out based on the needs of the organization; however, this is not and exhaustive list.

Area(s)

Accountable for

Responsible for

Strategic Oversight

• Documenting the enterprise-wide strategic plan in a format consumable by all staff, that are over a mid to long term (3-5 year) period
• Ensuring all parts of the business have plans and goals that are aligned with enterprise strategy
• Monitoring progress and reporting on strategic initiatives
• Developing a rhythm for integrated business planning

• Responsible for leading, guiding and inputting to overall strategic direction for the CU
• Creating and managing deliverable roadmaps and strategic documentation.
• Supporting clear and effective communication on strategy across departments
• Ensuring internal communication fosters strategic alignment
• Promoting value-driven resource management

Performance Excellence

• Driving high-performance culture aligned with strategic goals
• Establishing measurable outcomes and performance targets
• Implementing a continuous improvement culture across the organization
• Ensuring CU, department and individual goals are fully aligned to achieve strategic success

• Influencing the shaping of a mature performance management framework, driving and embedding into every-day working life
• Implementing performance tracking using targets, metrics, KPIs and KRIs
• Facilitating employee development to support performance objectives

Training and Development

• Aligning training programs with organizational strategy
• Building strategic leadership capabilities to support business growth

• Influencing the shape of training and continuous development to deliver against strategic goals
• Identifying and implementing training initiatives to boost employee skills
• Driving, through training programs, a continuous learning culture

Member Engagement and Feedback

• Developing, communicating and maintaining member journey maps to improve experiences
• Enhancing member engagement and responsiveness
• Using feedback to drive sales and service improvements

• Fostering a culture of relationship-building with members
• Driving up member compliments and driving down member complaints
• Implement and continually survey members at a level that goes beyond basic NPS

Internal Communication

• Ensuring effective communication of strategic initiatives and progress
• Promoting teamwork and cross-functional collaboration

• Informing employees of organizational goals and their roles within them
• Reinforcing shared ownership of the credit union's success
• Foster strong engagement via your team through all parts of the organization to ensure understanding of strategic goals

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Promoting a data-driven culture for evidence-based decision-making
• Overseeing the BI team to produce actionable insights from the single source of truth data

• Using data to track performance and support continuous improvement
• Ensuring data informs operations and drives innovation
• Identifying and creating accurate and consistent reports on performance for senior leaders and the board

Additional Areas

• Developing employees for short- and long-term strategic alignment
• Leading MOS and strategic goal achievement
• Developing the strategic competencies across all areas of the business

• Presenting strategic plans to the Board of Directors
• Engaging in professional organizations and industry-related activities
• Other duties as assigned, supporting the overall mission and strategic initiatives of the CU

Will I have Direct Reports? Yes

What am I bringing?

Experience/Education:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategic development and performance management within organizations of comparable complexity.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in guiding cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide programs, with a focus on collaboration and effective influence across complex organizational contexts.
• A successful track record in strategy development, visionary leadership, and strategic execution that drives organizational success.
• BS/BA degree from an accredited college/university; advanced degree or relevant certifications preferred.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate at all levels of the organization regardless of which role or level the interaction may take place
• Advanced analytical skills, utilizing logic to make complex judgments with significant organizational impact.
• Authoritative knowledge and a deep understanding of the credit union's operations, competitive landscape, and regulatory environment.
• Proven ability to drive strategic initiatives that materially impact organizational results and member satisfaction.
• Expertise in talent selection, organizational design, and leadership across major areas of the credit union.
• Exceptional leadership skills with a strong aptitude for analysis, judgment, and decision-making.
• Commitment to conducting business with integrity while fostering an environment of high standards, teamwork, and trust.
• Proactive in identifying and implementing changes in a timely manner to enhance operational efficiency and member experience.

What is the work environment, are there physical requirements for this role?

• Hybrid - dispersed flexible team environment both on Westerra campus and remote.
• Office environment with a focus on collaborative and individual work settings.
• Primarily works at a desk with standard office equipment.
• Periodic travel may be required for meetings, conferences, and professional engagements.

Salary: in addition to the starting annual range of $158,270 - $205,751, this role is also eligible for Westerra's self-funding reward plan. This plan pays out a cash incentive annually if the company hits specific criteria tied to our financial goals and you will have a direct impact on the outcome of those results!

What are some of our benefit offerings?

• Three health plans through UMR that offer a variety of coverage options, including HSA and FSA options
• Two dental plans through Delta Dental
• Basic life and AD&D insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability
• 20+ days of paid time off (PTO) per year
• Anniversary time off that consists of 1+ days of paid leave for each anniversary year (PLAY)
• 16 hours of volunteer time off (VTO) per year
• 11+ paid holidays
• 401(k) that includes up to 6% match
• Up to $5250 per year for educational reimbursement
• 2 weeks of paid parental leave
• Mental health resources including an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home office reimbursement for hybrid/remote roles
• Individualized learning and development programs

Application window: Please note, applications will be accepted until at least October 29, 2024.