Chief Compliance Officer

About the Company

Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI) is dedicated to providing customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration. We are committed to our employees, offering competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and administer all aspects of the Compliance Management Program, functioning as an independent and objective body that reviews and evaluates compliance issues/concerns within the organization.
• Plan, organize, and manage the Bank's day-to-day compliance activities.
• Oversee and implement risk analysis, assessment, and monitoring related to Bank consumer compliance activities.
• Participate in various committees, audits, and examinations.
• Oversee compliance training initiatives.
• Advise the Board of Directors, Senior Management, and Bank personnel of emerging compliance issues and guide the establishment of controls to mitigate risks.
• Coordinate risk assessment and monitoring of subsidiary compliance management programs.
• Ensure department activities run smoothly by providing leadership, training, and supervision to compliance department personnel.
• Develop, oversee, and implement strategies to achieve goals established for the function and Bank.
• Provide leadership of the Bank’s compliance management program consistent with a Three Lines of Defense model to measure, monitor, and control residual exposure to compliance risk.
• Responsible for compliance reporting to the Board of Directors’ Risk Committee.
• Demonstrate expertise in applicable laws and regulations and research new and modified laws, regulations, interpretations, and guidance.
• Lead the Bank’s regulatory change management program and collaborate with applicable First Line managers to revise policies, procedures, and practices to address new requirements.
• Deploy technology solutions to broaden the scope, frequency, and efficiency of compliance monitoring activities and reduce residual compliance risk.
• Develop and perform ongoing compliance risk assessment and monitoring related to Bank consumer compliance activities.
• Develop and/or oversee risk-based compliance policies and procedures that ensure compliance with statutes and regulations.
• Develop, document, and maintain a compliance program including risk assessments, policies, procedures, guidelines, and monitoring, testing, and reporting protocols tailored to prevent, detect, and correct specific compliance risks.
• Identify potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk; develop and implement corrective action plans for issue resolution.
• Coordinate the Bank’s efforts related to various compliance audits, reviews, and examinations, facilitating corrective action as appropriate.
• Interact with Senior Management, the Board of Directors’ Risk Committee, attorneys, bank regulators, service providers, consultants, and bank/subsidiary staff.
• Consult with the General Counsel as needed to resolve complex legal compliance issues.
• Develop and promote processes for compliance training, awareness, and conformance with regulations.
• Proactively review and assess new and existing products, capabilities, and opportunities from a compliance risk perspective.
• Provide input to the Bank’s functions related to advertising, Community Reinvestment Act, Privacy, and consumer complaints.
• Coordinate risk assessment and monitoring of subsidiary compliance management programs with Internal Audit.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of consultants on a regular basis.
• Provide general oversight for the work and activities of the Compliance function, ensuring adherence to established operating policies and regulatory requirements.

As the leader of Consumer Compliance and a member of the Risk Management Group, this person contributes to achieving the function’s goal of measuring, monitoring, and controlling the Bank’s residual exposure to compliance risk and the Bank’s annual goals.

Requirements

• B.S./B.A. degree in a related field of study; specialized bank compliance training.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in bank compliance-related positions.
• Strong leadership and management experience.
• Large bank compliance department, consulting, or examination experience preferred.
• Fiduciary/Asset Management/Employee Benefits knowledge a plus.
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Skills

• Thorough knowledge of the role of the Second Line of Defense related to consumer compliance risk and expert technical knowledge of applicable banking laws, regulations, and supervisory guidance.
• Experience designing, implementing, and managing an effective Three-Lines of Defense compliance management program.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to foster team development, including delegating responsibilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with the First Line of Defense, Enterprise Risk Management, and Internal Audit leadership and staff.
• Ability to envision and implement technology solutions to improve the Bank’s ability to measure, monitor, and control compliance risk.
• Attention to detail, independent judgment, strong analytical and risk assessment skills.
• Strong business judgment and ability to function in a deadline-intensive environment while managing multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to adapt to change and unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values.

Benefits

• 11 paid holidays
• Paid vacation
• Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance
• 401K with generous match
• Pension
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Banking discounts

Pay

Minimum USD $132,500.00/Year. Maximum USD $245,997.00/Year.

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 accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk, or sit.
• Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to focus.