VP, Governance & Program Management

About the Role

Senior-level position responsible for the governance and execution of all compliance initiatives across the enterprise. Safeguards the company by ensuring flawless execution of high-stakes programs mandated by federal and state regulators. Transforms regulatory and contractual requirements into structured, trackable, and auditable operational workflows. This role bridges the gap between high-level business goals, enterprise governance and compliance, and the frontline execution of complex financial services, serving as a critical link in the federal contracting ecosystem.

Ensures every policy initiative is implemented while satisfying strict reporting and documentation requirements mandated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and State and Federal consumer protection edicts. Responsible for a centralized unit driving major enterprise-wide change or governance initiatives to achieve strategic goals, align resources across multiple initiatives and business units, and act as a bridge between executive vision and frontline execution.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Strategy & PMO Governance
  • Define PMO vision: Establish the strategic roadmap for the GRC PMO, aligning program portfolios with corporate risk appetite and growth goals.
  • Oversee enterprise portfolio: Govern the execution of all regulatory changes, compliance enhancements, and internal/external audit remediations.
  • Standardize GRC frameworks: Mandate rigorous program management standards that satisfy federal examiners, internal audit, and the Board of Directors.
  • Executive & Board reporting: Deliver high-level dashboard metrics and strategic updates to the Audit & Risk Committee of the Board, CEO, and Executive Leadership Team.
• Policy & Procedure Oversight
  • Govern document lifecycle: Oversee the Compliance Management System and end-to-end management framework for updating corporate policies and operational procedures.
  • Oversee USDS contractual changes: Establish formal governance for evaluating and implementing contractual Change Requests (CRs) from Federal Student Aid (FSA).
• Federal & State Compliance Delivery
  • Manage federal deliverables: Secure timely execution, review, and submission of mandatory reporting data to Federal Student Aid (FSA). Ensure federal contract reporting and deliverables comply with contract standards such as accuracy and timeliness.
  • Supervise state licensing and reporting: Track regulatory compliance and renewal cycles for all state-level student loan servicing licenses and reporting.
• Vendor Governance
  • Mitigate vendor risk: Provide PMO oversight for third-party vendors and partners to ensure they meet strict GRC performance standards.
• Executive Leadership & Culture
  • Build talent pipeline: Attract, mentor, and retain a high-performing PMO team.
  • Break functional silos: Foster deep collaboration between Legal, Risk Management, Information Security, Technology, and core Loan Servicing Operations.
  • Cultivate compliance culture: Champion an organizational mindset where regulatory compliance accelerates operational excellence rather than delaying it.
• Strategy Development and Execution
  • Define the overall transformation or governance strategy and roadmap based on the policy governance framework and the Enterprise Strategic Plan in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Risk Management and Strategic Transformation Officer, and the Executive Steering Committee.
  • Translate the policy governance framework and Enterprise Strategic Plan into actionable entity-wide plans, ensuring alignment with business objectives across all affected business units.
  • Maintain changes to the roadmap.
• Program Leadership and Management
  • Oversee and coordinate transformation and governance initiatives across all affected operations business units, including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, documentation, tracking, reporting, and execution.
  • Ensure operational transformation initiatives are delivered on time and within budget.
  • Manage dependencies, sequencing, resource constraints, and conflicts across initiatives.
• Process Improvement and Digitalization
  • Identify and centralize the prioritization of opportunities for operational improvements from a business, compliance, and risk standpoint, such as adopting new technologies and redesigning business processes to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer experience.
  • Work closely with IT development and project teams to represent the business/operations side in a centralized manner.
• Development of Business Requirements & Data-Driven Reporting for Strategic Decisions
  • Assist business units with documentation of requirements for development efforts, including queries used in analyzing portfolios to aid in strategic planning and audit requests.
• Team Leadership
  • Build, mentor, and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, ensuring they have the necessary resources and support.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, management, or a related field or equivalent experience is required; MBA or a relevant master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10+ years of management experience in leading large-scale transformation, strategy, or management consulting, preferably within a complex organization. A proven track record of driving measurable performance improvement is essential.
• Minimum of 5+ years of leading Sr. Managers in a complex financial organization, preferably in the student loan or related industry.
• This position requires (6C) personnel security screening in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) policy. A qualified applicant must successfully submit for personnel security screening within 14 calendar days from employment offer.
• Some travel may be required.

Skills

• Leadership and Influence: Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and inspire teams and senior executives without direct authority.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making and the ability to translate complex challenges into actionable solutions.
• Technical Acumen: Deep expertise in change management methodologies, project management tools, and relevant industry technologies.