Compliance Officer

LOCATION:

Mission Viejo, CA. This position is not a remote or hybrid position, it requires working in person, in the bank's main office,

PAY RANGE

$130,000 - $145,000

SUMMARY STATEMENT

The Compliance Officer is responsible for the design, execution, and ongoing enhancement of the Bank’s enterprise-wide Compliance Management System (CMS). This role provides strategic leadership over regulatory compliance programs, compliance monitoring and testing, governance committees, and cross-functional risk coordination. Compliance Officer partners closely with business units, Risk Management, Legal, Audit, CRA, and Information Security to ensure regulatory expectations are met, risks are proactively identified, and the Bank always remains audit and examination-ready.

This position serves as a key second line of defense leader and plays a critical role in strengthening corporate governance, enterprise risk practices, and Board-level reporting.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Compliance Management System (CMS) & Program Oversight

• Serve as Compliance Training Coordinator, overseeing role-based and enterprise-wide compliance training, tracking completion, and ensuring regulatory alignment.
• Monitor and interpret changes to federal and state laws and regulations (including Fair Lending, Reg E, Reg CC, Flood, CRA, UDAAP, ADA, privacy, and consumer protection requirements) and translate requirements into actionable guidance.

Ongoing Business Unit Compliance Activities

Coordinate and perform ongoing compliance reviews including:

• Flood Insurance and Regulation Z
• Marketing and Advertising materials
• Client and Shareholder communications for content accuracy and regulatory compliance
• Provide advisory support to business units during product changes, initiatives, and operational enhancements.

Governance & Committee Leadership

• Serve as Compliance Committee Lead or support the development of an enhanced governance structure (e.g., Risk Management Committee), integrating Compliance, CRA, GLBA, and related risk disciplines.
• Support the development and enhancement of Corporate Governance practices, including committee charters, reporting standards, and escalation protocols.
• Maintain the Board and Committee Policy Calendar to ensure timely reviews, approvals, and documentation.

Audit and Risk Program Leadership

• Act as Audit Program Manager, coordinating internal audits conducted by 3rd party audit firms engaged by the bank, regulatory exams, finding/issue tracking, and remediation validation.
• Support third-party risk governance, due diligence, contract compliance, and ongoing monitoring.
• Participate in Audit Committee meetings and draft or review meeting minutes, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and regulatory defensibility.

Risk Assessment & Enterprise Risk Development

Serve as Risk Assessment Coordinator, tracking and reviewing all enterprise risk assessments, including:

• New product and service risk assessments
• Cybersecurity, information security, IT, cloud, eBanking, compliance and enterprise risk assessments

Begin development of a limited Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, including Identification and tracking of Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), coordination across second-line risk functions, and consistent risk reporting and escalation practices

CRA, Policy, and Forms Management

• Oversee CRA compliance responsibilities, including setting CRA community dev goals, coordination with CRA officer, monitoring, and reporting support.
• Manage centralized Forms Review and Compliance Sign-Off processes.
• Coordinate and perform periodic policy reviews across the organization.
• Develop and maintain new or enhanced policies, including but not limited to:

o  Artificial Intelligence (AI)

o  Model Risk Management / Model Validation

o  Three Lines of Defense (3LOD)

Elder Abuse & Legal Coordination

• Manage Elder Abuse tracking, documentation, and regulatory reporting.

Support Legal operations, including

• Tracking and reconciling legal invoices.
• Assisting the Chief Admin Officer with legal matters, regulatory inquiries, and documentation coordination.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, Business Administration, or a related field (Master’s or JD preferred).
• Experience: 5 years of experience in bank compliance or a related regulatory role within a financial institution.
• Certifications: CRCM (Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager) or CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) highly preferred.
• Regional Knowledge: Strong familiarity with California-specific consumer protection laws and the Southern California market landscape.

TECHNICAL AND SOFT SKILLS

• Analytical Rigor: Ability to synthesize complex regulatory text into actionable business procedures.
• Communication: Exceptional written skills for drafting policies and verbal skills for training diverse teams.
• Tech-Savvy: Proficiency with automated compliance monitoring software (e.g., Verafin, Abrigo) and advanced Excel modeling.

PARTNERS BANK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, local laws and ordinances.