Compliance Officer

At First Fidelity Bank, we are looking for talented, enthusiastic team members with a passion for service excellence. Our employees are critical to our overall success. We invest in our employees by providing excellent training and development, as well as advancement opportunities. We offer our employees a family environment, great benefits, competitive pay and paid time off for work/life balance. We are dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve, and we encourage our employees to participate in charitable giving and volunteer opportunities. One of our Core Values is to provide a caring place to work where people truly enjoy coming to work each day. Colleagues of First Fidelity Bank take pride in working here, make lasting friendships and have fun!

SUMMARY

The Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring the bank's adherence to all relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies. This role involves developing, implementing, and maintaining a robust compliance framework, conducting regular risk assessments, and providing support to employees on compliance matters. The Compliance Officer serves as a key resource for management and staff, offering guidance on regulatory requirements and best practices to mitigate compliance risk.

PRIMARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• Program Management

  • Ongoing development, implementation, and maintenance of the bank’s Compliance Program, ensuring that the program is aligned with the bank’s culture and strategic initiatives.

  • Stay current with changes in banking laws and regulations (e.g., EFTA, CRA, Fair Lending, etc.) and update policies and procedures accordingly.

  • Performs ongoing analysis and risk assessments related to all aspects of Compliance.  

  • Provide supporting information, interpretations, clarifications, and advice to senior management to assist them in making decisions to ensure that the Bank achieves optimum compliance.  Acts as a resource to bank colleagues to ensure compliance with the bank’s Compliance Program and federal and state regulations.

  • Evaluates development of, or changes to, products, services, processes, and systems to determine compliance risk and impacts and ensures policies remain compliant.

  • Responsible for identification of operational and compliance risks as they relate to the Compliance functions.  Recommends policy, procedure and/or process improvements related to corrective action, as well as reduce deficiencies and enhance overall operational efficiency.  

  • Serves as Compliance Lead for several regulations, most notably, Community Reinvestment Act and Fair Lending. 

  • Responsible for monitoring, assessing regulatory impact, as well as communicating and coordinating implementation of new or changing regulations with appropriate stakeholders.

• Monitoring and Reporting

  • Responsible for management and Board reporting related to the Compliance Program, including but not limited to ongoing reporting related to the Community Reinvestment Act and Fair Lending.

  • Completes required reporting, ensures timely submission to the appropriate agency, and resubmits when required.

• Training and Education

  • Provide supporting information, interpretations, clarifications, and advice to senior management to assist them in making decisions to ensure that the Bank achieves optimum compliance.  Acts as a resource to bank colleagues to ensure compliance with the bank’s Compliance Program and federal and state regulations.

  • Works with the Internal Communications Department to coordinate bank-wide annual training as required for specific regulations.

• Audits and Examinations

  • Acts as the primary contact for regulatory examinations and audits of Compliance.  Participates in response to exam and audit concerns and oversees corrective action of all related compliance deficiencies or violations.

  • Coordinates the collection of requested information and documentation for auditors and examiners.

  • Develops and oversees the implementation of corrective action plans in response to audit findings or regulatory citations.

•  Regular and reliable attendance is an essential function of the job.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Three (3) to five (5) years of progressive banking experience demonstrating thorough knowledge of financial transactions, bank operations and exposure to Compliance regulations.  

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience demonstrating an exceptional level of analytical skill and seasoned judgement required.

• In-depth knowledge, or capacity to gain in-depth knowledge of banking regulations quickly, including but not limited to:

  • Deposit regulations (Truth in Savings Act, Electronic Funds Transfer Act, etc.)

  • Lending regulations (Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, etc.)

  • Operations regulations (Community Reinvestment Act, Retail Non-Deposit Investments, Privacy Act, etc.)

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

• High school degree required.
• Bachelor’s degree highly preferred.
• Compliance certifications required (can be obtained up to one year after appointment).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS (SKILLS, ABILITIES, CHARACTERISTICS):

• Challenge driven and goal oriented. 

• Excellent interpersonal skills and verbal/written communication skills that will enable the individual to work effectively with all members of the organization, as well as other financial institutions, examiners and law enforcement.

• Thorough knowledge of depository functions, bank products, and core data processing system.

• Solid time management, problem solving and organizational skills with the ability to self-motivate, self-manage, and prioritize multiple tasks to meet prescribed deadlines in a fast-paced environment.  Ability to work both independently (with little to no supervision or interaction with other employees) and/or as a member of a team. Ability to manage, interpret and apply knowledge of relevant banking regulations, including state and federal laws pertaining to banking and fraud.

• Strong analytical, organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving/critical thinking skills.  Must be detail oriented with ability to work accurately resulting in an extremely low error ratio.   

• Consistent support and consideration to customer (internal and external) impact as driven by the bank’s culture.

• Effective coaching skills to maximize individual and team performance. 

• Other general skills including excellent PC and both verbal and written skills.  Technical writing experience preferred.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Yes

WORKING CONDITIONS: Must be able to work within a routine office environment. 

AA/EOE M/F/D/V MEMBER FDIC