HybridLos Angeles area, Bay Area, NYC metro, and South Florida.POSITION SUMMARY: Reporting to the Chief Operations and Servicing Officer, the Vice President of Operations and Execution is a hands-on operating leader responsible for translating priorities into disciplined execution across assigned operational and customer-facing functions supporting Accion Opportunity Fund Community Development and Accion Opportunity Federal Credit Union. The Vice President will manage leaders and teams, improve day-to-day performance, resolve complex operating issues, and ensure critical initiatives move from plan to implementation.
This is a working leadership role for an experienced operator who is comfortable moving between people leadership, operating data, workflow details, vendor performance, customer escalations, and cross-functional implementation. The successful candidate will set clear expectations, build capable managers, and personally engage in important work when additional structure, analysis, or problem solving is required.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Operational Leadership and Performance- Lead the daily performance of assigned operations and service-delivery functions, establishing clear ownership, service levels, productivity expectations, quality standards, and operating routines.
- Maintain direct visibility into volume, capacity, backlog, cycle time, quality, customer outcomes, cost, and risk; use the data to identify problems early and drive corrective action.
- Resolve operational bottlenecks and escalations by working directly with managers, frontline teams, vendors, and cross-functional partners.
- Translate organizational priorities into practical workplans with accountable owners, milestones, dependencies, decision points, and measurable outcomes.
- Ensure operational commitments are completed on time and that unresolved issues are elevated with clear facts, options, and recommendations.
Process Improvement and Execution- Examine end-to-end workflows and redesign processes to reduce friction, rework, handoffs, errors, and operating cost while strengthening the customer and employee experience.
- Lead implementation of operational changes from problem definition through testing, launch, adoption, stabilization, and benefit realization.
- Build practical controls, standard operating procedures, decision rights, and performance reporting that support consistent and audit-ready execution.
- Identify and implement automation and responsible AI use cases that improve speed, quality, capacity, and service delivery; ensure the operating teams adopt and sustain the changes.
- Partner on technology-enabled initiatives, including lending, servicing, customer support, and member-service capabilities, representing operational requirements and owning business readiness.
Customer and Member Operations- Improve customer and member outcomes by strengthening the operational processes, service channels, case management, and handoffs that shape the experience.
- Use customer feedback, complaints, service data, and quality results to identify root causes and implement operational corrections.
- Drive effective use and continuous improvement of assigned service platforms, including Zendesk and the Service Portal, to increase self-service, improve response quality, and reduce avoidable contacts.
- Partner with Product and Marketing on customer journeys, communications, and campaigns while retaining accountability for operational readiness and execution within Operations.
People and Vendor Leadership- Lead, coach, and hold accountable a team of operational leaders; establish clear goals, regular performance reviews, development plans, and succession coverage.
- Create an environment in which managers own results, address performance issues promptly, and remain close to the work of their teams.
- Manage workforce capacity and resource allocation across in-house and outsourced operations based on demand, service expectations, risk, and cost.
- Oversee assigned vendor and business-process-outsourcing relationships through clear contracts, scorecards, governance, issue resolution, and continuous performance improvement.
- Build productive relationships across Product, Technology, Marketing, Credit, Risk, Compliance, Finance, Data and Analytics, and other partners needed to deliver operational outcomes.
Risk Controls and Financial Stewardship- Embed applicable regulatory, compliance, documentation, and control requirements into operating processes in partnership with Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Internal Audit.
- Monitor operational risks, control gaps, incidents, and remediation commitments; ensure corrective actions are completed and sustained.
- Manage assigned budgets, headcount, and vendor expenses; identify opportunities to improve unit economics without compromising service, control, or mission outcomes.
- Provide concise, fact-based reporting on operating performance, risks, decisions, and execution progress to senior leadership.
QUALIFICATIONS: REQUIRED:- Ten or more years of progressive experience in operations, servicing, customer operations, business-process management, or a related discipline, including leadership of managers and distributed teams.
- Demonstrated success improving operating performance and personally leading complex implementations from planning through sustained execution.
- Experience managing high-volume workflows, service levels, productivity, quality, controls, and customer escalations in a regulated or operationally complex environment.
- Strong command of operating data and performance management, with the ability to move from analysis to practical action.
- Experience managing third-party vendors or outsourced operations, including performance scorecards, governance, and issue remediation.
- Proven ability to work across functions, clarify ownership, make sound decisions, and maintain momentum when priorities or conditions change.
- Clear and direct communication skills, sound judgment, high accountability, and a willingness to work at the level of detail required to achieve results.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
PREFERRED: - Operations leadership experience in financial services, fintech, community development finance, credit unions, or small-business lending.
- Knowledge of loan origination, funding, servicing, collections, customer support, or credit-union member operations.
- Experience implementing workflow automation, AI-enabled operations, case-management platforms, or lending and servicing technology.
- Process-improvement, project-management, or change-management training or certification.
LEADERSHIP PROFILE: The strongest candidate will be a practical and highly engaged leader who earns credibility by understanding the work, making timely decisions, and helping teams deliver. This person must be equally comfortable coaching a manager, reviewing a performance dashboard, mapping a broken process, challenging a vendor, resolving an escalation, and presenting a clear recommendation to senior leadership. The role requires strategic judgment, but success will be measured through execution, operating performance, stronger managers, and sustained results.
WHY JOIN AOF:At AOF, our mission drives everything we do. We believe that helping entrepreneurs succeed strengthens families, neighborhoods, and local economies. As a member of our leadership team, you will help shape the future of responsible small business lending while creating lasting economic opportunity for underserved communities.
We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including:
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
- Flexible hybrid/remote work environment and monthly remote work reimbursement (phone and internet).
- 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance for employees (based on plan selection).
- 90% employer-paid dependent medical coverage (based on plan selection).
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
- Supplemental Life and AD&D insurance.
- Legal assistance plans.
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching contributions.
- Unlimited paid vacation.
- Twelve paid holidays plus one floating holiday.
- Ten paid sick days.
- Paid parental leave.
- Professional development opportunities.
Salary Range*: $190,000 - $235,000, plus a 15% Discretionary Annual Target Bonus
*Compensation will be based on the selected candidate's qualifications, experience, geographic location, and overall fit for the position.
