Director, Risk

Support the CFRO in executing Sunrise’s enterprise risk management (ERM) framework.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the development and integration of risk policies, procedures, and reporting structures.
• Ensure risk appetite and tolerances are applied consistently across business lines.
• Provide risk insights and recommendations to the CFRO and senior leadership.
• Oversee risk governance, escalation pathways, and internal audit coordination.
• Provide leadership for credit risk management through the Senior Manager, Credit Risk and their adjudication and specialist teams.
• Ensure adherence to credit policies, adjudication limits, and risk-adjusted pricing across retail, commercial, and agricultural lending portfolios.
• Monitor credit performance, portfolio concentrations, and delinquency trends, escalating significant issues to the CFRO.
• Support the development of consistent underwriting, collections, and recovery practices.
• Lead compliance programs to ensure adherence to Provincial and Canadian credit union regulations, including AML, privacy, and consumer protection standards.
• Oversee AML and anti-fraud strategies through analysts dedicated to detection, investigation, and prevention.
• Ensure Fraud & Loss Prevention practices effectively protect members and the credit union.
• Maintain relationships with regulators, auditors, and law enforcement as appropriate.

Enterprise & Third-Party Risk Management

• Provide oversight of vendor risk, operational risk, and business continuity programs through the Manager, Enterprise & Third-Party Risk Management.
• Ensure third-party/vendor risk assessments align with policy and regulatory expectations.
• Guide the continuous improvement of risk tools, reporting, and monitoring systems.

Board & Executive Reporting

• Prepare risk-related reports and recommendations for review by the CFRO and subsequent presentation to the CEO, Board, and committees.
• Provide analysis on emerging risks and regulatory changes, ensuring timely escalation of key issues.
• Build a culture of risk awareness throughout the organization by utilizing available opportunities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop risk team, including managers, senior managers, adjudicators, and analysts.
• Build technical expertise and leadership capacity within the risk function.
• Foster a culture of integrity, accountability, and risk awareness across the credit union.

Education & Qualifications

• Minimum 8–10 years of risk management and/or finance experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership capacity, with direct experience in the credit union or cooperative financial services sector.
• Post-secondary degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or Risk Management preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Canadian regulatory requirements, credit risk practices, and enterprise risk frameworks preferred.
• Professional designation such as FRM (Financial Risk Manager), CFA, or CPA with risk specialization preferred.

Core Skills and Competencies

• Strong expertise in enterprise and credit risk management.
• Deep understanding of Canadian AML, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead managers and multi-layered teams.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for executives, regulators, and boards.
• Strategic problem-solving skills with sound judgment and decision-making capability.
• Familiarity with credit union financial models and cooperative governance.
• Experience implementing risk management technology platforms and analytics tools.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional leaders.
• Experience leading organizational change initiatives.
• Critical thinking skills with the ability to evaluate complex situations and develop effective solutions.
• Highly motivated self-starter with strong self-management and accountability; demonstrates initiative and acts proactively without the need for direction.
• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills to foster collaboration and trust.