Vice President, Enterprise Compliance Testing

The Vice President, Enterprise Compliance Testing is a senior management role responsible for leading the direction, execution, and continuous enhancement of Aqua’s Compliance Testing and Monitoring program as it relates to applicable federal and state consumer lending laws and regulations. This role provides enterprise-level program leadership, independent judgment, and effective challenge, while supporting executive and Board-level reporting through clear, risk-based insights.

Essential Functions

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for Aqua’s enterprise Compliance Testing and Monitoring program, including the design, execution, and continuous enhancement of testing methodologies, test scripts, and monitoring frameworks

• Develop and maintain strategic and risk‑based compliance testing plans, aligned to the enterprise risk assessment, regulatory change, business initiatives, product offerings, and emerging risks

• Develop and conduct ad hoc testing for new and existing product offerings, business initiatives, and corrective actions

• Lead the design, build, and implementation of automated and semi‑automated compliance testing and reporting solutions to improve coverage, consistency, efficiency, and scalability of the testing and monitoring program

• Develop and oversee the administration and execution of compliance control testing across the full lifecycle of products and services, ensuring adherence to applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and internal business rules

• Design and maintain regulatory and control inventories

• Develop and maintain a compliance risk assessment methodology aligned with Aqua’s business practices, regulatory obligations, product offerings, and control environment.

• Analyze risk assessments to determine testing scope, frequency, and depth, ensuring testing objectives are clearly defined, risk‑appropriate, and examiner‑defensible

• Develop a business line monitoring oversight program and provide on-going second‑line oversight and effective challenge of business line monitoring activities, including review of monitoring design, execution quality, issue identification, and escalation practices

• Log identified issues clearly and timely, ensuring issues are well-documented,  and provide root cause analysis support

• Partner with business leaders to promote strong ownership of compliance risk within the business line, while holding business partners accountable for timely remediation of control weaknesses and compliance gaps

• Ensure timely, accurate, and insightful testing and monitoring results, trends, and remediation status are reported through clear, risk-based reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer, senior management, management committees, and the Board, as appropriate

• Support the Chief Compliance Officer in advancing Compliance Program priorities, including testing and monitoring strategy, program maturity, regulatory readiness, issue escalation, and other strategic or operational initiatives as assigned

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or commensurate work experience required

• Master’s degree preferred

• CRCM preferred

• 12 years of experience in Compliance, Risk Management, or Regulatory Oversight, in progressively elevated roles required

• 7 years of people management experience, including hiring, coaching, developing, and leading high-performing compliance professionals and building scalable compliance testing capabilities required

• 7 years of experience in consumer financial services with direct responsibility for compliance testing, monitoring, and second‑line assurance programs required

• Demonstrated expertise and independent judgment in designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise‑level Compliance Testing and Monitoring programs, including:

  • Development of risk‑based test plans, testing methodologies, and audit‑defensible workpapers

  • Design and implementation of automated or semi‑automated testing solutions, dashboards, and reporting to improve testing efficiency, coverage, and consistency

  • Oversight of automated compliance reporting, metrics, and issue‑tracking mechanisms used for management, committees, and board reporting

• Advanced working knowledge of federal consumer protection laws and regulations (e.g., UDAAP, Reg B, FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, privacy frameworks) and the ability to integrate state‑law overlays into testing strategies

• Proven ability to translate risk assessments into testing strategies, monitoring plans, and actionable compliance insights

• Strong executive‑level communication skills, including experience presenting complex testing results, trends, and remediation recommendations to senior leadership, committees, and regulators

• High attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, evolving regulatory environment

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and compliance data‑management, workflow, GRC tools, and automation technology; experience leveraging technology to scale compliance testing programs strongly preferred

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, visualize, talk, hear, and handle or touch objects or controls. The employee may occasionally lift, push, or pull up to 20 pounds.

This position is an office-based position where you must be able to sit for long periods of time. The employee will be working on a computer 90% of the time.