Vice President, Chief Legal Officer

Are you an experienced, versatile legal executive who enjoys building partnerships within a mission‑driven organization? WSECU is seeking a strategic and trusted legal leader to join the team as our first Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, who will shape the creation of organization’s legal infrastructure.

The Vice President, Chief Legal Officer serves as WSECU’s top legal advisor and will provide enterprise‑wide legal leadership. This role partners closely with executive management and the WSECU Board of Directors to form legal strategy, ensure regulatory compliance, manage legal risk, and protect the organization’s reputation while enabling business objectives.

• Develop and lead WSECU’s legal strategy in alignment with business objectives and risk appetite.
• Serve as primary legal advisor to executive leadership, the Board of Directors, and business units.
• Provide counsel on a wide range of legal matters, including regulatory compliance, corporate governance, contracts, employment law, litigation oversight, and policy development.
• Establish and maintain effective legal governance structures, policies, and procedures.
• Manage all outside counsel, including selection standards, cost effectiveness, and performance.
• Partner with outside counsel on civil actions such as bankruptcy, collections, consumer protection, intellectual property, and real estate matters.
• Collaborate closely with Risk Management, Information Security, Compliance, People & Culture Services, Internal Audit, and Administrative Services.
• Serve as lead legal counsel for significant corporate transactions.
• Lead and develop legal staff and manage the legal department budget.
• Stay current on legal, regulatory, and industry trends impacting financial services and credit unions.

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Washington State, or eligible and committed to obtain licensure within a negotiated timeframe.
• 10+ years of experience as a practicing attorney, including at least 3 years in financial services.
• Experience advising on federal and state consumer credit laws and regulations.
• Strong background in corporate governance, contract negotiation, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience with one or more of the following: payment services, collections/bankruptcy, vendor management, employment law, or litigation support.
• Exceptional judgment, integrity, and discretion.
• Strong executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to collaborate across diverse teams and influence at senior levels.
• Strategic thinker who can operate at both conceptual and detail‑oriented levels.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing teams.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem‑solving capabilities.

• In‑house legal experience.
• Corporate governance experience within a regulated financial environment.

Dependent on relevant qualifications, plus an annual discretionary incentive plan and full‑time benefits package.

• The target starting pay for this position is between $ to $ annually.
• The position’s maximum pay is $ annually. Pay is typically set for new hires within the first half of the range. The range above allows our employees room for growth via pay increases throughout their tenure in the position.
• Actual offers will be based on individual qualifications relevant to the role and will not take an applicant’s pay history into account.

This role is based at WSECU’s Olympia Corporate Headquarters at 330 Union Avenue in Olympia, Washington. Employees must reside in and perform all work in the state of Washington. This is a hybrid position that blends working in‑office and from home, working onsite at least two days per week.

Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm, full time minimum 40 hours per week, with scheduling flexibility to meet service needs for this Exempt position.

• Reliable, high‑speed home internet connection
• Private, confidential workspace, away from distractions and other people
• Suitable…