Vice President Card Strategy; Hybrid in Syracuse, NY

Position: Vice President Card Strategy (Hybrid in Syracuse, NY)
Location: City of Syracuse

Vice President Card Strategy (Hybrid in Syracuse, NY)

1 Member Way, 1 Member Way, Syracuse, New York, United States of America

Job Description

Posted Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 4:00 AM

Empower FCU

Purpose:

At every stage of life, positively impact members by providing affordable financial services.
Empower FCU Core Values: Fairness, Integrity & Honesty Empower FCU Strategic Pillars:

• World-Class Employee Experience
• Best-In-Class Member Experience
• Growth for Impact
• Shared Value in the Community

Empower Federal Credit Union offers excellent benefits including Medical and Dental Insurance, 401K with Employer Match, Holiday Pay, Paid Time Off and more! A World-Class Employee

Experience:

We are at our best when we develop genuine relationships, look out for one another, share information freely and honestly, and work together. We succeed when we rise above departments, roles, and individual interests to move forward together. Each of us plays a crucial role in creating a positive work environment and we encourage all employees to contribute to embracing Empower’s values and supporting those around you.

Be Yourself, Belong with Empower: The strength of Empower lies in the unique backgrounds, voices, talents, and experiences of each person. With a culture of belonging, we enable teamwork, spark innovation, and fuel success.

Please note:
All candidates will be subject to a background check to determine employment eligibility. For roles that require an NMLS you may be subject to a credit check.

Role:

The Vice President, Card Strategy sets the strategic vision for the credit and debit card portfolios, driving innovative, secure, and scalable solutions that fuel sustainable growth and exceptional member experiences. This leader ensures card products deliver simple, connected journeys from onboarding to everyday digital servicing and dispute resolution while maintaining strong financial performance, prudent risk management, and regulatory compliance. The role requires deep partnership across the enterprise and with external partners to deliver cohesive, competitive, and future‑ready card solutions.

The annual salary range for this position is: $-$.

Location: Our headquarters are based in Syracuse, NY. We work in a hybrid model requiring a minimum of 5 days in office per month.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities:
Strategic Roadmap

• Define and execute the strategic roadmap for credit and debit card portfolios, balancing growth, profitability, and risk.
• Lead product development, enhancements, and lifecycle management across physical and digital channels.
• Optimize portfolio performance through product design, pricing, benefits, and controls that support responsible use and sustainable revenue.

Member Experience & Innovation

• Identify and deploy solutions that elevate the member experience and improve engagement, efficiency, and financial outcomes.
• Translate member insights into intuitive, easy-to-use card experiences in partnership with Design, Content, and Research teams.
• Ensure card features and journeys are cohesive, connected, and friction‑free across the full lifecycle.

Card-Based Commerce Solutions

• Lead strategy and implementation of commerce solutions such as digital wallets, tokenization, merchant offers, rewards integration, installments, and real-time controls.
• Partner with fintechs, networks, processors, and merchants to expand everyday card utility and drive usage.
• Deliver solutions that grow revenue and engagement while maintaining strong fraud, risk, and compliance controls.

Performance, Financials & Risk Management

• Monitor portfolio performance using data and analytics (usage, penetration, engagement, losses, fraud, revenue).
• Make data‑driven recommendations to improve growth, profitability, risk outcomes, and member experience.
• Own portfolio financials, including budgeting, investment prioritization, vendor economics, and ROI evaluation.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Technology, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Finance, and Member Service to ensure solutions are scalable, compliant, and operationally sound.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on card strategy, performance…