VP, Identity Governance and Administration - REMOTE

Velera is the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated fintech solutions provider. The company serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America, operating with velocity to help our clients keep pace with the rapid momentum of change and fuel growth in the new era of financial services. Our purpose: We accelerate partners’ success through innovative financial technology solutions and inspired service.

This position will own the global strategy, roadmap, and operational execution of the enterprise Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) program. This is a high-visibility, leadership role responsible for ensuring that identity is the foundational control plane for security, compliance, and digital transformation across the organization. Incumbent will lead a team that governs joiner-mover-leaver processes, access certifications, role lifecycle management, privileged access management (PAM) integration, birthright access, access analytics, and automation of identity-related controls at scale.

• Define and execute the multi-year global IGA strategy and roadmap aligned with Zero Trust, cloud transformation, M&A integration, and regulatory requirements (SOX, GDPR, CCPA, PCI-DSS, DORA, etc.).
• Own all aspects of the enterprise IGA platform including architecture, deployment, upgrades, and integration with HRIS, PAM, Cloud IAM (AWS, Azure), ITSM, and SIEM.
• Lead a high-performing team (engineers, architects, and analysts) across multiple geographies; provide mentorship and career development.
• Establish and continuously improve identity governance processes: access reviews/certifications, role mining & engineering, SoD conflict management, birthright & request-based provisioning, and access analytics/risk scoring.
• Serve as the primary escalation point and executive sponsor for identity-related audits and regulatory examinations.
• Partner closely with business unit leaders to balance security, compliance, and user experience.
• Drive automation and self-service initiatives to reduce manual access fulfillment and certification burden.
• Own vendor relationships and contracts for IGA and related identity tools; lead RFP processes when required.
• Establish KPIs, KRIs, and executive-level reporting on the health and maturity of the IGA program (certification completion rates, orphan/ghost account reduction, time-to-revoke, etc.).
• Create and update an Identity Strategy that advances the IGA program and ensures program maturity increases and meets the needs of the business.
• Ability to balance multiple projects, work in fast-paced environment, and meet deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively with individuals at all levels of the corporation and with professional services firms (e.g., external auditors); Strong business, leadership, and management skills
• Demonstrated excellent analytical and quantitative skills
• Ability to exercise discretion and good judgment in making decisions
• Ability to handle complex budgets and maintain adherence to budget targets
• Knowledge of various relevant compliance frameworks and practices
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of materials handled

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• CISSP Certification required
• CISA/CISM certifications preferred
• 7 years in identity and access management leadership roles.
• Proven experience standing up or transforming an enterprise-scale IGA program in a complex, highly regulated environment (financial services, healthcare, or global tech strongly preferred).
• Deep hands-on expertise with at least one major IGA platform (Saviynt preferred) and strong familiarity with the broader market.
• Demonstrated success integrating IGA with privileged access management, cloud IAM, and HR systems.
• Experience leading large, distributed teams (15+ people) and managing multi-million-dollar budgets.
• Strong understanding of role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC), risk-based certification, and access intelligence/analytics.
• Advanced knowledge of IGA concepts, strategy, and execution

At Velera, inclusion isn’t an initiative – it’s how we work. Guided by a people‑helping‑people philosophy, we cultivate a culture where every employee feels valued, respected and empowered to do their best work. We’re committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering meaningful connection across our teams. Through a remote‑first, flexible environment, we prioritize psychological safety, wellbeing and belonging so individuals and teams can collaborate to thrive. Together, we’re shaping a new era of secure, innovative solutions for the clients and communities we serve. Learn more about what it’s like to work at Velera.

Actual Pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.