SVP of People

Collins Community Credit Union, a growing organization is currently recruiting for a SVP of People. This person will be a competitive, independent, "doer" who can problem solve and get things done through people. In this role, you will own the people side of Collins. You'll set the strategy for how we hire, grow, pay, and keep great people, and you'll make sure HR runs well every day.

This is a senior leadership role with a direct line to the CEO. You'll be in the room when we make decisions about growth, structure, and change, and we'll expect you to bring a point of view.

Applicants must have valid work authorization for permanent employment in the U.S. without the need for sponsorship.

Why this role matters

People is the first of our four strategic pillars: Foster a Culture of High Performing Teams, Transform Member Experiences by Building Loyalty and Trust, Drive Sustainable Membership Growth, and Cultivate Community Engagement & Impact. We don't hit the other three without getting this one right.

Collins has over 200 employees across Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, North Liberty, Cedar Falls, and Des Moines, and roughly $1.5 billion in assets. We're growing, and we need HR to be a strategic partner in serving our members and the organization.

Our north star is simple: we trust our people, give them the tools they need to be successful, support them relentlessly, and celebrate together. The SVP of People turns that into how we actually operate, and holds all of us to our ACTION values: All In, Collins Community Obsessed, Transparent, Integrity, OneTeam, and Nimble.

Key responsibilities

People strategy and executive partnership

• Build and own a multi-year people strategy tied directly to our strategic plan and budget working collaboratively with the leadership team.
• Create a culture of high-performing teams: clear expectations, strong leaders, and accountability for results.
• Break down silos. Build the habits, structures, and shared goals that get our leadership teams working together across departments and markets, and model that collaboration yourself.
• Build strategic workforce management plans that spell out the roles, skills, and staffing we need in every market.
• Build and maintain a strategic people scorecard for the CEO to present at each monthly board meeting.
• Advise the CEO and senior leadership team on org design, staffing, and the people impact of major decisions.

Talent, succession, and leadership development

• Work collaboratively to identify high-potential employees and help build internal talent pipelines to support succession planning.
• Develop a proactive recruitment and succession plan, so we're building candidate pipelines before we have openings and preparing internal successors for key roles.
• Strategically partner with universities to build out an internship program that brings early-career talent to Collins.
• Design and run leadership development for current and emerging leaders, including coaching.
• Put a performance management approach in place, with clear expectations and real conversations.

Culture and employee experience

• Make the ACTION values show up in how we hire, recognize, develop, and, when needed, part ways.
• Make collaboration part of how we hire, evaluate, and develop every leader and every position, so no team works as a silo. OneTeam isn't optional.
• Run the engagement survey process, share results openly, and work with leaders on action plans that stick.
• Be visible. Spend time in every market, know our people, and hear what's working and what isn't.
• Partner on internal communication so employees understand where we're going and why.

Total rewards

• Set and maintain a compensation philosophy and pay structure that keeps us competitive in our markets.
• Review pay equity regularly and fix gaps.
• Own the benefits strategy, building on what we learned from the 2026 benefits survey.
• Partner with the CFO on people costs, budgeting, and incentive plan design.

HR operations, compliance, and risk

• Keep HR policies, procedures, and practices compliant with federal and Iowa employment law.
• Handle complex employee relations issues with fairness and discretion, and bring in legal counsel when needed.
• Keep core HR processes simple, accurate, and efficient: onboarding, payroll partnership, leave, records, and offboarding.
• Spot and manage people-related risk, including key-person risk and policy exposure.

People data and technology

• Own the HRIS and related tools, ensuring we get the most out of them.
• Track a short set of people metrics (turnover, engagement, time to hire, internal promotion rate) and use them to feed the monthly board scorecard.
• Find practical ways to use AI and automation to cut admin time and improve the employee experience.

Leading the People team

• Lead, coach, and grow the HR team. Hire well, set clear expectations, and hold people accountable.
• Build a team our leaders see as partners.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including at least 5 years leading an HR function or a major part of one.
• Hands-on experience in compensation, employee relations, talent management, and HR compliance.
• Experience building succession plans, internal talent pipelines, and board-level reporting.
• A track record of leading change and bringing people along with it.
• Working knowledge of federal and state employment law.
• Comfortable with numbers: building metrics, reading a budget, and making a business case.
• Experience running an HRIS.

Preferred

• Experience in a credit union, bank, or other regulated financial institution.
• Experience building university partnerships or internship programs.
• Master's degree (MBA, MHRM, or similar).
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification.
• Experience leading HR across multiple locations.

The person we're looking for

• Earns trust quickly at every level, from the front line to the boardroom.
• A natural collaborator who pulls people together across teams instead of building walls between them.
• Cares personally and challenges directly.
• Stays calm in tough situations and keeps confidential information confidential.
• Moves without needing every answer first.
• Believes HR exists to help the business win, not to say no.

Working conditions

• Mostly office-based, with routine travel to all five of our markets.
• Occasional evenings or weekends for board, community, or urgent employee matters.
• Long stretches at a desk and computer. Able to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Works within our bylaws, board policies, regulations, and internal standards.

What You Receive from Employment with CCCU

A Comprehensive Health, Wellness and 401k package. It’s our passion to empower people, and especially our employees, to add years to their lives and more life to their years. That means a healthy account balance and a healthy body to match. We live our Core Values with Purpose and believe putting our employees first will enable and embolden them to put our membership first.

What we offer you; Competitive Pay, Bonus, and Benefits Package; 401k Match, Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Insurance, Employee Discounts, Career Training & Development Opportunities

Collins Community Credit Union is an EEO Employer. M/F/Veteran/Disability. We strongly encourage minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply for career opportunities with the Credit Union. We are an E-Verify Employer.