Vice President, Talent Development

The Company:

CommunityAmerica Credit Union is a leading not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, dedicated to helping individuals and businesses achieve financial peace of mind at every stage of life. Founded in 1940, CommunityAmerica has grown into one of the nation’s largest credit unions, serving hundreds of thousands of members with a full suite of financial products and services — from everyday checking and savings to loans, mortgages, retirement planning, and wealth management. As a cooperative, profits are returned to members through competitive rates, low fees, and an annual Profit Payout program. CommunityAmerica also actively supports financial education and community partnerships, reflecting its mission of enriching the communities it serves.

CommunityAmerica recently expanded its footprint through the acquisition of UNIFY Financial Credit Union, significantly increasing its scale and reach. With this strategic addition, the combined organization now encompasses approximately $10 billion in revenue and a workforce of more than 1,500 employees. The acquisition strengthens CommunityAmerica Credit Union’s ability to deliver enhanced products, expanded geographic coverage, and greater resources — further reinforcing its commitment to long-term member value and community impact.

The Opportunity:

The Vice President, Talent Development is a strategic leader responsible for shaping and executing an enterprise-wide talent and leadership development strategy as a national credit union that enables the organization’s long-term growth, performance, and cultural priorities. This role designs and leads integrated strategies across leadership development, succession planning, organizational effectiveness, learning, and employee experience.

As a key member of the HR leadership team, the Vice President, Talent Development partners with executive leadership to build a high-performing, future-ready workforce and a strong internal leadership pipeline. This role ensures that talent development initiatives are aligned to business strategy, deliver measurable ROI, and strengthen the organization’s culture, engagement, and performance.

The Vice President, Talent Development will oversee the Manager, Leadership & Employee Development; and Director, Member Experience Training.

Essential Functions:

Enterprise Talent Development Strategy

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year talent development and leadership strategy aligned with the organization’s strategic plan and growth objectives.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief People Officer and executive leadership on talent, leadership capability, organizational effectiveness, and talent risks.
• Lead the design and integration of enterprise programs including leadership development, talent planning, succession planning, career pathways, and employee experience initiatives.
• Assess organizational capability and future skill needs; create scalable development strategies to close critical capability gaps.
• Establish and monitor key talent metrics (bench strength, leadership readiness, engagement, retention, internal mobility, and program ROI).
• Partner with business and HR leaders to ensure development initiatives directly support productivity, member experience, and financial performance goals.

Leadership Development and Succession

• Design and implement a best-in-class leadership development architecture for all levels: emerging leaders, mid-level leaders, senior leaders, and executives.
• Support the enterprise succession planning process for executive, senior leadership, and critical roles in alignment with regulatory expectations.
• Build internal leadership pipelines to reduce external hiring dependency and increase internal mobility.
• Partner with executives to create individualized development plans for high-potential and successor candidates.
• Implement executive coaching, assessment, and development solutions.

Learning and Organizational Effectiveness

• Oversee the design and delivery of enterprise learning, onboarding, technical, and professional development programs.
• Ensure learning strategies support major organizational initiatives, system implementations, and strategic transformations.
• Lead organizational development efforts including culture initiatives, change management, team effectiveness, and leadership capability building.
• Partner with HR and senior leaders to diagnose organizational issues and implement targeted interventions.
• Oversee the Learning Management System and digital learning strategy to support a geographically dispersed workforce.

Employee Experience and Engagement

• Partner with HR and business leaders to design programs that enhance employee engagement, onboarding, well-being, and retention.
• Use engagement survey data, performance metrics, and workforce analytics to identify trends and drive targeted development strategies.
• Lead change management and communication strategies tied to major talent and organizational initiatives.
• Lead and develop an engaging internship program to support the organization’s goals.

Operations

• Oversee enterprise succession planning development programs to meet regulatory requirements and board expectations.
• Oversee all compliance training and ensure regulatory requirements are being achieved.
• Lead vendor selection, due diligence, and contract negotiations.
• Develop and manage the enterprise talent development budget, ensuring strong return on investment.

Leadership and Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing talent development team.
• Set clear priorities, performance expectations, and development plans for team members.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Ensure the team delivers high-quality, scalable, and measurable programs across all levels of the organization.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in talent development, leadership development, or organizational effectiveness.
• 5+ years in a senior leadership role within HR or talent functions.
• Experience leading strategic development initiatives in a national organization.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate business strategy into talent strategies.
• Strong executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders.
• Demonstrated success building leadership pipelines and development programs at scale.
• Use of talent analytics to drive decisions.
• Proven ability to lead change and transformation initiatives.
• Excellent facilitation and creative program development skills.
• Excellent written and analytical skills; the ability to write clear and well-developed strategies and action plans to support a high level of performance by employees.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and develop talent and effectively provide constructive feedback to employees.
• Strong consulting skills with a client-focused mind-set; building valuable relationships based on trust, respect and collaboration.