Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, project management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
8–10 years of progressive experience in project management and portfolio governance, including at least 3 years managing and developing project management professionals or leading a PMO.
Financial institution experience strongly preferred, with demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional projects and initiatives.
Strong executive communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex project, portfolio, and risk information to senior leadership and the Board.
Strong financial and business acumen, including budget oversight, vendor management, forecasting, and evaluation of project risks and trade-offs.
Experience with enterprise project and portfolio management tools, reporting platforms, and Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies.
Experience developing and managing PMO governance frameworks, including portfolio governance, project controls, and reporting standards.
Experience in a unionized environment preferred, with the ability to build effective relationships with union representatives and employees.
Ability to balance strategic, enterprise-level thinking with disciplined execution and operational oversight.
Nice to have
Experience at a credit union, bank, or other member-focused organization.
Background in change management or running a transformation office.
Knowledge of core banking, digital, or data projects.
A PMP or similar project management certification.
Full description
About MCU:
At Municipal Credit Union, we believe that an incredible culture helps create a happy and motivated team that works hard to achieve the best results for themselves and their members. For more than 100 years, MCU has provided affordable financial products and convenient services to a membership base that is now comprised of over 600,000 individuals. With each new generation we have the pleasure of interacting with, we maintain the credit union promise of people helping people.
Our Mission:
To help hard-working New Yorkers build better tomorrows
Our Vision:
Be New York's most loved financial institution by helping our members build their best financial futures
Overview: The Director, Project Manager leads the Project Management Office (PMO), translating enterprise strategy into an executable project portfolio through effective prioritization, capacity planning, governance, and delivery oversight. The role leads the project management team, supports executive decision-making, and oversees portfolio performance against established timelines, budgets, objectives, and expected outcomes.
Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer, the Director partners with business, technology, risk, and finance teams, including Simplicity Partners and Business Analysts, to establish project management standards and coordinate delivery. Business owners retain accountability for requirements, scope, outcomes, and operational ownership, while MCU leadership and governance forums retain decision-making authority for priorities, funding, staffing, and key business decisions.
Responsibilities:
PMO Leadership and Operations
Lead the Project Management Office (PMO), overseeing the project management team, resources, enterprise project portfolio, and overall delivery performance.
Direct portfolio delivery, proactively identifying and addressing risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and blockers and driving timely escalation and resolution.
Manage the PMO operating cadence, including project reviews, governance forums, executive updates, and centralized reporting on portfolio status, schedules, budgets, risks, and key decisions.
Coordinate incident and SWARM reporting, escalation, and capacity impacts with operational owners, routing appropriate remediation through project intake while preserving operational and information-security response ownership.
Governance and Control
Develop and maintain the PMO governance framework, including project intake, charters, stage gates, change control, documentation, approvals, and reporting.
Establish portfolio criteria aligned with MCU’s strategic, regulatory, operational, risk, and member objectives and determine appropriate PMO involvement based on scope, complexity, and risk.
Define criteria for classifying work as projects, business-as-usual activities, incidents, or SWARMs and determining PMO oversight.
Ensure projects have appropriate sponsorship, ownership, scope, objectives, resources, and approvals before advancing through the project lifecycle.
Oversee adherence to project governance, financial controls, and enterprise risk management practices in partnership with Risk, Compliance, Finance, and other control functions.
Partner with control functions while preserving their independent review and approval authority.
Chair portfolio governance forums, oversee the identification and escalation of material portfolio risks, and advise executive leadership on scope, timing, funding, resources, sequencing, and other trade-offs.
Portfolio Strategy, Financial Management, and Reporting
Partner with executive leadership to translate strategic objectives into a prioritized, capacity-informed enterprise portfolio and roadmap.
Support annual strategic planning and portfolio reviews through investment analysis and capacity-informed roadmaps.
Lead portfolio planning from intake through closeout, evaluating strategic alignment, business cases, costs, ownership, dependencies, and delivery readiness.
Manage portfolio demand, capacity, resources, and sequencing in partnership with business and technology leaders, identifying conflicts and recommending adjustments to priorities, scope, timing, or resources.
Assess project and operational demands—including incidents, SWARMs, and administrative commitments—to identify capacity constraints.
Monitor portfolio financial performance, including budgets, expenditures, vendor exposure, forecasts, and significant variances.
Establish portfolio performance measures and report delivery, financial performance, governance, risk, dependencies, and outcomes to executive leadership and the Board.
Drive continuous improvement of PMO methodologies, processes, tools, templates, reporting, and project management standards, including training and guidance to support consistent application.
Value Realization and Change Management
Establish processes to define, measure, and monitor expected project and program outcomes and benefits, including financial, operational, member experience, and risk-related results.
Track and report project benefits and outcomes after implementation.
Provide portfolio analysis and recommendations to support investment and prioritization decisions, including continuation, deferral, consolidation, or termination of initiatives.
Coordinate related projects and transformation initiatives to support common strategic objectives and ensure change management, stakeholder readiness, communications, and adoption are incorporated into delivery.
Oversee significant enterprise transformations from initiation through implementation.
Team Leadership and Development
Lead the recruitment, development, performance management, coaching, and retention of project management staff, including career development and succession planning.
Allocate project management resources based on priorities, workload, capabilities, and development needs and monitor team capacity.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement while coaching project managers through complex delivery and stakeholder challenges.
Manage the PMO budget, headcount, contractors, and external project management resources.
Establish clear working agreements with Simplicity Partners, business owners, technology teams, Business Analysts, and external partners regarding ownership, coordination, decisions, reporting, and escalation, resolving gaps and determining appropriate PMO support.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, project management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
8–10 years of progressive experience in project management and portfolio governance, including at least 3 years managing and developing project management professionals or leading a PMO.
Financial institution experience strongly preferred, with demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional projects and initiatives.
Strong executive communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex project, portfolio, and risk information to senior leadership and the Board.
Strong financial and business acumen, including budget oversight, vendor management, forecasting, and evaluation of project risks and trade-offs.
Experience with enterprise project and portfolio management tools, reporting platforms, and Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies.
Experience developing and managing PMO governance frameworks, including portfolio governance, project controls, and reporting standards.
Experience in a unionized environment preferred, with the ability to build effective relationships with union representatives and employees.
Ability to balance strategic, enterprise-level thinking with disciplined execution and operational oversight.
Preferred:
Experience at a credit union, bank, or other member-focused organization.
Background in change management or running a transformation office.
Knowledge of core banking, digital, or data projects.
A PMP or similar project management certification.
Leadership Competencies:
Proven ability to manage change
Capacity to take calculated risks and innovate
Experience in setting vision and strategy
Lead by example and encourage team in developing adaptability
Successful in communicating effectively
Prioritizes developing others
Thinking that values diversity and difference
Proven ability to build and maintain relationships at all levels of the organization
Skilled at managing effective teams and work groups that default to action, are accountable, and take ownership of work
Why you'll be a good fit:
Our Core Values are an integral part of who we are and who we hire. By living our Core Values, every day, we continue to attract the best and brightest talent, achieve unsurpassed results and continuously challenge ourselves to be better than yesterday. These values are at the heart of our organization and within every teammate. To be a great fit, you’ll bring the following
Results - We are passionate about winning.
Agility - We proactively anticipate, respond and pivot to ensure MCU wins.
Integrity - We operate with the highest ethical standards and highest degree of honesty.
Belonging - We cultivate a culture of inclusion and teamwork.
Ownership - We take personal responsibility and hold ourselves accountable for the results.
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
The pay range for this position is between $158,000-278,010 annually. Actual base pay offered may vary depending on a number of factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. Employees in this position may also be eligible for a discretionary bonus, 401(k) with an 6% employer match per pay period. Benefits for this position include Medical, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance, flexible paid time off and 11 paid holidays annually.
Municipal Credit Union (MCU) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Municipal Credit Union provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
We are committed to hiring, training, cultivating, promoting, and celebrating an environment where we have a welcoming and fulfilling place for all people to call home. Diversity of race, thought, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, religion, and disability will empower us to thrive as individuals, as teams, and as an organization.