Retail Program & Communications Specialist Lead

Description

Job Scope:

This role serves as the Credit Union’s subject matter expert in retail operational readiness and change adoption, ensuring enterprise initiatives are executed with precision, efficiency, and minimal disruption to member service. Acting as an advisor and extension of retail leadership, the position shapes enterprise planning by anticipating operational risk, influencing project sequencing, and aligning resource capacity across the branch network, contact center, and retail support teams. The roles partners with leaders to design frameworks, standards, and communication strategies that safeguard operational excellence and advance organizational priorities. By setting best practices, leading complex enterprise projects, and driving change management strategies, this position ensures retail operations remain a strong, sustainable enabler of the Credit Union’s long-term success.

Essential Functions

Project Coordinator Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter expert on retail operational readiness, setting standards and frameworks adopted across enterprise initiatives.
•  Lead complex, cross-functional readiness efforts, ensuring enterprise projects are sequenced and executed with minimal disruption to member service.
• Advise executives and project sponsors on operational feasibility, capacity planning, and strategic trade-offs.
• Establish and maintain enterprise-wide readiness metrics, dashboards, and reporting to inform decision-making.
• Anticipate risks and interdependencies across initiatives, developing mitigation strategies and influencing enterprise priorities.
• Represent retail leadership in executive planning sessions, ensuring operational perspectives are embedded in enterprise strategy.
• Direct vendor and partner engagement to align deliverables with organizational goals and readiness standards. 

Change Management Responsibilities

• Design and oversee enterprise change management frameworks that ensure consistent adoption and sustainable outcomes across retail operations.
• Advise senior leaders on change readiness strategies, equipping them to sponsor and champion major initiatives.
• Lead the development of comprehensive communication and engagement strategies tailored for diverse audiences, from frontline teams to executives.
• Ensure alignment of change management practices across departments, integrating HR, Communications, and Project Management approaches into a unified strategy.
• Own enterprise-wide change adoption within Retail, establishing best practices that enable sustainable outcomes and continuous improvement.

Communication Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee strategic communication campaigns that prepare and engage employees through enterprise change.
• Serve as the final authority for operational messaging, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with brand and organizational priorities.
• Create executive-level communication materials, including scripts, presentations, and strategic updates for board or leadership forums.
• Shape internal communication strategy for retail by setting editorial standards, overseeing tone, and aligning messaging with enterprise objectives.
• Lead communication efforts for enterprise-wide engagement initiatives, including town halls, recognition programs, and strategic updates.
• Partner with leaders across functions to ensure messaging reflects operational readiness, enterprise priorities, and best practices.

Retail Readiness & Operational Impact Responsibilities

• Shape enterprise implementation roadmaps by ensuring retail operations are positioned to deliver sustainable member service excellence.
• Anticipate and address enterprise-level operational risks, designing scalable frameworks to mitigate capacity challenges across retail.
• Advise on long-term resource planning to balance enterprise initiatives with retail operational capacity.
• Serve as the senior liaison for operational impact, ensuring retail perspectives shape strategic decisions across the organization.
• Establish and monitor enterprise-wide readiness metrics, dashboards, and reporting to inform strategic decision-making and operational alignment.

Requirements

Qualifications:

Experience and Education

• Minimum six years of progressive experience in project management, operational readiness, change management, or enterprise communications.
• Demonstrated success in leading complex cross-functional or enterprise-level initiatives with measurable business outcomes.
• Proven ability to advise and influence executives and senior stakehol