IT TECHNICAL PROGRAM MANAGER

Utah First Credit Union is seeking a technically fluent IT Technical Program Manager to join our Information Technology team in a full-time capacity (40 hours per week). Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Information Technology, this highly visible individual contributor will lead the coordinated execution of enterprise technology programs and ensure critical initiatives are delivered with discipline, transparency, and measurable results.

This is an on-site position based at Utah First Credit Union's corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City. Regular in-person presence is expected to collaborate effectively with business leaders, technology teams, and external partners.

The IT Technical Program Manager serves as the execution and coordination hub for enterprise technology initiatives. The IT Technical Program Manager will translate strategic priorities into integrated plans, align internal teams and third-party providers, lead enterprise technology testing, manage dependencies and risks, and communicate program status clearly to executive and non-technical stakeholders.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The IT Technical Program Manager owns the planning, coordination, testing readiness, risk management, and delivery governance for Utah First's portfolio of enterprise technology projects.

The IT Technical Program Manager works across business units, internal technology teams, engineering resources, risk and compliance partners, and third-party technology providers, this role will establish integrated program plans, coordinate resources and dependencies, and drive decisions needed to achieve target delivery dates and functional objectives.

The successful IT Technical Program Manager candidate will combine program-management rigor, technical depth, testing leadership, sound judgment, and executive-level communication. This person must operate with a high degree of autonomy and influence, creating accountability across teams without relying on direct reporting authority.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Execution: Build and maintain integrated program plans, track timelines and milestones, align resources, coordinate cross-functional workstreams, and drive enterprise technology projects to target delivery dates and functional objectives.

Enterprise Testing Leadership: Serve as the enterprise testing lead for technology by creating and managing test strategies and plans; defining scenarios, entry and exit criteria, and acceptance evidence; and coordinating internal, user acceptance, and production-validation testing for new platforms and integrations, software upgrades, bug fixes, and other technology changes.

Technical Oversight: Apply a strong understanding of software architecture, system design, APIs, integrations, data flows, and infrastructure to engage directly with developers and third-party technology providers, validate assumptions, and evaluate technical tradeoffs.

Risk and Dependency Management: Identify technical bottlenecks, system dependencies, resource constraints, security or compliance concerns, and delivery blockers early; assign clear ownership; drive mitigation plans; and escalate decisions before issues become major disruptions.

Reporting and Communication: Establish a consistent program-reporting cadence and translate complex technical updates into clear, concise language for non-technical executives, business leaders, governance partners, and external providers, including progress, decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and recommended actions.

Program Governance and Continuous Improvement: Maintain decision logs, risk and dependency registers, delivery metrics, readiness criteria, and post-implementation follow-through; strengthen repeatable delivery and testing practices across the enterprise technology portfolio.

LEADERSHIP AND TECHNICAL APPROACH

This is a highly visible individual contributor role requiring leadership through influence rather than formal authority. The Technical Program Manager must create alignment among executives, business owners, technologists, control partners, and vendors; bring structure to ambiguity; and ensure commitments, decisions, and risks remain visible and actionable.

The role requires technical fluency without serving as a production software engineering position. The successful candidate must understand architecture, APIs, distributed systems, cloud environments, databases, financial technology, and software-delivery practices well enough to challenge assumptions, assess tradeoffs, guide testing, and facilitate sound decisions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Business, or a closely related quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience.

Hands-on Experience: Five or more years of experience in software engineering, systems engineering, technical program management, or a closely related technical delivery role, including ownership of complex, cross-functional technology initiatives. Community financial institution, processor/ payment service provider, FinTech, or other regulated-industry experience is strongly preferred

Domain and Regulatory Knowledge: Working knowledge of PCI DSS, GDPR and CCPA data-privacy requirements, and Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering frameworks.

Risk and Audit: Experience guiding engineering and technology teams through rigorous compliance checklists, threat-modeling sessions, control validation, and internal or external IT audits.

Cloud Architecture: Proficiency coordinating large-scale program deployments through cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.

Databases and Data Consistency: Understanding of the operational tradeoffs between SQL databases for transactional precision and NoSQL databases for use cases such as fraud logs and clickstream analytics, with deep familiarity with ACID principles to protect ledger balances and money movements.

Payment Infrastructure and API Integrations: Knowledge of financial messaging standards and networks such as ISO 20022 and SWIFT, along with REST and gRPC frameworks used in modern API integrations.

Core Banking and Ledgers: Experience with money-in and money-out flows, clearing systems such as ACH and Fedwire, double-entry ledger engines, and modern payment gateways.

Distributed Systems and Microservices: Understanding of how decoupled financial systems communicate reliably under high transaction loads, including event-driven dependencies, resiliency, observability, and failure-handling considerations.

CERTIFICATIONS

Agile and program-management certifications-including Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM), Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), or Project Management Professional (PMP)-are strongly preferred.

WHY UTAH FIRST

This role offers the opportunity to shape how Utah First Credit Union plans, governs, tests, and delivers its most important technology initiatives. The Technical Program Manager will work directly with senior leadership, influence enterprise priorities, and strengthen delivery predictability, quality, and operational readiness across critical platforms.

You will join a collaborative, purpose-driven organization that values initiative, disciplined execution, thoughtful innovation, accountability, and the ability to translate complex technical challenges into practical results.

BENEFITS

Salary will be based on experience. Utah First Credit Union offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, medical, dental, and vision coverage, 20 PTO days, 11 paid holidays, a 401(k) plan, and company contributions to a Health Savings Account.

ABOUT UTAH FIRST CREDIT UNION

The Utah First story began in 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression. A group of German immigrants were having a difficult time finding anyone to help them with the loans they needed to bring their families to America. They banded together to form a grassroots credit union that would serve all members of the community. Here, people found the positive answers and opportunities they needed to build their future.

Today, Utah First continues to grow while staying true to its roots, focused on community, relationships, and creating meaningful opportunities for members and employees alike.

DISCLOSURES

Utah First Credit Union is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in employment based on any legally protected status.