Massey Henry is pleased to once again support Prairie Payments Joint Venture (“PPJV”)—this time in the in the recruitment for a Chief Information Officer (“CIO”). Established in 2019, Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV) is a credit union-owned entity providing payments processing and services to over 60 clients across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

About Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV)

Established in 2019, Prairie Payments Joint Venture (“PPJV”) is a credit union-owned entity dedicated to providing payments processing and services to prairie credit unions.

Operating as a joint venture equally owned by the Provincial Credit Union Centrals of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and supported by a team of 136 employees nationwide, PPJV serves over 60 clients across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

Vision

To be a trusted partner for all their clients, providing a seamless payments experience, and being transparent in all they do, with clients’ interests as top priority.

Mission

Deliver comprehensive core payment services in a reliable, secure, and cost-effective manner.

A key focus of providing a seamless payments experience includes PPJV’s commitment to providing quality services and solutions, which will increase clients’ trust and allow credit unions to focus on building their relationships with their members with minimal disruptions. PPJV earns the trust of their clients by offering a focused set of foundational payment services that clients can rely on, and that allows them to operate with ease every day.

Values

PPJV has established a simple set of corporate values to define how they operate every single day and to provide a common foundation for how they work within PPJV. These values are embedded in interactions with clients, colleagues, and their communities, and everyone is held accountable for creating a company where these shared values support choices they make, while collectively facing challenges and celebrating achievements.

These value statements are embodied in the way PPJV conducts its operations:

• Acting with Integrity: We make responsible decisions based on cooperative values and professional standards.
• Client Focused: We put our clients’ interests first.
• Data-Driven: We use data to deliver modernized solutions, advancing our clients’ competitive edge.
• Collaborative: We work together, leveraging each other’s unique talents

Products & Services

PPJV provides batch and API-based payments processing and services, as well as clearing and settlement. They are committed to providing reliable, secure and cost-effective payments, underpinned by modern infrastructure and architecture.

PPJV’s platform offers solutions compatible with any core banking system and modern digital platform, including:

• Payment processing services (in-house or through third parties)
• Clearing and settlement services for all payment streams
• Necessary reporting and billing for related services
• Support for credit unions undergoing mergers and banking system conversions

PPJV’s core payment services include:

• International and Domestic Wires Payments
• Automated Funds Transfer (AFT) with front-in CAFT services
• Bill Payment services including government remittances
• Cheque Payment Services
• Interac e-Transfer payment services or retail and business users
• Real-Time-Rail Payments Services (work in progress)
• Clearing & Settlement processing for above payments

PPJV also offers non-core services, including:

• Statement processing
• Tax Statement processing
• ATM / POS clearing & settlement services

Payment Capabilities

PPJV offers comprehensive payment solutions designed to be compatible with any core banking system and digital platform. This approach enables financial institutions to offer their customers the latest digital payment technologies in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

PPJV supports the delivery of payment capabilities to clients through the following five payment streams:

Additional areas within PPJV’s scope of services include the following:

• Clearing & Settlement
• Real Time Rail & Payments Modernization
• Security & Regulatory Compliance
• Fraud Management
• CU Merger Support & Business Support
• Operational Excellence & Efficiencies
• Ancillary Services

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), the Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) is responsible for overseeing technology architecture, infrastructure management, information systems, and information security – either delivered in-house or through third-party partners.

In collaboration with the PPJV leadership team, the CIO develops and maintains the technology strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with emerging technologies, industry standards, and corporate objectives. With responsibility for leading decision-making related to related to technology services, cloud services, systems development practices, Dev/Ops, information technology (IT) service management, information securities architecture and operations, and enterprise architecture, the CIO ensures IT infrastructure operates efficiently and in accordance with industry best practices.

As the organization’s technology leader, the CIO is accountable for enterprise and solution architecture, oversees governance, and integrates technology processes with the business enterprise strategy, organizational mandates and standards, and PPJV product and service offerings. The CIO leads all technical, development and information security resources within PPJV, and works closely with Client CIOs to align on strategic technology and business objectives.

Fostering a technology-driven, innovative culture across the organization, the CIO promotes IT best practices, builds partnerships with key industry stakeholders, and provides strategic insights on emerging technology trends.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and maintain the technology strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with emerging technologies, industry standards, and corporate objectives.
• Oversee technology architecture, and the design, build and management of core payments systems, clearing and settlement, and peripheral systems, including Interac e-Transfer, international and domestic wires, bill payments, cheques and Automated Funds Transfers (AFTs).
• Provide thought leadership and innovation with regards to technology and the associated impact on next generation payments and digital transformation.
• Establish a strong relationship with key IT payments partners and Client CIO’s.
• Lead a council of technology executives, stakeholders and architects across the Prairie credit union ecosystem, including the credit union CIOs, to make strategic decisions for the design, development, and implementation of credit union services and related security and compliance solutions in the best interest of clients.
• Define and evolve technology strategy and priorities for the PPJV payment services in alignment with the business strategy and objective of operating as a shared service.
• Oversee the end-to-end cybersecurity model and ensure management of end-to-end platform security for PPJV and all related platforms and ecosystems in alignment with best practices, including Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) B13, NIST Security Framework (CFS), and ISO20022 standards.
• Establish IT compliance standards and practices in alignment with best practices including the Disaster Recover program, data classification and retention programs.
• Delivery of consistent productivity improvements and plans to meet service level targets.
• Proactively manage risk and compliance for all services.
• Actively engage with payments technology industry stakeholders, including Payments Canada, Interac, and provincial and federal standards and regulators.
• Provide all services in the most cost-effective manner, managing all financial matters in accordance with best practices leading to improved financial efficiencies year-over-year.
• Develop and coach technology talent.
• Maintain actionable succession plans and a strong technology talent bench.

The Individual

The Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) is a seasoned technology executive with strong knowledge of the credit union ecosystem, payment systems, and broader Canadian financial services sector. With a deep understanding of digital transformation, open banking, enterprise payments, and mission-critical operations, the CIO has successfully led large-scale technology initiatives and driven innovation within complex, regulated environments.

A results-driven, innovative leader, the CIO excels in managing regulatory compliance, navigating stakeholder relationships, and delivering large-scale, mission-critical technology transformations. With strong interpersonal skills, the CIO brings extensive experience building high-performing teams and developing technical talent.

With strong proficiency in legacy and emerging technologies, including cloud platforms, big data, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and security services, the CIO is a strategic communicator, ensuring seamless execution of technology solutions that drive business growth while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Key Qualifications

Professional Experience

• 15 years+ of senior management experience leading large-scale technology initiatives and strategy within a complex, highly regulated environment, preferably within the financial services sector.
• Strong knowledge of the credit union ecosystem, partners, and systems.
• Deep understanding of technology’s impact in disrupting the credit union system.
• Nuanced understanding of Canadian payments eco-system.
• Strong understanding of payment processing and clearing & settlement services for Wires, AFTs, Bill Payments, Cheques, Interac e-Transfer and Real Time Rail payments.
• Proven track record and ability in leveraging deep subject matter expertise in Financial Services, enterprise payments, Open Banking, digital transformation, to develop and deploy a vision and align others to that vision.
• Experience aligning technology strategies with business objectives and delivering measurable outcomes in digital and core banking systems.
• Expert knowledge or practitioner of legacy and emerging technology, including digital and core banking systems, cloud platforms, big data, API, Open Source, DevOps, Software Engineering, Security Services, etc.
• Creative thought leadership required while also listening and engaging others to provide input in the shaping of vision.
• Significant experience as a senior leader at a provincial or national technology-centric organization.
• Knowledge of team building in a start-up environment, product development and deployment
• Broad management knowledge and extensive payments and program delivery experience.
• Strong project management credentials and experience of execution of large technology transformations in a complex stakeholder environment.
• Understanding of the regulatory environment for financial instructions and the payment industry at both the federal and provincial level.
• Aware of industry trends to gain a deeper product understanding.
• Strong people management skills with demonstrated experience in leading high performing teams.
• Highly effective communicator who engages colleagues, business partners, external stakeholders, and colleagues.
• Proven experience in managing complexity and navigating ambiguity.
• Ability to assess the technical quality of the portfolio and develop continuous improvements at-scale and for purpose.
• Proven experience in recruiting, assessing and developing technical talent.

Personal Attributes

• Adaptability to Change – Ability to adjust to different situations, perspectives, and evolving job or organizational requirements.
• Customer Service Orientation – Commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of customers and stakeholders.
• Listening, Understanding, and Responding – Active listening skills to comprehend and engage effectively with others.
• Results Orientation – Drive to achieve excellence by setting and meeting high-performance standards.
• Teamwork and Cooperation – Willingness to collaborate and contribute effectively within a team.
• Conceptual Thinking – Ability to identify patterns, connections, and key insights in complex situations.
• Impact and Influence – Skill in persuading, influencing, and anticipating others’ needs and concerns.
• Information Seeking – Proactive effort to gather relevant details for informed decision-making.
• Initiative – Readiness to take proactive action and address challenges or opportunities.
• Problem Solving and Judgment – Capacity to analyze, evaluate, and develop effective solutions.
• Self-Confidence – Trust in one’s abilities to take on challenges and make sound decisions.

Education

• Computer Science/Engineering degree considered an asset.