EVP, Chief Lending Officer

EVP, Chief Lending Officer

VA Office

Position Summary:

Under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer, this position is responsible for overseeing the bank's Consumer, Commercial and Real Estate business units. As a member of the Executive Committee, the Chief Lending Officer plays a key role in enterprise strategy, capital allocation, and governance. With the exception of a sizable residential mortgage/share loan business and one small bank branch, the Bank is primarily a commercially focused bank with business and customers across the United States. Lines of business span cooperative housing, community associations, commercial real estate, commercial & industrial, energy and tax credits, credit unions, impact banking, national retail, local Ohio retail and FHA conduit businesses.  The Bank has over $4 billion in total assets and $10 billion of assets under management, with the bulk of off-balance sheet balances stemming from the Bank’s robust Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) and agency multifamily business. The Chief Lending officer is responsible for ensuring that these businesses achieve their business production goals and financial targets while carefully managing credit, concentration, and compliance risk.

Key Responsibilities

• The Chief Lending Officer will oversee all of the Bank’s revenue producing businesses and serve as a key member of the Executive Committee, helping shape the future direction of the company.
• The role offers the opportunity to build upon several established specialty lending businesses while helping identify adjacent growth opportunities, expand customer relationships, and strengthen the Bank’s overall market position.
• Lead all sales and strategic planning efforts for the bank’s ten lines of businesses, with additional indirect oversight for pricing, product development, product management, operations, and credit risk management activities for the business segments. Responsible for the profitability of the lines of business and for meeting established financial goals. Ensures that the portfolio and operational risk are mitigated according to Bank standards.
• Leads enterprise-level strategic transformation initiatives across lending and deposit platforms, including portfolio optimization, market expansion, and modernization of processes and systems aligned with the Bank’s long-term growth objectives.
• Optimizes marketing and sales plans through all channels. Helps monitor and set loan and deposit pricing to ensure appropriate risk-adjusted returns. Develops and maintains relationships with internal and external channels to maximize sales.
• Directs underwriting and relationship management in a "first line of defense capacity" to ensure credit quality remains within guidelines established by the Chief Credit Officer and his/her team. Recommends changes to credit policies working in conjunction with the Chief Credit Officer.
• Partners closely with the Chief Credit Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Compliance, and Audit to ensure strong credit governance, effective risk escalation, and alignment with regulatory expectations.
• Working closely with operations and technology executives, champion process improvement initiatives and expense reduction programs for the lending businesses. Drive adoption and continuous improvement of all systems that impact the origination, approval and documentation of all loan types.
• Directly, or through senior managers, manages the leaders of the lines of business and credit underwriting, while working closely with all. Attracts, retains and motivates the team to achieve management business objectives.
• Promotes a continued focus on treasury product sales and services throughout the lines of business sales strategy.
• Work closely with the corporate compliance department to ensure adherence to all regulatory and legal requirements.
• Serves as an external ambassador of the Bank with regulators, investors, industry partners, and key stakeholders nationwide.
• Performs all other miscellaneous responsibilities and duties as assigned.

Experience and Professional Qualifications

15+ years of progressive experience in commercial banking and lending, including executive-level responsibility for lending strategy, portfolio performance, P&L accountability, and enterprise credit risk management within a regulated financial institution. Demonstrated experience operating as a member of a senior leadership or executive management team, with exposure to board or board-committee reporting and interaction preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) is required.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) is preferred.
• Minimum fifteen years of management experience and proven leadership ability.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within an executive leadership or management committee structure, contributing to enterprise decision-making beyond functional responsibility.
• Willingness and ability to travel. This position requires travel to conferences and customer events throughout the country.
• Prior experience managing the full P&L for a distinct line-of-business, or group of businesses.
• Knowledge of both consumer and commercial loan and deposit products, a thorough understanding of the risks associated with such products, and a proven track record driving production volume and profitability selling these products to bank customers. Comprehensive knowledge of commercial, construction, real estate and consumer loans preferred.
• Extensive experience with complex commercial & industrial and commercial real estate transactions. Experience with secondary market channels including Fannie Mae, private CMBS, Small Business Administration, private participations, and other specialty lending areas preferred.
• Prior experience working within a regulated bank environment. Strong working knowledge of OCC Regulation and Guidance as it relates to credit dynamics of a financial institution.
• Understanding and knowledge of commercial loan structuring and credit underwriting. Working knowledge of technology and operations which support lending activities, including loan originations systems.
• Comfort and experience serving as the face of the organization to external parties including potential and existing customers, the community that the bank serves, various regulatory bodies, auditors and the media. Ability and willingness to remain in contact with internal and external contacts on extended day basis (given national footprint of Bank).
• Working knowledge of tax credit structures, particularly new market tax credit (healthcare and community service) and investment tax credit (renewable energy) structures.

Skills and Competencies

Skills and competencies required for the role.

• Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and retain top talent to the organization to ensure adequate succession planning and bench strength.
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to apply common sense to carry out instructions and instruct others, interpret documents, understand procedures, write reports and correspondence, speak clearly to customers and employees.
• Demonstrate the ability to adapt to change. Understand that change will occur, expect it, effortlessly perform during and after the change using the perspectives, tools, and techniques provided within the organization.
• Ability to deal with complex problems involving multiple facets and variables in non-standardized situations.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work with no supervision while performing duties.

Work Environment:

Hybrid – Employees will work from both remote and onsite locations. Employees must live within a reasonable commuting distance of the office and are required to be onsite at least two (2) days per week, specifically on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Certain positions or business needs may require additional in-office days.

General Notice:

This position description describes the general nature and level of work performed by the employee assigned to this position and should not be interpreted as all inclusive. It does not state or imply that these are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to the position. The employee may be required to perform other job-related duties. All requirements are subject to change and to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.

This position description does not constitute an employment agreement between the Bank and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the Bank and requirements of the position change.

AA/EOE