Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Lakeside HR Group•Minnetonka, MN

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

Lakeside HR Group has been engaged by our client to recruit for a Chief Operating Officer to join their team. Our client is a community banking organization seeking an operational leader who can help drive sustainable growth, strengthen business processes, minimize risk, and support a consistent, high-quality customer experience. Reporting to the Bank President/CEO, this leader will oversee operational planning, policy development, budgeting, resource deployment, change management, process improvement, and cross-functional execution across the organization. The COO will also serve as a member of senior-level bank governing committees and partner closely with executive leadership to translate strategy into measurable operational outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, IT, or related field.
8-10 years of related experience, including progressive leadership experience in operations.
Strong background in operational planning, policy development, resource planning, risk management, and regulatory environments.
Demonstrated success leading organizational change management and operational improvement initiatives.
Ability to work effectively with senior managers, supervisors, department leaders, and cross-functional teams.
Collaborative leadership style with strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to manage competing organizational priorities and align departmental strategies to broader business objectives.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, IT, or related field.
Experience in a community bank or similar-sized institution.
Working knowledge of payments systems, payments processing, and related controls.
Familiarity with core banking systems and digital banking platforms.
Strong digital transformation expertise.
Experience with organizational goal planning and objective setting.
Continuous improvement, operational excellence, work process design, and process improvement experience.
Ability to think holistically across departments and teams to solve complex problems.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, development, and execution of operational policies, processes, and priorities under the guidance of the CEO.
Partner with executive leadership to translate strategic vision into operational goals, measurable outcomes, and sustainable business plans.
Study, assess, and optimize business processes to improve operational efficiency, service quality, profitability, and organizational performance.
Oversee complex initiatives focused on workflow improvement, cross-functional execution, operational excellence, and business readiness.
Evaluate resource deployment, technology needs, software and hardware configurations, and related operational performance considerations.
Assess and communicate operational risks to auditors, regulators, senior management, and the Board of Directors as appropriate.
Establish tools and processes to collect relevant data, define KPIs, and use performance metrics to drive process improvement.
Develop operating budgets and support effective operational policies and procedures aligned with business objectives.
Provide strategic oversight for change management initiatives and new business process implementation.
Participate in senior-level governing committees including Funds Management, Risk Management, Planning, Technology Steering Committee, Product Team, Program Management, and Bank Management.