Commercial Closing Regional Manager (Open to Locations w/in the M&T Footprint)

M&T Bank•Buffalo, NY

2d•$107,500 - $179,100•Hybrid

About The Position

The Commercial Closing Manager is responsible for ensuring completion and delivery of the Bank’s full commercial loan closing capabilities for all assigned transactions. Leads and oversees day‑to‑day operations for assigned teams, ensuring all commercial loan closings are executed accurately, timely, and in accordance with Bank policies, credit approvals, and regulatory standards. This position serves as the first line of defense (1LoD), adhering to required internal controls to mitigate regulatory, operational, and financial risk. Officers work as part of the account relationship/deal team and hold primary responsibility for arranging, validating, and finalizing each loan closing to ensure documentation reflects the correct borrowing parties, collateral, covenants, and credit‑approved terms with a high degree of accuracy. The position has a broader management span of control (average 6 closers varies by segment). Provides day-to-day frontline loan closing oversight, execution and quality control for commercial loan closings. The incumbent provides workload guidance and management, serving as first point of escalation for closers and pipeline management. To ensure quality control and risk management, the incumbent reviews and ensures closings are accurate, complete, and in compliance. The role is responsible for training and coaching, onboard of new associates, implementation of best practices, and knowledge share. To ensure process and performance management, the incumbent will monitor turn times, funding accuracy, and exception trends.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of seven years’ commercial loan closing, commercial loan documentation, commercial loan operations, and/or commercial loan administration, or related work experience with two years’ of managerial, supervisor, and/or work leadership experience or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of eleven (11) years’ higher education and/or related work experience, with a minimum of seven (7) years’ related commercial loan closing, commercial loan documentation, commercial loan operations, and/or commercial loan administration, or related experience with a minimum of three years of managerial, supervisory, and/ or work leadership experience.
Strong interpersonal and effective communication skills with external and internal cross-functional teams.
Command of commercial loan products and origination platforms (e.g., nCino).

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with loan approvals and escalation/exception requirements, and potentially other approvals needed for closing.
Knowledge of unit/department policies and procedures.
Knowledge of applicable products, systems, and workflows.
Prior work experience as a paralegal and/or in lending operations, underwriting and customer service.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee day‑to‑day operations for assigned teams, ensuring all commercial loan closings are executed accurately, timely, and in accordance with Bank policies, credit approvals, and regulatory standards.
Provide leadership to senior‑level staff, ensuring proper workflow coordination, resource management, and performance accountability.
Maintain operational controls to support high‑quality execution across multiple markets and/or regions.
Apply advanced commercial lending knowledge to interpret complex loan structures, documentation requirements, collateral arrangements, covenants, and exceptions.
Serve as the primary escalation point for high‑risk, non‑standard, or structurally complex closing issues.
Guide staff through complex credit structures, regulatory requirements, and documentation challenges, ensuring appropriate risk mitigation and accuracy.
Ensure operational accuracy and compliance across a broad portfolio of commercial closing activities.
Oversee risk‑sensitive review processes, including documentation validation, collateral integrity, regulatory adherence, and booking accuracy.
Drive a strong risk‑management culture, reinforcing adherence to controls, audit standards, and applicable regulations.
Provide strong leadership through coaching, performance management, workflow oversight, and skills development, while building bench strength by identifying growth opportunities, training staff, and cultivating a pipeline of future leaders.
Partner with senior management across multiple lines of business to support credit execution, operational strategy, and issue resolution.
Build strong relationships with internal partners, external counsel, regulators, and cross‑functional stakeholders.
Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.
Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite. Design, implement, maintain and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis. Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
Promote an environment that supports a culture of belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
Complete other related duties as assigned.