Director of Healthcare

SouthState Bank • Nashville, TN

6d

About The Position

SouthState is seeking a Director of Healthcare to establish and grow its national healthcare lending vertical. The role defines and executes the vertical’s strategy, including subsector targets, sponsor and borrower coverage priorities, market positioning, risk alignment, and coordinated go-to-market plans. The director builds the healthcare team by setting its structure and staffing plan, recruiting and onboarding experienced bankers and support professionals, and developing and retaining team members.

The director originates and executes healthcare lending opportunities, primarily for middle-market healthcare companies and sponsor-backed portfolio companies. The role builds relationships across private equity sponsors, executives, investors, advisors, and other referral sources; leads healthcare-specific underwriting and diligence; structures and negotiates credit solutions; and coordinates transaction execution through closing. It also oversees portfolio performance and periodic reviews with Credit Risk and Portfolio Management. The position is based at the listed SouthState work location in Nashville, Tennessee; the posting also describes office, remote, and hybrid work-environment expectations without identifying which applies to this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, accounting, or a related field.
• Completion of a formal bank credit training program or equivalent credit experience.
• At least 10 years of corporate banking, healthcare finance, sponsor finance, leveraged finance, or capital markets experience, including substantial responsibility for healthcare client origination, credit analysis, loan structuring, negotiation, execution, and portfolio oversight.
• In-depth knowledge of commercial lending, corporate finance, treasury management, capital markets, risk management, applicable Federal and State lending regulations, and Bank credit policies and procedures.
• Strong relationship management, consultative selling, negotiation, and executive-level communication skills, including the ability to explain complex healthcare business models through clear credit and commercial narratives.
• Deep understanding of healthcare subsectors, reimbursement and payor dynamics, regulatory considerations, provider economics, revenue-cycle performance, labor pressures, and acquisition-driven growth models.
• Demonstrated ability to originate and execute sponsor-backed and direct healthcare transactions, including senior secured, leveraged, asset-based, first-lien, and first-out structures.
• Ability to develop a national coverage strategy, coordinate multidisciplinary deal teams, expand relationships across lending and ancillary products, and recruit, mentor, and develop talent as the vertical grows.
• Ability to communicate in person, by phone, and through electronic channels; use a computer frequently, including typing and sustained attention to a monitor; sit, walk, and/or stand for extended periods; and bend and reach.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or advanced finance or accounting credentials.
• Demonstrated experience building or scaling healthcare coverage and developing relationships with private equity sponsors and middle-market healthcare companies.
• Relevant securities licenses or other professional certifications may be beneficial, but are not required unless applicable to assigned activities.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the national healthcare lending strategy, including target subsectors, sponsor and borrower coverage priorities, market positioning, risk appetite alignment, and coordinated go-to-market plans.
• Build and lead the healthcare team by defining organizational structure, staffing plans, priority roles, capabilities, responsibilities, and performance expectations; recruit, select, onboard, mentor, develop, and retain team members.
• Build and maintain a national healthcare ecosystem of private equity sponsors, operating executives, advisors, institutional investors, attorneys, accounting firms, and other centers of influence.
• Originate healthcare lending opportunities through relationships with sponsors, C-suite executives, institutional investors, referral partners, and other centers of influence, focusing on middle-market healthcare companies and sponsor-backed portfolio companies.
• Lead healthcare-specific underwriting and diligence with Risk Management, Underwriting, and Portfolio Management, evaluating operating, financial, regulatory, reimbursement, concentration, labor, revenue-cycle, acquisition, and credit risks.
• Structure and negotiate senior, leveraged, asset-based, first-lien, first-out, and other credit solutions with appropriate pricing, covenants, documentation, and risk-adjusted returns.
• Lead transaction execution from initial screening through closing, coordinating internal teams and external parties; manage terms negotiation, conditions precedent, and post-close deliverables.
• Oversee ongoing portfolio performance and periodic reviews with Credit Risk and Portfolio Management, including financial and operating trends, covenant compliance, acquisition integration, liquidity, reimbursement developments, collateral, documentation exceptions, and risk remediation.
• Take ownership of tasks and challenges encountered in operating the assigned position.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director