Managing Director, Commercial Bank Strategic Planning

First Merchants Corporation•Indianapolis, IN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

First Merchants Bank is seeking a Managing Director, Commercial Bank Strategic Planning to join our team! This position is responsible for leading the Commercial Line of Business strategic planning, forecasting, growth analytics, strategic investments process, and executive decision-support capabilities. Serves as a key strategic advisor to the Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Bank Leadership Team, and Executive Director, Commercial Support, Planning & Analytics. The position is expected to have high visibility to the Bank’s Commercial Leadership Team and support the objectives of the Executive Management Team (EMT). The position is responsible for establishing a forward-looking planning framework that links strategy, business performance, growth initiatives, resource allocation, and shareholder value creation. Responsible for supporting strategic planning, performance management, growth initiatives, investment prioritization, and resource deployment across Commercial Banking business segments representing approximately 75-80% of enterprise revenue. Accountable for development and governance of the Commercial Bank operating plan, long-range strategic plan, and growth agenda across all Commercial Banking business segments. The role is accountable for transforming the Commercial Analytics team from primarily historical reporting to proactive, forward-looking strategic planning and performance management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, business administration, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience; advanced degree or professional designation preferred.
Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible experience in strategic planning, finance, accounting, corporate development, or financial-services leadership.
Knowledge of commercial banking or financial services business models, including growth drivers, profitability, credit considerations, capital deployment, and risk-adjusted returns.
Deep understanding of strategic planning, forecasting, performance-management processes, and supporting systems.
Advanced planning, scenario analysis, forecasting, and business-case development capabilities.
Proven ability to connect external trends, competitive dynamics, and internal performance to actionable strategies and measurable business objectives.
Exceptional analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex financial, operational, and market information into clear, decision-ready recommendations.
Strong proficiency with planning, business intelligence, and data visualization tools, with the ability to work effectively with large and complex data sets.
Demonstrated success leading organizational change and implementing new planning, forecasting, or performance-management capabilities.
Executive presence and demonstrated ability to facilitate strategic discussions, constructively challenge assumptions, and build alignment among senior leaders.
Demonstrated track record of developing and presenting materials that influence executive or governing committee-level decision-making.
Highly effective relationship builder with the ability to influence across business segments and functional partners without relying solely on direct authority.
Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and manage competing priorities in fast paced, high-visibility environments.
Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to communicate complex ideas succinctly and effectively.
Strong people leadership skills and a demonstrated commitment to coaching, developing, and engaging high-performing teams.
Comfortable navigating ambiguity, responding to evolving priorities, and maintaining a high level of urgency and accountability.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional designation preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead development of annual and long-range strategic planning processes.
Translate enterprise strategy into measurable financial and operational objectives.
Develop multi-year growth, profitability, and investment allocation scenarios.
Facilitate strategic planning across business segments and corporate functions.
Assess market expansion opportunities, segment growth strategies, competitive positioning, customer acquisition initiatives, and relationship expansion opportunities.
Partner with executive leadership to evaluate strategic alternatives and future growth opportunities.
Lead, coach, and develop strategic planning professionals.
Establish repeatable planning processes and improve reporting quality and efficiency.
Establish forecasting capabilities across all business segments.
Implement driver-based planning methodologies.
Lead rolling forecasts and long-range financial outlooks.
Refine performance measurement frameworks and management scorecards.
Partner with business leaders to identify growth opportunities.
Develop recommendations regarding deployment of resources across geographies, customer segments, and product lines.
Establish growth metrics and strategic performance indicators.
Lead financial evaluation of strategic investments and enterprise initiatives.
Lead evaluation and recommendation of investment opportunities and resource allocation decisions impacting growth, profitability, and shareholder value creation.
Partner with Credit, Risk Management, and Finance to evaluate growth opportunities using risk-adjusted return frameworks.
Support development and presentation of strategic analyses and performance insights for EMT and Board-level reviews.
Partner with executive leadership to develop long-range growth objectives and planning priorities.
Provide objective recommendations regarding growth opportunities and investments.
Lead modernization of planning, forecasting, performance management and strategic decision-support capabilities.
Drive adoption of data-driven planning processes across business segments.
Establish Strategic Planning Framework for the Commercial Line of Business to enable data-driven business decisions.
Improve Commercial Bank forecast accuracy and visibility.
Increase strategic planning effectiveness.
Strengthen growth decision making.
Improve investment allocation decisioning process and outcomes.
Enhance Executive Decision Support.
Establish a scalable growth management framework.
Improve communication of long-term shareholder value creation.
Improve capital allocation effectiveness across Commercial Banking business segments.
Strengthen executive confidence in long-range growth forecasting, investment prioritization, and strategic decision-making.
Enhance visibility into growth drivers, profitability trends, and resource deployment opportunities across the Commercial Bank.