Managing Director & Head U.S. Business Banking Operations & Transformation

Bank of Montreal•Chicago, IL

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The Managing Director, U.S. Business Banking Operations & Transformation is responsible for leading large‑scale operational execution, capability enablement, technology delivery, and continuous improvement across U.S. Business Banking. The role oversees enterprise lending operations, workforce capability and training, process transformation, technology platforms, and automated credit strategies to drive scalable growth, operational excellence, risk discipline, and an exceptional customer and employee experience.

Requirements

Extensive experience in business banking operations, lending platforms, transformation, or credit enablement.
Proven success leading large, complex, multi‑disciplinary teams.
Deep knowledge of lending operations, technology platforms, automated credit decisioning, and regulatory requirements.
Strong program, change, and financial management capabilities.
Data‑driven leader with the ability to translate strategy into scalable execution.
Exceptional communication and influencing skills at the executive level.
Seasoned expert with extensive industry knowledge.
Verbal & written communication skills - Expert.
Analytical and problem solving skills - Expert.
Influence skills - Expert.
Collaboration & team skills; with a focus on cross-group collaboration - Expert.
Able to manage ambiguity.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage a large, multi‑functional Business Banking Lending Center (BPLC) encompassing service representatives, underwriters, portfolio managers, and credit approvers.
Establish and sustain a high‑performance, inclusive culture with strong engagement, morale, and accountability.
Ensure consistent adherence to the Code of Conduct and all enterprise people‑management standards.
Provide strong leadership presence and day‑to‑day oversight to support effective execution and decision‑making.
Own the end‑to‑end lending operating model, ensuring underwriting and servicing processes are well‑designed, documented, tested, and consistently executed.
Ensure adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), with particular focus on turnaround times and customer experience outcomes.
Act as a subject matter expert on lending processes, policies, systems, and regulatory requirements.
Drive continuous improvement to reduce cost‑to‑serve, improve efficiency, and enhance operational scalability.
Maintain a strong culture of risk management and control aligned with enterprise frameworks and regulatory expectations.
Ensure operational compliance with applicable regulations (including HMDA and Regulation B/O/W) and internal policies.
Lead responses to operational audit and regulatory inquiries, ensuring issues are addressed promptly and sustainably.
Address complex customer concerns, complaints, and escalations to ensure fair, timely, and favorable resolution.
Serve as a senior escalation point for policy, process, and technology matters impacting the customer experience.
Partner with senior executives and business leaders to align operational capabilities with growth, risk, and financial objectives.
Support development and execution of cost‑center financial plans and investment priorities.
Maintain relationships with external industry experts to incorporate best practices into Business Banking operations and enablement.
Develop and oversee performance, risk, and compliance reporting across operations, training, and automation.
Leverage analytics and insights to identify trends, performance gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
Use data to inform operational decisions, transformation priorities, and investment trade‑offs.
Lead the design and delivery of enterprise learning programs, including digital content, virtual sessions, and on‑the‑job training.
Oversee certification programs for underwriters, portfolio managers, and treasury specialists.
Establish metrics to measure training effectiveness, knowledge retention, and business impact.
Ensure all learning programs incorporate regulatory, risk, and compliance requirements and remain audit‑ready.
Foster a culture of continuous learning and skill development across Business Banking.
Lead enterprise process evaluation across lending, deposits, and treasury services to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risks.
Design and implement process improvements that enhance customer and employee experience while maintaining strong controls.
Develop business cases, financial evaluations, and ROI analyses to support transformation initiatives.
Drive change management strategies to ensure effective adoption of new processes and technologies.
Monitor post‑implementation results and adjust strategies to sustain performance gains.
Own the technology strategy and roadmap for BBX, ensuring alignment with Business Banking growth, risk, and compliance objectives.
Lead BBX‑related initiatives across agile and waterfall delivery models, ensuring timely and high‑quality releases.
Oversee vendor relationships and ensure contractual and service‑level adherence.
Manage User Acceptance Testing (UAT), release readiness, and quality assurance activities.
Ensure BBX enhancements comply with regulatory and internal governance requirements and remain audit‑ready.
Act as the primary liaison between Business Banking and enterprise technology teams.
Act as a senior enterprise leader, fostering collaboration across operations, technology, credit risk, product, and HR.
Drive a culture of operational excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives on operational, enablement, and transformation priorities.