Senior Director of Customer Experience and Operations - Association Banking

Western Alliance Bank • Chandler, AZ

3d

About The Position

The Senior Director of Customer Experience and Operations is a senior leader responsible for building a high performing operations organization that delivers exceptional client experience, scalable process efficiency, and robust risk & compliance outcomes for HOA / Community Association / Realtor-Broker and other related client types in one of Western Alliance Banks’ crown jewel line of business. You will set the strategy with the heads of Sales and Product, lead cross functional execution, and develop leaders who manage front line teams that support onboarding, relationship banking support, contact center, treasury & payments (ACH, wires, positive pay, lockbox), exception processing, and back office controls. Your mandate is to deliver material improvements in client satisfaction and grow capacity faster than volume, modernize processes and tooling, and deliver measurable productivity, quality, and risk posture. The Alliance Association Banking division of Western Alliance Bank is the largest HOA banking program in the country with a 21.5% 5-year CAGR. The customer experience team is compromised of 150+ people that deliver products and services to 45,000 community associations. Define a 12–24 month operating vision and roadmap (people, process, technology) that continues the multi-year customer facing operations transformation initiative while supporting deposit growth and customer retention in HOA banking; translate strategy into quarterly objectives/key results and goals for each function. Build and mentor a strong bench of leadership and people managers; drive a culture of accountability, coaching, and career paths that scale with business growth. Serve as the senior liaison to Sales, Product/TM, Compliance, Risk, Finance, and Technology to align capacity plans, product changes, and operational readiness for launches and delivery of exceptional client support. Own service delivery outcomes (SLAs, response & resolution times, first contact resolution, NPS/CSAT – Net Promoter Score/Customer Satisfaction Score) across relationship banking support, onboarding/boarding, and contact center. Partner with Sales leaders to create a cohesive service model that deepens relationships with all clients (small to large); implement processes that reduce avoidable churn and expand product penetration (TM services, digital channels, client software integration, etc.). Establish standard work, KPIs, and visual management across teams; deploy Lean/continuous improvement to remove waste and rework; codify best practices and SOPs (standard operating procedures). Implement capacity models and workforce management to forecast volume, plan staffing, and optimize schedules across time zones and channels. Actively support and lead cross functional projects focused on the automation of onboarding and data integrations with common HOA/PM accounting systems; reduce manual touch points and error rates. Ensure strong operational risk management across payments, KYC/AML, Reg E/CC, data privacy, DoRA, and model vendor controls; maintain clean audit/regulatory results. Strengthen first line of defense controls (reconciliations, GL balancing, maker checker, exception handling); continuously improve loss prevention and incident response. Oversees operational audits and remediation efforts to ensure successful completion and compliance with internal and regulatory standards. Deliver productivity improvements and unit cost reductions while maintaining service targets.• Align KPIs to business outcomes. Foster inclusion, engagement, and recognition; drive manager excellence through regular 1:1s, team health metrics, and succession planning. Champion training and knowledge transfer programs so teams stay current on products, systems, and regulatory changes. Lead and develop a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

Requirements

• 15+ years of related experience in Branch Banking Operations, Treasury Management Service or similar field.
• Bachelor's degree in related field required; Masters or MBA in related field preferred.
• Previous leadership experience required.
• Expert knowledge of general banking operations, including deposit operations, loan administration, treasury management and/or other commercial banking products and services.
• Expert knowledge of applicable regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices.
• Demonstrated success running multi-team operations (onboarding/boarding, contact center, treasury & payments, or equivalent) at scale.
• Strong command of process improvement (Lean/Kaizen), KPI design, workforce planning, and cross functional program leadership.
• Expert speaking and writing communication skills.
• Occasional travel required.

Responsibilities

• Define a 12–24 month operating vision and roadmap (people, process, technology) that continues the multi-year customer facing operations transformation initiative while supporting deposit growth and customer retention in HOA banking; translate strategy into quarterly objectives/key results and goals for each function.
• Build and mentor a strong bench of leadership and people managers; drive a culture of accountability, coaching, and career paths that scale with business growth.
• Serve as the senior liaison to Sales, Product/TM, Compliance, Risk, Finance, and Technology to align capacity plans, product changes, and operational readiness for launches and delivery of exceptional client support.
• Own service delivery outcomes (SLAs, response & resolution times, first contact resolution, NPS/CSAT – Net Promoter Score/Customer Satisfaction Score) across relationship banking support, onboarding/boarding, and contact center.
• Partner with Sales leaders to create a cohesive service model that deepens relationships with all clients (small to large); implement processes that reduce avoidable churn and expand product penetration (TM services, digital channels, client software integration, etc.).
• Establish standard work, KPIs, and visual management across teams; deploy Lean/continuous improvement to remove waste and rework; codify best practices and SOPs (standard operating procedures).
• Implement capacity models and workforce management to forecast volume, plan staffing, and optimize schedules across time zones and channels.
• Actively support and lead cross functional projects focused on the automation of onboarding and data integrations with common HOA/PM accounting systems; reduce manual touch points and error rates.
• Ensure strong operational risk management across payments, KYC/AML, Reg E/CC, data privacy, DoRA, and model vendor controls; maintain clean audit/regulatory results.
• Strengthen first line of defense controls (reconciliations, GL balancing, maker checker, exception handling); continuously improve loss prevention and incident response.
• Oversees operational audits and remediation efforts to ensure successful completion and compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
• Deliver productivity improvements and unit cost reductions while maintaining service targets.
• Align KPIs to business outcomes.
• Foster inclusion, engagement, and recognition; drive manager excellence through regular 1:1s, team health metrics, and succession planning.
• Champion training and knowledge transfer programs so teams stay current on products, systems, and regulatory changes.
• Lead and develop a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

Benefits

• We offer all the important things you'd want — like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program.
• In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees