Sr. Director Commercial Loan Operations

Flagstar Bank

3d•$188,063 - $303,139

About The Position

The Senior Director - Commercial Loan Operations provides overall leadership, strategic direction, and execution for the Commercial Loan Operations services supporting Flagstar’s $60 billion commercial, private banking, and letter of credit portfolios. The role oversees the commercial loan lifecycle, including loan closing and booking, servicing, collateral and document management, reporting, and quality control. The portfolio includes C&I, CRE, syndicated loans and participations, builder and construction administration, private banking, healthcare, specialty lending, and other specialized products. The Senior Director is accountable for operational excellence, effective risk and control environments, strong governance, and compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies. The role works closely with Commercial Banking, Credit, Risk, Technology, and other stakeholders to balance service, risk, and efficiency while advancing business objectives. It leads transformation, technology modernization, automation, system conversions, and organizational effectiveness across a complex, high-volume lending portfolio. The position develops business plans, operational capabilities, workforce strategies, and scalable processes and controls to support portfolio growth and the Bank’s long-term objectives. It also leads a geographically dispersed management organization, develops talent and succession pipelines, manages budgets and vendor performance, and represents the Bank in stakeholder, regulatory, industry, and governance settings.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent (GED, HiSET, TASC, or foreign equivalent).
15 or more years of progressive banking experience, including significant leadership responsibility in Commercial Loan Operations.
10 or more years of leadership experience managing large, multifunctional commercial loan or lending operations teams, or an equally relevant functional area.
Demonstrated experience leading commercial loan or commercial lending operations at a large regional, super-regional, or national bank, or similarly complex financial institution.
Extensive experience supporting C&I, CRE, syndicated lending, construction finance, and specialty lending products.
Expertise supporting complex commercial lending portfolios and products, including loan structures, documentation requirements, servicing complexities, and risk considerations.
Proven experience leading operational transformation, process optimization, workflow enhancement, operating model improvements, technology implementations, and system conversions.
Significant experience managing regulatory examinations, internal audits, compliance programs, and enterprise operational risk management initiatives.
Experience leading through mergers, acquisitions, portfolio integrations, and large-scale organizational change programs.
Executive leadership and enterprise strategic planning skills, with the ability to translate strategy into measurable operational outcomes.
Deep expertise in commercial lending operations, loan servicing, collateral management, and quality control across complex product portfolios.
Knowledge of enterprise risk management, regulatory governance, and operational control framework development.
Experience leading large, geographically dispersed teams and developing talent and succession plans.
Financial acumen in budget management, workforce planning, and operational performance management.
Operational excellence and large-scale process transformation capability using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies.
Vendor and third-party risk management skills, including contract negotiation and strategic partnership oversight.
Executive communication and board-level presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, facilitation, and process-mapping skills applied at an enterprise level.
Ability to lead complex, high-volume operations in a highly regulated banking environment.
Ability to build effective stakeholder and client relationships through clear communication, proactive collaboration, and tailored solutions.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree or equivalent (four years) in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent process-improvement credentials.
Experience managing commercial loan operations for portfolios exceeding $20 billion in assets.
Experience with commercial lending platforms, loan origination systems, loan servicing systems, and workflow automation technologies.
Familiarity with digital transformation initiatives in a large-scale commercial banking environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the enterprise-wide vision, strategy, and operating model for Commercial Loan Operations in alignment with the Bank’s growth objectives, risk appetite, and profitability goals.
Serve as a key executive leader, contribute to enterprise strategy and governance committees, and align operational capabilities with strategic priorities and client experience goals.
Lead organizational readiness for mergers, acquisitions, portfolio transfers, system conversions, and other large-scale transformation initiatives.
Oversee Commercial Loan Operations functions across C&I, CRE, syndicated lending, construction and builder finance, healthcare and specialty lending, loan boarding and funding, servicing, collateral and documentation management, reporting, and quality control.
Establish and monitor service-level standards, KPIs, operational objectives, process improvements, workflow optimization, and capacity planning.
Ensure operational readiness and quality for complex lending structures and specialized commercial products while supporting growth with appropriate controls and risk disciplines.
Oversee suppliers, vendors, and managed service partners, including their performance, services, compliance with service levels, and contractual obligations.
Lead regulatory compliance, operational risk management, audit readiness, control effectiveness, examination support, audit and compliance reviews, and issue remediation.
Establish governance frameworks, KRIs, operational risk assessments, and control monitoring programs; identify and address operational risk exposures and control weaknesses.
Ensure compliance with information security, cybersecurity, data governance, and third-party risk management policies and programs.
Lead transformation initiatives involving automation, digitization, workflow redesign, operational scalability, new technologies, servicing platforms, and AI technology.
Direct commercial loan system migrations, core banking conversions, and large-scale technology implementations from planning through execution.
Use metrics, analytics, and industry benchmarking to support operational improvement and data-informed decisions.
Develop and manage departmental budgets, workforce plans, and vendor expenditures; monitor costs and identify efficiencies while maintaining service and risk standards.
Establish KPI, KRI, productivity, quality, and financial reporting frameworks and provide executive, committee, and board-level reports and presentations as required.
Make enterprise-level decisions regarding operational strategy, resource allocation, and risk management using independent judgment and discretion.
Lead a geographically dispersed organization of directors, managers, team leads, and operations professionals; foster an accountable, inclusive, innovative, and service-focused culture.
Develop succession plans and leadership pipelines; support employee development through coaching, mentoring, talent reviews, performance management, and leadership development.
Act as the senior operational liaison among Commercial Banking, Credit Administration, Treasury Management, Finance, Technology, Compliance, Internal Audit, and Risk Management.
Build executive-level internal and external relationships, manage strategic vendor partnerships, engage with regulators and industry organizations, and represent the Bank at industry events and forums.
Collect and analyze business-partner satisfaction data to identify improvement opportunities.
Perform special projects and other assigned executive responsibilities, lead enterprise initiatives, participate in governance and risk committees, and maintain required regulatory compliance and training.