Manager, Risk, Credit & Lending Operations

Wintrust provides community and commercial banking, specialty finance, and wealth management services through its 16 bank charters and nine non-bank businesses. We deliver the sophisticated solutions of a large bank while staying true to the relationship-focused, personalized service of our community banking roots. With more than 200 branch banking locations across Illinois, southwestern Florida, northwestern Indiana, west Michigan, and southern Wisconsin, and commercial banking offices in key locations, we serve clients in all 50 states.

About the Role

The Risk Manager, Credit & Lending Operations, will lead the continuous development of our operational risk and compliance oversight. This role involves developing and overseeing new centralized, enterprise quality control functions, including migration from existing/legacy functions, while aligning practices to Wintrust’s enterprise risk and compliance framework. You will proactively identify, manage, monitor, report, and mitigate risks and issues, and lead reviews, periodic risk assessments, and regulatory exams.

Responsibilities

• Risk Management and Oversight
  • Lead risk assessment, identification, and remediation.
  • Manage RCSA’s, BSA/AML risk assessments, SOX control validation/testing, and third-party risk reviews for Credit & Lending Operations.
  • Lead Compliance/Fair Banking, Internal Audit, regulatory, and similar reviews.
  • Act as the single point of contact for all issues, including Compliance, Risk Management, ICFR/SOX, self-identified issues, and others. Coordinate and manage action plans, remediation, and escalations.
  • Serve as the lead for regulatory changes and management for Credit & Lending Operations.
  • Advise on changes to regulation applicability, risk policies, and procedures.
  • Develop strong working relationships with the second and third lines of defense.
  • Own and refine business continuity and business recovery plans for Credit & Lending Operations.
  • Manage complaints and all other risk, compliance, and regulatory issues.
• Quality Control
  • Develop and maintain loan sampling methodology to drive review population, adjusting for new or amended products or business lines.
  • Partner with Business, Credit, Risk, and Finance teams to develop and execute checklists that capture operational risk.
  • Validate completeness of exception tracking for missing/incomplete documents and collateral documentation, including lien verification and tickler setup.
  • Produce and distribute quality control reports for management and risk committees.
  • Analyze and provide feedback to key stakeholders on defects, exceptions, and potential procedure or control breakdowns.
• Controls and Reporting
  • Own existing RCSA’s, key compliance controls, ICFR/SOX, and other controls. Design controls to mitigate risk and ensure effectiveness through periodic testing.
  • Conduct control effectiveness reviews/testing and recommend changes as needed.
  • Maintain an inventory of compliance and risk controls, mapped to policies and procedures.
  • Manage compliance and risk review/approval prior to implementing changes in controls, policies, or procedures.
  • Oversee periodic policy and procedure review and approval.
  • Report to various committees on Risk, Compliance, and Oversight for Credit & Lending Operations.
  • Manage Credit & Lending Operations Policy and Procedures within Wintrust standards.
  • Develop, own, enhance, and report on KRIs and KPIs.
• Training and Risk Awareness
  • Promote a risk and compliance culture by educating team members at all levels on risk and control responsibilities.
  • Leverage management tools, including training, communication, and continuous feedback.
  • Follow up on missing training and escalate as necessary.

Requirements

• 7-10 years of prior management experience in risk management, credit, and lending operations.
• Familiarity with lending and related operations and the associated banking regulatory environment.
• Cross-functional stakeholder influence and people management experience.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills to build and develop teams, including creating department vision, talent development plans, and coaching strategies.
• Strong enterprise awareness and alignment, including governance, planning, delivery, and change management processes.
• Tenacity and inclination to seek out and implement procedural/process improvements.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Advanced computer skills.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Parental leave.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) with company match.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan at a 5% discount.
• Critical illness and accident insurance.
• Transportation and commuting benefits.
• Banking benefits.
• Pet insurance.

Pay

The estimated salary range for this role is $117,000 - $158,000, along with eligibility to earn an annual bonus. Actual salaries may vary based on qualifications, skills, and experience.