Senior Business Banking Operations & Lending Specialist

Job Summary

The Senior Business Banking Operations & Lending Specialist serves as a high-impact expert across business banking credit operations, loan processing, SBA lending, closing, servicing, and process improvement. This role integrates advanced technical lending knowledge with operational leadership, quality control oversight, and cross-departmental collaboration. The Senior Specialist ensures exceptional member experience, operational accuracy, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across the full business banking lifecycle—from application intake through funding, servicing, and portfolio support. This position acts as a departmental anchor for training, workflow optimization, and issue resolution, serving as a mentor to team members and a strategic partner to leadership. The Senior Specialist also supports enterprise initiatives, contributes to system enhancements, and drives operational excellence aligned with organizational values and performance expectations.

About the Role

This position acts as a departmental anchor for training, workflow optimization, and issue resolution, serving as a mentor to team members and a strategic partner to leadership. The Senior Specialist also supports enterprise initiatives, contributes to system enhancements, and drives operational excellence aligned with organizational values and performance expectations.

Essential Functions

• Loans Funding
• Books loans into Symitar with precision, ensuring all loan terms, collateral records, and coding match executed documentation.
• Provides clear funding instructions and coordinates disbursements with loan servicing teams.
• Loan Servicing & Portfolio Management
• Responds to complex member and internal servicing requests, including payoff quotes, payment transfers, and collateral file management.
• Supports liquidation activities for SBA-pledged collateral under the direction of portfolio management.
• Affirms that all collateral and loan covenants are in compliance. This requires routine tracking of ticklers, and notification to borrowers of outstanding documents.
• Quality Control
• Conducts pre-funding and post-booking quality control reviews to verify the accuracy of loan details in core systems, including loan terms, collateral records, and funding instructions.
• Identifies discrepancies, resolves errors, and provides coaching to team members to improve accuracy and reduce rework.
• Maintains audit-ready documentation and supports internal and external audit requests.
• Member Service
• Ensures exceptional member experience, operational accuracy, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across the full business banking lifecycle.
• Pairs with Relationship Managers, underwriters, closers, and servicing teams to resolve complex issues and enhance member experience.

Collaboration, Training & Mentorship

• Serves as a senior technical resource for business banking operations, providing training, coaching, and mentorship to less experienced team members.
• Facilitates meetings, maintains project timelines, and coordinates cross-functional stakeholders.
• Supports departmental readiness for new products, system updates, and regulatory changes.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of business banking loan origination, processing, closing, and servicing.
• Strong understanding of SBA lending requirements, documentation, and portal workflows.
• Deep familiarity with nCino, LaserPro, DocuSign, Symitar, and related banking systems.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory compliance, collateral perfection, and credit policy.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex lending concepts to members and internal partners.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail.
• Advanced organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong collaboration, facilitation, and active listening skills.
• Interprets complex instructions, legal documents, and technical workflows.
• Leads process improvement initiatives and drives operational change.
• Mentors and develops team members in technical lending competencies.
• Works effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with shifting priorities.

Core Competencies

• Demonstrating Member Obsession: Puts themselves in the Member’s shoes, looks for friction points, makes it personalized and easy.
• Demonstrating Performance Excellence: Sets standards for elevating excellence, ensures elevated quality, takes responsibility, conducts continuous improvement.
• Demonstrating Innovation: Challenges current thinking, approaches change with a positive mindset.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, or related field, or five (5) or more years of progressive experience in business banking lending operations.
• Minimum of two years of experience in loan servicing activities.
• Demonstrated experience in quality control, process improvement, or project coordination.
• Must be bondable.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in a credit union environment.
• Experience training or coaching others in technical lending functions.
• Experience with UFCU applications (Symitar, nCino, Akuvo, and Engage).
• Experience supporting system enhancements or operational transformation initiatives.