More than 135 years ago, we started with core values that never go out of style: listen, learn and help businesses and individuals reach their goals. These core values shape our culture, and we were recently Great Place to Work Certified because of our outstanding workplace culture and employee experience. As well, our financial strength and stability are key reasons Forbes named us one of the Best 100 Banks in America for the ninth consecutive year.
With more than $16 billion in assets and 135 branch locations throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, we understand our role in the economy and take that responsibility seriously. In addition to offering a source of capital to personal banking clients and businesses of all sizes, we place a high importance on employee volunteerism and donate millions of dollars each year to community organizations.
Opening Summary
As SBA Director, you will lead the vision and execution of our SBA lending strategy, driving growth, performance, and operational excellence across the organization. This role partners closely with executive leadership to strengthen portfolio quality, enhance client experience, and expand market presence. It’s an opportunity to make a meaningful impact while building and guiding a high-performing team.
In this role you'll
- Establish and execute the SBA lending strategy, aligning growth objectives, risk appetite, and portfolio optimization with enterprise goals.
- Lead and develop a high-performing SBA leadership team, shaping organizational structure, staffing, and succession planning.
- Serve as the primary SBA subject matter expert and strategic advisor to executive leadership.
- Maintain accountability for the SBA portfolio, including credit quality, performance trends, concentration risk, and loan repurchase management.
- Direct end-to-end SBA operations, including loan processing, servicing, liquidation, and guaranteed loan sales strategy.
- Manage financial performance through pricing strategies, gain on sale optimization, cost efficiencies, and performance metrics.
- Ensure compliance with SBA, federal, state, and bank regulations while serving as a key liaison with regulators, auditors, and internal partners.
- Partner cross-functionally with Credit, Risk, Finance, Operations, and Business Banking to drive execution and strengthen collaboration.
What we're looking for
- You have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Economics, Law, Computer Science, or a related field (Required).
- You have an MBA or related advanced degree (Preferred).
- You bring 10 or more years of progressive experience in SBA lending, including portfolio management, servicing, and special credits, with enterprise or multi-function leadership experience (Required).
- You have 8 or more years of supervisory or management experience leading teams, projects, or processes (Required).
- You understand that an equivalent combination of education and experience can be considered in lieu of a degree.
What helps you shine
- You bring deep expertise in SBA SOPs and the full SBA lending lifecycle, from production through servicing, liquidation, and guarantee management.
- You demonstrate strong executive presence and can influence senior leaders while driving alignment across functions.
- You have advanced financial acumen, including portfolio analytics, profitability management, and risk assessment.
- You have a proven track record of driving strategy and operational transformation in complex, regulated environments.
- You excel at building and leading high-performing teams across sales, operations, and portfolio management functions.
- You communicate effectively and build trusted partnerships with stakeholders at every level, both internally and externally.
