Regional Retail Director - Central Arkansas

Southern Bancorp is more than a bank. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a special certification designated for institutions that serve predominantly underserved communities, Southern Bancorp combines traditional banking and lending services with financial development tools and public policy advocacy to help families and communities grow stronger. Inspired by the principle that building net worth drives economic opportunity, our mission is to be wealth builders for everyone in the communities we serve, with a focus on low-wealth and un(der)banked populations, as well as an emphasis on Black and Brown individuals.

Job Summary

This role plays a vital role in delivering extraordinary customer experience and is responsible for driving the growth of the business across the defined region and executing excellent customer experience model of the customer experience roadmap The Retail Regional Director oversees Market Managers spanning deposits, enhancing customer experience, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. This role drives the growth of deposits and collaborates with business partners regionally, leading and building belief in the branch model and achieving key, financial metrics including year over year revenue and profit growth, deepening client acquisition and expense management.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop a team of market managers to ensure an exceptional customer and team experience, manage risk, and support growth across multiple market and branch locations in alignment with overall retail business strategy
• Identify and recommend process improvement opportunities to partners by ensuring colleagues are aligned with applicable regulations, policy and procedure requirements, operational expectations, audit, and escalation processes
• Determine appropriate strategies and actions of the regional banking team to meet the regional branch objectives
• Interpret and deploy branch performance objectives, and lead transformational changes in the region
• Collaborate with partners, peers, and other leaders to understand the trends in the business and execute strategies in alignment with internal goals while managing risk
• Manage allocation of people and financial resources in partnership with the Head of Retail for respective region
• Develop and guide a culture of talent development to meet business objectives and strategy

Define and execute on excellent customer experience

• Execute the defined strategy and operating model to deliver on Customer Promise and exceed customer expectations
• Ensure all employees are following policies and procedures to maintain a safe and compliant branch environment for customers
• Collaborate with partners firm-wide to provide a seamless "One Southern" experience for our customers
• Work with branch teams to utilize technology to best meet customer needs
• Create a culture of risk management and control that acts with appropriate understanding, urgency, and knowledge of the ultimate responsibility to safeguard our customers and business
• Address all escalated client issues promptly and effectively

Drive the regional growth of the business across deposits and partner with other business lines

• Lead the region during organizational change
• Develop regional strategy to achieve key financial targets, including YoY revenue and profit growth, net new money, and expense management
• Drive the integration of deposits in partnership with lending, SBCP and all partners regionally, leading and building belief in the branch model and achieving key, financial metrics including YOY revenue and profit growth, NNM, deepening, client acquisition and expense management
• Build strategies (client service model, client segmentation strategy, product solutions, etc.) and find opportunities to deepen and grow customer relationships (affluent, non-affluent, rural, mass market and other segments)

Coach and develop great leaders

• Recruit and retain excellent talent
• Coach market managers on best practice techniques about coaching, developing productive recommendations, and general management
• Conduct detailed business reviews to deep dive into the results of all market managers
• Ensure talent and performance strategies are in place to attract, retain, and develop diverse employees by identifying and developing managers who build high performing teams
• Set an agenda that delivers exceptional employee experience, with a strong commitment to valuing our employees in every interaction
• Deliver on high performance standards and protect the firm and customers through adherence to policy, satisfactory audits, and consistent execution of KYC and KYP
• Set the tone of commitment to inclusion and growth

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required
• 10+ years proven experience coaching and managing multiple layers of management and employees in the organization
• Excellent strategic vision; understands the direction of the business and industry; can articulate vision to motivate and influence others
• Ability to effectively lead, coach and manage large organizations remotely
• Ability to improve speed to execution by operating well in an ambiguous / ever -changing environment
• Ability to meet or exceed established sales, service and operational goals
• Ability to quickly reset and lead team through moments of challenges and adversity
• Proven ability to lead through change to support culture of accepting missteps in order to achieve success
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and to proactively collaborate with all other areas of Southern Bancorp
• Ability to develop a diverse team and source and attract internal and external talent by building and maintaining personal network of contacts
• Creates a climate in which people want to do their best; motivates and empowers others by inviting input from each person and sharing ownership and visibility
• Experience leading the execution of business strategies to support an excellent customer experience, high performing teams and growth in the business
• Management experience including hiring, coaching, and developing direct reports
• Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail and accuracy
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with customers and internal partners
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to effectively network and represent Southern within the community
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and across all organizational levels, where flexibility, collaboration, and adaptability are important
• Ability to interact with integrity and professionalism with customer and team members
• Ability to effectively manage time and competing priorities, exercise independent judgment, and use critical thinking skills
• Ability to lead a team to influence, educate, and connect customers to technology and share the value of digital banking options
• Experience in identifying and managing regulatory compliance and risk
• Adaptable and flexible coaching style which takes into account the needs and learning styles of a diverse team
• High degree of retail banking, branch network services and product acumen, and keen interest in the financial markets
• Ability to work in a highly matrixed competing priority environment
• Regular travel (up to 50-70%) across the defined region for on-site visits observing, assessing, teaching, supporting, coaching and development, project delivery, and leadership engagement.
• Must possess and maintain current and valid driver's license and vehicle with appropriate insurance coverage

Physical Demand & Work Environment: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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What we offer our employees:

A positive impact on Your Future:

• 401(k)/Roth plan with immediate eligibility and employer match up to 6%
• Employee stock ownership plan
• Discounted rate on primary home mortgage
• Credit and housing counseling as well as free financial education tools available to customers and employees

Benefits to improve your health:

• No deductible medical insurance plan
• Dental and vision insurance
• Employer paid life and long-term disability insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts

The opportunity to nurture your well-being:

• Paid holidays and paid time off
• Bonus plan
• Opportunity for merit raises
• Employee reward and recognition programs
• Community service opportunities

Southern Bancorp is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

As a Community Development Financial Institution, Southern Bancorp desires its workforce to reflect the diversity of the customers and communities that we serve. Racial and ethnic minorities, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people are often underrepresented in many financial service industry professions. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.