Senior Vice President, Commercial and Specialty Banking

Senior Vice President, Commercial & Specialty Banking Full-Time | Utah First Credit Union | Salt Lake City Corporate Office

The Senior Vice President, Commercial & Specialty Banking provides senior level leadership and strategic oversight for Utah First's commercial and specialty lending verticals. This role is responsible for building, leading, and growing a portfolio of business-focused banking divisions; currently including Commercial Real Estate, Practice Banking (dental and medical professionals), and Medical Cannabis Banking, and SBA Lending.

This is a hybrid leadership and business development role. The SVP serves as both a strategic architect of Utah First's commercial banking capabilities and an active participant in cultivating key business relationships, generating referrals, and supporting high-value member acquisition. The role reports directly to the President/CEO and serves as a key member of the senior leadership team.

This position contributes directly to Utah First's mission: To be significant in the lives of our members, employees, and their communities.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership

• Execute the strategic vision for Utah First's commercial and specialty banking verticals, aligned with the organization's long-range plan and growth objectives.
• Serve as the senior champion for the Practice Banking initiative, overseeing program build-out, staffing, product development, and go-to-market execution for dental and medical professional banking.
• Provide senior oversight of Medical Cannabis Banking operations, ensuring risk-appropriate growth and sustained regulatory compliance.
• Lead the continued integration of SBA lending across all vertical business lines.
• Collaborate with the CEO, COO, and CFO on portfolio strategy, concentration risk, capital considerations, and commercial lending risk appetite.
• Represent Utah First in the professional and business community to advance the credit union's commercial banking brand and mission.

Business Development

• Actively cultivate referral networks and strategic partnerships with CPAs, attorneys, dental and medical practice consultants, commercial real estate brokers, and other centers of influence.
• Maintain a personal portfolio of high-value commercial relationships and serve as an senior level relationship manager for key accounts.
• Support Relationship Managers and Business Development Officers in closing complex or strategically significant transactions.
• Identify emerging market opportunities and new client segments aligned with Utah First's mission and risk profile.
• Represent Utah First at relevant trade events, professional associations, and community engagements to build brand recognition and pipeline.

Operational and Portfolio Oversight

• Provide direct leadership and performance oversight for the VP of Commercial Real Estate, the Director of Practice Banking, and future specialty vertical leaders.
• Monitor commercial loan portfolio performance including loan growth, credit quality, delinquency trends, concentration risk, and charge-offs.
• Provide guidance on complex credit matters, deal structuring, and lending exceptions within delegated authority.
• Ensure all division lending activities adhere to established credit policies, underwriting standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with the VP of Credit and loan operations teams to maintain appropriate controls, documentation standards, and internal audit readiness.
• Conduct periodic policy reviews and recommend adjustments in response to market conditions and regulatory developments.
• Keep the President/CEO and executive leadership team informed of division performance, pipeline activity, and material risks.

Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure all commercial and specialty lending activities comply with applicable federal and state regulations, including NCUA requirements.
• Maintain current knowledge of regulatory developments affecting commercial lending, specialty banking, and cannabis banking.
• Oversee regulatory examinations, internal audits, and compliance reviews related to the division's operations.
• Work proactively with Compliance and BSA/AML functions to ensure appropriate oversight of specialty banking risk categories, particularly within cannabis banking.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position directly supervises the following leadership roles:
• Vice President, Commercial Real Estate Lending
• Director, Practice Banking (to be hired)
• Medical Cannabis Banking leadership
• Future: Additional Business Lines as Added

Provides strategic direction, performance management, coaching, and succession planning for all direct reports. Promotes a high-performance, relationship-driven culture within the division consistent with Utah First's values and mission.

Schedule Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM at our Salt Lake Corporate Office.

WHAT YOU BRING

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or a related field required. MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

Experience

• Ten or more years of progressive leadership experience in commercial lending, specialty banking, or business banking within a financial institution.
• Demonstrated experience building or scaling a commercial or specialty banking division or vertical.
• Experience in a credit union or community banking environment preferred.
• Prior experience with professional services or healthcare/dental lending strongly preferred.
• Experience with SBA lending or regulated cannabis banking a plus.

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep understanding of commercial credit underwriting, real estate lending, and business banking products and services.
• Proven business development acumen with an established network of referral relationships in the Utah market.
• Thorough knowledge of regulatory requirements governing commercial and specialty banking, including relevant NCUA guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams in a growth-oriented environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship management skills across executive, board, and member audiences.
• Working knowledge of commercial lending systems, financial analysis tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

WHAT WE BRING

We pay based on experience - plus incentives. Here's the rest of the package:

• Health insurance
• 4 weeks Paid Parental Leave for the birth of a child
• 8 weeks Paid Pregnancy-Related Medical Leave
• PTO available + paid federal holidays
• Tuition reimbursement
• 401(k) 

THE BIG PICTURE

Utah First has been in the business of saying yes since 1935, when a group of immigrants who couldn't get loans anywhere else decided to build something better than a bank. Today, we're a member-owned credit union obsessed with helping people with colorful credit histories, big dreams, and complicated lives find financial products that fit. We believe in making banking feel human and putting people over profits, and we count on every member of our team to make that happen. That's where you come in!

SOUND LIKE YOU?

If you read this and something clicked, don't be shy. Apply! Our application is quick, painless, and totally worth the five minutes it takes. We can't wait to meet you!

• Utah First is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in employment on account of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status or unfavorable discharge from military service.
• We may contact references provided for employment reference checks.
• Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. We use E-Verify.