Assistant General Counsel

Valley Bank; New Jersey; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Valley Bank is seeking an experienced Assistant General Counsel for Consumer & Small Business Banking to join its legal team in New Jersey. The role focuses on small business lending, with additional support for private banking, consumer lending, and residential mortgage.

You will work directly with business leaders to resolve lending challenges and move transactions forward, providing practical legal guidance and drafting/negotiating key loan documents.

Qualifications

• Strong loan documentation skills
• Working knowledge of secured lending
• Understanding of bank regulatory requirements
• Familiarity with consumer and mortgage lending laws including TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA and UDAAP
• Sound judgment and attention to detail

Responsibilities

• Serve as legal partner to small business lending and credit teams on term loans and lines of credit.
• Draft, review, negotiate loan agreements, notes, security documents, amendments and waivers.
• Advise on collateral structures, UCC Article 9, lien priority and enforcement.
• Support private banking credit products and consumer mortgage teams on origination, servicing and regulatory matters.
• Collaborate with credit, risk, operations to provide practical legal guidance.
• Improve standardized loan documents and templates for consistency and efficiency.

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

Job description

We’re hiring: Assistant General Counsel, Consumer & Small Business Banking | Valley Bank

Your next move could put you at the center of how a bank helps small businesses grow.

Valley Bank is seeking an experienced lending attorney to join its legal team as Assistant General Counsel, Consumer & Small Business Banking. This role focuses on small business lending, with additional responsibilities supporting private banking, consumer lending, and residential mortgage.

This is a hands-on opportunity for someone who enjoys working directly with business leaders, solving lending challenges, and helping transactions move forward.

What you’ll do:

• Serve as a key legal partner to small business lending and credit teams on term loans, revolving credit facilities, and other secured and unsecured lending products.
• Draft, review, and negotiate loan agreements, notes, guaranties, security agreements, amendments, and waivers.
• Advise on collateral structures, UCC Article 9, lien priority, perfection, and enforcement.
• Support private banking credit products, including securities-based lending and premium finance.
• Advise consumer and residential mortgage teams on origination, servicing, collections, and applicable lending regulations.
• Partner with credit, risk, operations, and lending teams to provide practical legal guidance.
• Improve standardized loan documents and templates to support consistency and efficient execution.

What we’re looking for:

• A JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• At least six years of relevant attorney experience, including in-house experience at a financial institution. Eight-plus years is preferred.
• Substantial experience in small business or commercial lending, ideally in a current legal role at a bank.
• Strong loan documentation skills and a working knowledge of secured lending and bank regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with consumer and mortgage lending laws, including TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, and UDAAP.
• Sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to turn complex legal issues into clear, actionable advice.