EVP - Commercial Partnerships & Team Lead

Walden Mutual Bank; Concord (NH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Advanced degree or certification

Health insurance coverage

Unlimited PTO

401k

Volunteer time

Life and AD&D insurance

Job summary

Walden Mutual Bank in Concord, NH is seeking a senior leader to build and oversee our lending team focused on farms, food businesses, and impact‑oriented ventures. You will report to the CEO and work with Commercial & Risk leadership to drive long‑term resilience and growth.

You will set production goals, recruit and develop lending professionals, and guide underwriting and portfolio management across the loan life cycle.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15–20 years in lending/credit, with food/agriculture experience.
• Experience recruiting and developing lending teams and infrastructure.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the region for internal/external purposes.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher; advanced degree preferred.
• Knowledge of government credit programs (SBA, USDA, etc.) and regulatory banking requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage and own loan production growth metrics.
• Recruit, develop and manage the Lending team across multiple sectors.
• Create internal training for lending/credit officers.
• Drive business development and pipeline across New England and New York, focusing on food/agriculture.
• Underwrite loans in collaboration with Credit; enhance underwriting models.
• Oversee portfolio management and ongoing relationship management.

Skills

Lending leadership

People development

Strategic planning

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree

Job description

We're the first new mutual bank nationwide in 50 years.

We are developing deeper connections between communities and the ecosystems that sustain them. We accept deposits from individuals, businesses, and non‑profits who want to drive positive and lasting change with their dollars. We lend those funds to impact‑oriented organizations, with special focus on farms and food businesses. The word “mutual” in our name means cooperative; we are governed by our depositors, funded by those with a bias towards the long‑term, and engineered to endure the test of time. Building bridges is core to who we are, as we believe more interconnected and localized ecosystems support better community resilience and economic viability.

We're looking for a magnet for talent, a developer of people and teams, and an experienced relationship manager. As a senior leader, you will report to our CEO, and work closely with our Chief Commercial Officer and our SVP of Credit and Risk to build our lending team for long‑term resilience and impact. Thriving in this role is balancing your contributions across the Lending team, leadership team, and on individual lending opportunities, with a heavy emphasis on the former...setting high production goals and delivering on them by “keeping the trains running on time” - optimizing lending execution and delivering value across the entire loan life cycle.

What You'll Do:

• Develop, manage and own the Bank’s loan production growth, performance, and all associated metrics.
• Recruit, develop and manage our Lending team, comprised of lending, business development and portfolio management serving ag, food, solar and other industries.
• Develop and manage an internal training program for incoming and existing lending, credit and business development officers, focusing on issues germane to lending generally, but in our sectors of interest specifically.
• Guide the team’s business development efforts, building our pipeline of commercial lending opportunities across New England and New York, with a particular focus on food, agriculture and natural resource‑based businesses.
• Assist the team in screening, structuring and negotiating opportunities.
• Work closely with the Credit function to underwrite loans and continue to develop our underwriting models in relevant sectors.
• Oversee portfolio management, including ongoing monitoring and relationship management of existing borrowers.
• Work with our Chief Commercial Officer to implement new deposit and lending programs, policies and relationships to support commercial relationship development.
• Interact regularly with the Loan Committee, and occasionally with regulators, auditors, and third‑party agencies for the examination of borrowers and the portfolio.
• Keep up to date with our products, services, and regulatory requirements.
• Complete required compliance‑related bank training (and other related activities).

What You'll Bring:

• Minimum of 15-20 years of experience in lending and credit with experience in food, agriculture or related industries.
• Passion for recruiting and developing teams, talent, and the infrastructure to support them.
• An excitement to build processes and structure from the ground up, based on lessons learned from prior experience.
• Desire to travel extensively within the region for internal and external purposes.
• Bachelor’s degree and/or additional advanced degree.
• Working knowledge of third‑party/government related credit, guarantee & enhancement programs (i.e., SBA, BFA, USDA programs, CDFI programs, etc.) and state and federal banking requirements, as well as other industry requirements.
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills to effectively present material to customers, prospects, fellow employees and management.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and expand referral networks and centers of influence.
• Team‑first attitude with a strong desire to achieve long‑term quality results, taking initiative and thinking strategically to accomplish shared goals and objectives; and strong ethical standards and integrity.

Bonus Points If You Have...

• Advanced degree or certification
• First‑hand experience as an operator in food or other related industry
• Health insurance coverage with dental and vision
• Unlimited PTO
• 401k
• Allocated time for volunteering
• Life and accidental death and disability insurances