Strategic Lending Leader — CRE & SBA Growth

Avana Companies; Arizona; On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Professional development

Job summary

AVANA Companies is seeking a Chief Lending Officer to lead the Sales Team in the origination and syndication of commercial debt across CRE and SBA 504 lending platforms, based in Arizona. You will set enterprise lending strategy and integrate credit policy to protect portfolio quality while driving growth.

This role partners with the CEO and Credit Committee to align production with risk appetite and profitability targets, while championing data-driven decision making and responsible governance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in commercial banking, private credit, or CRE lending, including senior credit or lending leadership.
• Deep expertise in CRE and SBA loan structuring, credit risk management, and portfolio administration.
• Demonstrated track record of loan structuring, risk management, and balance sheet growth at a bank, credit union, or private credit institution.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate complex financial structures, identify key risk factors, and make sound credit recommendations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to report clearly to executive leadership and the Board.
• Proven people-leadership experience, with the ability to build and develop a sales team and build a high performance team.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-national environment across CRE, SBA, and affiliated banking entities.

Responsibilities

• Oversee origination and syndication of commercial debt across owner-occupied, investor and SBA 504 lending for CRE lending.
• Set structuring standards for complex and large-exposure transactions, and personally review or approve the highest-risk credits.
• Drive balance sheet growth by aligning production goals across origination teams with credit and profitability objectives.
• Identify and develop new lending programs and niche-market opportunities that expand the company's addressable market responsibly.
• Partner with the CEO and executive team on enterprise strategy, capital planning, and new market or product expansion.
• Represent the lending function to the Board and, where applicable, affiliated bank or credit union partners.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture aligned with the company's mission and values.
• Champion the adoption of AI and data-driven tools within sales team identifying opportunities to accelerate credit analysis, strengthen risk detection, and improve decision quality while ensuring adoption is governed responsibly and aligned with regulatory and credit-policy standards.
• Ensure lending policies and procedures comply with applicable banking, SBA, and consumer-protection regulations.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for regulatory examinations, audits, and compliance inquiries related to lending.
• Cultivate relationships with institutional capital partners, correspondent banks, and credit union partners to support balance sheet strategy.
• Represent AVANA at industry events and within the broader commercial banking and private credit community.
• Partner with marketing and business development leadership to align origination capacity with market opportunity.
• Loan portfolio growth against enterprise production and balance sheet targets.
• Regulatory and audit outcomes across the lending function.
• Deal Closing, Underwriting and Credit committee turnaround time and approval quality.

Skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Credit risk management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Portfolio administration

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business or Finance

MBA or advanced banking credential preferred

Job description

AVANA Companies is seeking a Chief Lending Officer to lead the Sales Team in the origination and syndication of commercial debt across CRE and SBA 504 lending platforms, based in Arizona. You will set enterprise lending strategy and integrate credit policy to protect portfolio quality while driving growth.

This role partners with the CEO and Credit Committee to align production with risk appetite and profitability targets, while championing data-driven decision making and responsible governance