Chief Lending Officer

AVANA Companies is seeking a Chief Lending Officer to Sales Team in the origination and syndication of commercial debt, across our CRE and SBA504 lending platforms to be based in Arizona. Your mission is to set the enterprise lending strategy and integrate the credit policy that protects portfolio quality while driving sustainable balance sheet growth. This role owns the full loan portfolio's performance — from origination standards and risk management to regulatory compliance and board-level reporting. The CLO partners closely with the CEO, Origination leadership, and Credit committee to align production goals with the company's risk appetite and profitability targets.

KEY 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.

Leadership & Governance:

• 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.

Regulatory & Compliance:

• 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.
• Maintain segregation-of-duties and governance controls consistent with the company's treasury and credit risk framework.

Strategic Partnerships:

• 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.

PERFORMANCE METRICS

• 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.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or a related field; MBA or advanced banking credential (e.g., a graduate banking school program) strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in commercial banking, private credit, or commercial real estate 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.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, plus an incentive component tied to portfolio growth, credit quality, and enterprise profitability.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and 401(k).
• Opportunities for professional development and executive-level advancement.

COMMITMENTS:

As a member of the AVANA team, you will be expected to demonstrate effective customer service in alignment with both the culture and goals of AVANA Companies, along with expectations of implementing a high level of client relationship management that aligns with AVANA' core values of Putting People First, Doing the Right Thing, Taking the Lead, Making an Impact and understanding Excellence is a journey. Customer service and satisfaction will be monitored and measured with all internal departments and with our external customers