Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Director of Commercial Banking

🎯 Role Definition

The Director of Commercial Banking is a senior revenue and risk leader responsible for driving middle-market and commercial client acquisition, managing a diversified lending portfolio, owning P&L performance, ensuring credit quality and regulatory compliance, and building high-performing relationship and credit teams. This role combines strategic business development, credit underwriting oversight, portfolio risk management, and hands-on coaching to meet growth, profitability, and risk objectives for the commercial banking franchise.

Key SEO keywords: Director of Commercial Banking, commercial lending, credit underwriting, portfolio management, P&L ownership, business development, middle market banking, relationship management, regulatory compliance, commercial banking leadership.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Relationship Manager / Commercial Relationship Manager with a proven track record in middle-market lending.
Credit Officer / Commercial Credit Manager with demonstrated underwriting and portfolio management experience.
Regional Sales Leader or Business Development Director within financial services.

Advancement To:

Head of Commercial Banking / Market President
Senior Vice President (SVP) or Executive Vice President (EVP) of Commercial Banking
Chief Commercial Officer, Corporate & Institutional Banking

Lateral Moves:

Director of Corporate Banking or Syndicated Lending
Director of Treasury & Cash Management for commercial clients
Director of Private Bank or Wealth Management serving business owners

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the commercial banking business strategy for a defined geography or market segment, setting revenue, growth and risk targets aligned to the bank’s overall strategic plan.
Own the P&L for the commercial banking portfolio, driving profitable growth while managing margin, expense efficiency and credit quality to meet financial objectives.
Build, mentor and directly manage a high-performing team of Relationship Managers, Credit Officers and Business Development professionals; set performance metrics, succession plans and career development.
Originate, structure and negotiate complex commercial lending solutions (term loans, lines of credit, asset-based facilities, commercial real estate financing, cash flow loans) for middle-market and commercial clients.
Oversee credit underwriting standards and approval processes to ensure consistency, thorough risk analysis, timely decisions and adherence to delegated authority limits.
Manage portfolio credit risk by setting concentration limits, identifying stressed relationships early, implementing risk mitigation strategies, and driving workout/collections when necessary.
Develop and execute targeted business development plans to acquire new commercial clients and deepen relationships across existing customers through cross-sell of payments, treasury, deposit and trade services.
Maintain ownership of client relationships with C-level and senior executives for strategic accounts; act as escalation point for complex underwriting and service issues.
Partner with product teams to design and price commercial banking products and integrated solutions that meet market demand and improve cross-sell metrics.
Deliver regular portfolio performance reporting and actionable insights to executive leadership, including forecasts, risk trends, and business pipeline reviews.
Ensure full compliance with bank policies, regulatory guidance (e.g., CRA, BSA/AML, Basel), internal controls and audit findings; drive remediation and continuous improvement efforts.
Collaborate closely with credit risk, legal, compliance and operations to streamline onboarding, documentation, collateral perfection and loan administration processes.
Lead pricing strategy and margin governance for commercial loans and deposits, balancing competitiveness with risk-adjusted returns.
Drive digital adoption and commercial banking client experience improvements by partnering with digital channels, treasury management and fintech vendors.
Represent the bank externally with industry groups, chambers of commerce, business associations and community organizations to build brand and referral networks.
Manage the capital allocation and credit approval workflow for large-ticket credits and syndicated or participations, coordinating credit committees and senior approvals.
Execute scenario planning and stress testing for the commercial portfolio to measure resilience under economic cycles and advise on contingency plans.
Implement key metrics and operating cadence (pipeline reviews, credit quality reviews, win/loss analysis) to ensure disciplined execution and accountability across the commercial bank.
Lead integration and due diligence efforts when acquiring portfolios or expanding into new markets, ensuring cultural fit, systems alignment and regulatory compliance.
Champion diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring, vendor selection and community lending strategies; promote fair lending practices.
Drive continuous talent development through coaching, structured training programs, and clear competency frameworks for commercial bankers.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with correspondent banks, investors and funding sources to support liquidity and capital needs for commercial lending growth.
Proactively identify and recommend improvements to loan documentation templates, credit policy and delegation frameworks to improve efficiency and risk control.

Secondary Functions

Support strategic analytics by partnering with credit analytics, data science and finance to define KPIs and use data-driven insights for portfolio optimization.
Participate in cross-functional projects (product launches, pricing initiatives, digital transformation) to align commercial banking objectives with enterprise priorities.
Provide input to marketing and communications on client success stories, thought leadership, and community outreach to strengthen commercial brand presence.
Assist finance with budgeting, forecasting and quarterly business reviews related to commercial banking revenue and expenses.
Engage in ad-hoc due diligence and project teams for special situations such as distressed credits, special asset resolution or regulatory examinations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Commercial Lending & Underwriting — deep expertise in structuring, analyzing and documenting term loans, working capital lines, asset-based loans and commercial real estate financing.
Credit Analysis & Risk Assessment — advanced ability to assess cash flow, collateral, industry trends, borrower creditworthiness and covenant design.
Portfolio Management — experience managing loan portfolios, setting concentration limits, and deploying strategies to control credit exposure.
Financial Statement Analysis — proficiency with balance sheet, income statement and cash flow analysis for complex, multi-entity borrowers.
Regulatory Compliance & Governance — practical knowledge of banking regulations (BSA/AML, CRA, Basel, consumer and commercial lending rules) and audit requirements.
P&L Management & Financial Forecasting — ownership of revenue, expense and profitability drivers with ability to forecast and hit financial targets.
Deal Structuring & Syndication — experience leading large deals, syndications, participations and intercreditor arrangements.
Pricing Strategy & Margin Management — knowledge of margin modeling, competitor pricing, and risk-adjusted return calculations.
Treasury & Deposit Solutions — understanding of cash management, payments, foreign exchange and treasury products for commercial clients.
Credit Policy Development & Delegated Authority — proven track record writing and implementing credit policies and approval matrices.
CRM & Pipeline Management — experience using CRM systems to manage pipelines, forecasts and relationship profitability (e.g., Salesforce, Oracle).
Lending Documentation & Legal Negotiation — familiarity with loan agreements, security documents, UCC filings and workout agreements.

Soft Skills

Strategic Leadership — ability to define and execute long-term commercial banking strategy and influence senior stakeholders.
Relationship & Client Management — exceptional interpersonal skills for building trust with C-suite clients and referral partners.
Communication & Presentation — strong written and verbal presentation skills for pitching deals, reporting to executives and leading credit committees.
Coaching & Talent Development — proven mentor who builds bench strength and fosters team engagement.
Decision-Making & Judgment — makes timely, risk-aware decisions in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
Negotiation & Influence — negotiates complex commercial terms and persuades internal and external stakeholders to alignment.
Analytical Problem Solving — applies structured thought processes to assess credit complexity and design solutions.
Change Management — leads organizational change, process improvement and technology adoption initiatives.
Collaboration & Cross-Functional Work — comfortable working across risk, legal, operations, finance and product teams.
Ethical Integrity — high standards for compliance, confidentiality and fair lending practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics or related field.

Preferred Education:

MBA, Master of Finance, JD or other advanced degree with concentration in finance, banking, or leadership preferred.
Professional certifications such as CFA, FRM, or credit certification (e.g., NACM, AACSB) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance
Accounting
Economics
Business Administration
Risk Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 10–15+ years in commercial banking, credit underwriting, portfolio management or related financial services roles.

Preferred:

12+ years of progressive commercial banking experience with at least 5 years in leadership or director-level roles.
Demonstrated success originating and managing middle-market or commercial loan portfolios, with measurable revenue and asset growth.
Proven track record of managing P&L, driving profitable growth, and maintaining excellent credit quality.
Experience interfacing with regulators, leading credit committees, and executing complex deal structures and syndications.