AVP, Associate Director of EFD – Operations & Financial Strategy

Salary Range: $125,000.00 To $180,000.00 Annually At Stearns Bank, we’re helping people, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and local communities nationwide reach their full financial potential. Sound like something you want to be a part of? If so, we’re currently looking for an AVP, Associate Director of EFD – Operations & Financial Strategy. This position is a Connected Mobile Work Environment position. Come see how we’re doing business unusual and charting our own path to reimagine a more inclusive financial services and banking ecosystem for all. BENEFITS Stearns Bank understands and respects that everyone is managing unique career, family, and wellness needs. That’s why we offer industry-leading benefits to employees to help them live healthy lives and bring their full selves to work every day. Benefits may vary for part-time positions. Some of those benefits include: Employee Stock Ownership Plan & 401k Plan Healthcare (Medical, Dental, Vision, Telehealth, Life insurance) 12-week Paid Parental Leave and Medical Leave: With a cap of 20 weeks for eligible team members who qualify for both Medical and Parental Leave related to the birth of a child $5,000 Family Care Reimbursement: Childcare, Elder Care, Student Loan Debt, Pet expenses, Down Payment Assistance, Health Insurance Premiums PTO from 13 to 23 days depending on tenure. Cashout and Carryover options 10 Days Sick Time 11 Paid Holidays 4 Days Volunteer Time 2 Days Self Allowance Time Tuition Assistance For this position, we anticipate an annual salary between $125,000 – 180,000 Final employment offers will be dependent upon the selected candidate’s relevant qualifications and experience. JOB SUMMARY The AVP, Associate Director of EFD – Operations & Financial Strategy is responsible for operational excellence, financial governance, core-system ownership, data integrity, and strategic growth enablement within the Equipment Finance Division’s (EFD). This role oversees all operational functions, ensures accurate financial and tax processes, manages business-unit reporting and budgets, and leads the strategic evaluation of new products, industries, and operational capabilities. This role requires advanced operational leadership, strong cross functional collaboration and partnership, and a very proactive approach to efficiency optimization, KPI-driven performance management, and critical thinking-based decision making. This position will require extensive communication with all business units within Equipment Finance Division (EFD) and other internal departments within Stearns Bank. RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership & Operational Strategy Provide discipline, vision, and oversight for EFD finance and operations functions, ensuring processes are standardized, controlled, transparent and responsive. Lead the strategic direction and continuous efficiency improvements of our EFD finance and operations functions, including system specifications and security to the highest level of completeness, accuracy, and efficiency. Build, measure and sustain accountability, urgency, precision, Gold Standard service, financial discipline, and process integrity. Identify operational risks, implement controls, and ensure audit readiness. Work with other departments to ensure all processes function seamlessly, setting and enforcing clear ownership, accountability, and performance expectations for the EFD Finance and Operations teams and function. Serve on the EFD Leadership Committee to oversee strategic direction, operational performance, systems strategy and risk management of EFD with the other committee members collectively. Provide high-impact strategic leadership and ensure team culture reflects accountability, communication, ownership, and performance excellence. Core System Ownership & Technology Strategy Serve as the business owner of the core EFD systems, including configuration, workflows, permissions, and integrations. Oversee how data enters, moves through, and exits the core platform. Ensure accurate and reliable data feeds the general ledger, regulatory reporting, analytics, reporting and enterprise systems. Identify & lead key projects, transformational initiatives and cross functional workstreams. Strategic management of system upgrades, enhancements, and new module implementations, along with configuration of new initiatives of the bank and division. Establish key performance and key risk indicators to oversee and monitor processes that determine effectiveness. Partner with development teams to enhance processes within Salesforce, Aspire, .Net options, etc. as needed. Financial Governance, Controls, and Budget Oversight Develop, manage, and monitor the budget for EFD, ensuring that it aligns strategic objectives and present to EFD Leadership Committee Lead annual budget creation and ongoing financial management for each business unit. Manage proper business unit assignments for all EFD Finance and Operations resources and expenses. Own all business-within-a-business reporting, KPIs, profitability analysis and forecasting. Build and maintain proformas for new products, industries, pricing structures, and strategic initiatives. Develop forecasts and scenario analysis to support strategic decisions and growth planning. Provide actionable insights based on trends, variances, and operational constraints. Team Leadership & Development Mentor and develop high-performing professionals within finance, operations, and the core-system. Promote culture of urgency, precision, professional communication, and financial ownership. Provide effective leadership and development for the EFD finance and operations owners and leaders including performance management, staffing, talent development, and cross training. Model focused partnership level collaboration with internal teams, vendors, and customers and reinforce those behaviors across the team. Demonstrate a continual professional self-improvement mindset through continued training and education. Lead and manage under conditions of ambiguity and uncertainty. Communication Lead strategic meetings with executives, team leaders, and business partners to resolve bottlenecks, align priorities, and improve service delivery. Demonstrate a senior leadership level communication, influence, and negotiation skills. Consistently demonstrates high quality documentation and reporting skills. Communicates KPIs/KRIs, challenges, and solutions effectively to senior management. Demonstrates the ability to restate/clarify discussions to ensure alignment with team members and business owners. Presents confidently to senior leaders and large internal groups. Core Competencies Highly organized, detailed-focused, financially disciplined, and decision and execution orientated. Service mentality balanced with accountability and a risk management perspective. Strong collaborator who aligns with lending, credit, operations, finance/liquidity, legal, compliance and all other internal and external teams as necessary. Analytical thinker with a bias for improvement, escalation, and resolution. Calm under pressure and confident in managing deadlines, findings and change. REQUIREMENTS Occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 lbs. Literacy in English. Ability to sit for extended periods of time, twist, bend, sit, walk use hands to twist, handle or feel objects, tools or controls, such as computer mouse, computer keyboard, calculator, stapler, telephone, staple puller, etc., reach with hands and arms, balance, stoop, kneel, talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration or finance from a four-year college or university. 7+ years related experience including 3+ years in leadership capacity. Proven experience with workflow optimization, budget ownership, fee process discipline and KPI driven management. Strong expertise in core systems, data flows, and system integrations. Ability to translate business strategy into operational, financial and system requirements. Strong knowledge of equipment finance. THE COMPANY Founded in 1912, Stearns Financial Services Inc. (SFSI) is a $3.2 billion, independently owned financial institution with locations in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona, and over 35,000 small business customers nationwide. Specializing in affordable housing financing, USDA and SBA lending, and small business and equipment financing, Stearns Bank is regularly recognized as one of the country’s top-performing banks and “Best Banks to Work For” by American Banker . As a Star Tribune Top Workplaces award recipient and an award recipient of the Minnesota Business Magazine 100 Best Places to Work in Minnesota, Stearns takes pride in their team and holds their employees in extremely high regard. We offer a competitive salary and benefit package including our Employee Stock Ownership Program-one of the best long-term incentive programs in the nation. To learn more about Stearns Bank, visit www. StearnsBank.com EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER /AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, or creed, religion, sex, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, status with regard to public assistance, or any other class protected by Federal, State, local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.