Head of Fair and Responsible Banking

The role:

The Head of Fair and Responsible Banking is a key member of the Compliance senior leadership team responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing the enterprise-wide strategy for fair lending, responsible banking, and consumer complaint management. This role leads the fair lending advisory and analytics functions, which ensures that all business practices are aligned with fair lending regulatory expectations and internal standards.  The role will also provide strategic direction, subject matter expertise, and oversight for the broader fair banking practices and consumer complaints.

This leader will partner with lines of business, compliance, risk and legal teams to proactively identify risks, provide credible challenge, and implement sustainable solutions. The successful candidate will bring deep fair lending, responsible banking and complaints oversight regulatory expertise, analytical acumen, and a passion for embedding responsible banking concepts into financial products, services, and operations.

What you’ll do: 

• Develop and lead the bank’s Fair and Responsible Banking program, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, enterprise risk appetite, and core values
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert on fair lending, UDAAP, and related consumer protection laws (e.g., ECOA, FHA, regulatory guidance)
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the Fair Lending Advisory, Fair Lending Analytics, Responsible Banking, and Complaints Management Oversight teams
• Build, lead, and mentor a team of highly experienced compliance professionals and data scientists focused on all aspects of fair and responsible banking

• Maintain and execute the fair lending program
• Lead a team of experienced fair lending officers to execute the program 
• Act as subject matter expert to both the first and second lines, regarding fair lending risk and oversight expectations
• Advise compliance, risk, product, credit, marketing, etc., teams on fair lending risks across the lending lifecycle
• Design and execute the fair lending risk assessment
• Design and execute fair-lending related review and monitoring activity 
• Ensure appropriate and effective fair lending training across the organization

Fair Lending Analytics

• Maintain and execute the fair lending analytics program
• Lead a team of data scientists to execute the program
• Act as subject matter expert to both the first and second lines regarding fair lending analytics and ongoing monitoring processes and oversight expectations
• Oversee the use of advanced statistical and analytics tools to detect and monitor fair lending risk 

• Maintain and execute the responsible banking program
• Lead a team of responsible banking officers to execute the program 
• Design and execute the responsible banking risk assessment
• Act as subject matter expert to both the first and second lines regarding responsible banking risk and oversight expectations
• Ensure appropriate and effective responsible banking training across the organization
  

• Oversee the enterprise complaints management program, ensuring robust intake, analysis, resolution, and escalation processes.
• Analyze complaint trends to identify systemic issues and opportunities for product or service enhancements
• Implement effective regulatory complaint response policies
• Report findings to senior management and help drive root-cause remediation efforts
  

Governance, Reporting, and Regulatory Engagement

• Prepare and present reports, metrics, and risk assessments to the Board, Risk Committees, and regulators
• Lead responses to regulatory examinations, inquiries, and feedback related to fair and responsible banking and complaints oversight

What you’ll need:

• Deep, applied knowledge of federal and state fair lending and consumer protection laws and regulations (e.g., ECOA, FHA, UDAAP, etc.)
• 15+ years directly leading fair lending and responsible banking programs at mid to large sized national banks

• 10+ years directly leading fair lending analytics teams
• 10+ years applying fair lending concepts to mortgage products and processes (additional experience in the 1LOD preferred)
• 10+ years applying fair lending concepts across multiple other products and processes (personal loans, student lending, card, auto) 
• 10+ years applying responsible banking concepts across a broad range of banking and financial products and services 
• 7+ years directly leading enterprise complaints  oversight programs and broad understanding of a range of associated regulations (Reg E, Reg Z, Reg DD, etc.)
• Proven ability leading large, highly experienced, teams of compliance officers and data scientists 
• Significant experience leading relationships with regulatory agencies (e.g., CFPB, OCC)

• Strategic thinker with strong solutions-focused business acumen and ability to influence across all levels of the organization
• Proven ability to  build collaborative relationships with cross-functional partners
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.   
• Comfortable presenting to and advising executive leadership and regulators
• High integrity, ethical judgment, and commitment to advancing financial inclusion and fairness
• Experience operating in a fast-paced, growth-oriented company

Nice to have:

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in related field
• Experience working in a bank 1LOD
• Certification in compliance or risk management (e.g., CRCM, CCEP, FRM).