Location: On – site – Richmond, VA
Work arrangement: On-site
Work type: Full-time
Compensation: $200K/yr – $235K/yr
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
About the Opportunity
The Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for overseeing the bank's core operating infrastructure while partnering across the organization to launch new business lines, modernize processes, and create a scalable platform for growth. This role requires a builder mindset: someone who is energized by ambiguity, challenges conventional thinking, asks "why," and has the ability to turn ideas into disciplined execution. The COO must be both strategic and hands-on, capable of designing the future while ensuring today's operations run with excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Operations Leadership
• Lead and transform the bank's operational functions, including loan operations and deposit operations.
• Build scalable processes, workflows, systems, and accountability structures that support significant organizational growth.
• Drive operational efficiency through automation, technology adoption, process redesign, and continuous improvement.
• Establish operational metrics, service standards, and performance expectations.
• Ensure operational excellence while maintaining appropriate risk management and controls.
• Represent Operations in regulatory examinations and lead remediation of operational findings, ensuring the bank's growth remains consistent with safety and soundness expectations.
Business Transformation & New Initiatives
• Serve as the operational architect for strategic growth initiatives.
• Partner with Strategic Initiatives, Technology, Compliance, Risk, and business leaders to move ideas from concept to execution.
• Build the operational infrastructure required for emerging business lines, including:
• Hedge fund banking
• Payment innovation and payments infrastructure partnerships
• Core modernization
• Future technology-enabled banking solutions
• Develop repeatable frameworks for launching, scaling, and supporting new products and services.
• Identify operational challenges before they occur and build solutions.
Enterprise Services
Provide executive oversight of corporate infrastructure functions, including:
• Information Technology
• Information Security
• Vendor Management
• Business Continuity
• Facilities
• Enterprise operational support functions
Ensure these areas operate as strategic enablers of growth rather than administrative functions.
Leadership Expectations
The COO will be expected to:
• Challenge the status quo and ask "why?"
• Create clarity from ambiguity.
• Build processes where none exist.
• Balance innovation with safety and soundness.
• Operate with urgency and ownership.
• Remove obstacles for employees and customers.
• Develop scalable solutions rather than temporary fixes.
• Lead through influence across departments.
**Ideal Candidate Profile**
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Significant leadership experience in banking operations, fintech operations, payments, financial technology, or high-growth financial services.
• Proven ability building operational infrastructure during periods of growth and change.
• Strong understanding of banking operations, technology, regulatory expectations, and risk management.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to translate strategy into execution.
• Entrepreneurial mindset combined with operational discipline.
Personal Attributes
• Built on grit; driven by excellence.
• Naturally curious with a desire to solve difficult problems.
• Comfortable pushing boundaries.
• High intellectual horsepower.
• Low ego, high ownership.
• Relentless focus on improvement.
• Bias toward action.
• Finds a way.
Success Looks Like
The COO will build an operating platform capable of supporting the bank's growth from a community bank into a modern financial services platform, creating the systems, teams, and discipline required to scale without losing speed, innovation, or customer focus.
Compensation: $200K/yr – $235K/yr