A career at CoBank can offer you the opportunity to make a personal impact on the people and communities where we do business. When you choose a career with CoBank, you make a difference by doing work that matters. In order to be the best, we hire the best!

Remarkable Benefits offered by CoBank

• Competitive Compensation & Incentive
• Hybrid work model – flexible arrangements for most positions
• Benefits Packages, including: Medical, Dental and Vision coverage, Disability, AD&D, and Life Insurance
• CoBank University robust curriculum –associate training and development, including higher education tuition reimbursement
• Outstanding 401k – up to 6% matching and additional 3% non-elective contribution
• Time-Off Packages – Vacation 15+ days, 10 Paid Sick Days, and 11 Paid Holidays
• Community Impact – United Way Angel Day, Volunteer Day and Associate Directed Contribution
• Associate Resource Groups – creating a culture of diversity and inclusion
• Recognize a fellow associate with “GEM” awards, including a monetary value
• On-site Fitness Center and Cafe
• ECO transportation pass provided to every Denver associate

At CoBank, our Senior Manager, Lease Operations provides leadership, management and technical expertise to multiple supervisors and their teams of lease specialists who are responsible for processing complex transactions on direct and lease-partnered transactions related to all origination and servicing activities. Serves as an escalation point for direct reports, and provides guidance on issue resolution. Serves as a key contact to customers and associations, and as a subject matter expert in matters relating to lease document preparation, condition gathering, lease booking, maintenance, servicing, payment services, end of lease, titling, insurance, documentation, funding and boarding. Accountable for establishing industry standard scorecard metrics, process improvement initiatives, scalable business definition and execution, maximizing usage of existing technology, overseeing an effective control environment, and establishing, measuring and reporting key performance metrics to senior managers. Ensures a high degree of customer satisfaction for both external and internal customers while overseeing effective and efficient performance of ongoing department operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads a team of supervisors and associates charged with the day-to-day functioning of lease maintenance operations processes. Responsible for ensuring all customer processing expectations are achieved while maintaining sound controls to minimize risk.
• Develops and monitors qualitative and quantitative standards for work groups. Oversees process management and improvement. Develops, implements and reviews processes and internal controls to maintain services to meet service levels, cost effectiveness, and the effective management of operational risks.
• Partners with leasing and operations leadership to align Lease Operations’ goals, objectives and activities with the strategic business objectives. Establishes objectives and performance targets, and measures performance relative to these targets. Promotes a culture of delivery and achievement.
• Manages effective and ongoing relationships with internal business partners, including leasing, operations and banking leadership. Ensures partner processes, goals and strategies are understood and supported. Continuously seeks partner feedback to identify areas of improvement.
• Collaborates and partners with CoBank leadership to proactively evolve business processes and practices to be aligned with division and bank priorities.
• Works closely with EIM and IT leadership on developing and evolving the technology and data capabilities needed to ensure sustainable, efficient, and digitally empowered operational processes.
• Provides strong risk management oversight. Works to minimize processing and servicing errors. Creates an environment where problems/errors are readily identified, appropriately communicated to stakeholders, promptly remediated and addressed at the root cause to prevent reoccurrence. Ensures Operational Loss escalations processes are followed and memorandums are fully transparent, identify root cause, and are timely in delivery.
• Ensures design and execution of ICFR/SOC1 and other operating controls that comply with regulatory and bank policies and procedures.
• Ensures the team has the necessary skills, training and support to perform its function at levels that meet or exceed established performance targets.
• Promotes sound risk management and business continuity practices and proactively escalates control weaknesses and emerging risks to senior management.
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Identifies opportunities and recommends compelling solutions that enhance processes and optimize use of technology. Optimizes effectiveness and productivity through the use of best practices and key performance indicators. Communicates and builds a commitment to change, and maintains a culture that enables staff to achieve results in a changing environment.
• Builds strong relationships and works with key stakeholder groups, senior executives and peers, communicating with clarity and transparency, demonstrating influential leadership, and supporting the execution of the bank’s strategic business objectives.
• Participates in cross-functional projects, and ensures timely delivery while maintaining focus on quality standards and cost efficiencies.
• Communicates and cascades the Bank’s strategy to lease operations team members to properly align their activities with the broader enterprise.
• Leads key technology, process improvement and strategic projects and initiatives.
• Develops business and strategic plans for work groups within the department that support division and corporate objectives and value proposition.
• Develops staff to properly align individual knowledge, skills and intangibles with job functions. Focuses on development of direct reports and staff at large to ensure seamless leadership succession at all levels. Ensures team has the skills, training and support necessary to perform its function at levels that meet or exceed performance targets. Ensures appropriate focus on diversity and inclusion in the selection, retention, and development of associates within Lease Operations.
• Ensures complete and effective disaster and business recovery planning and testing for designated area(s) of responsibility. Directs recovery effort, when necessary, to ensure timely and complete return to normal operations.
• Assists in budget preparation. Monitors and controls operating expenses.
• Manages workflow, and establishes and ensures adherence to procedures.
• Prepares operations metrics and ad-hoc management reports. Develops or assists in report development for use in servicing, quality control, review, and statistical monitoring of team transactions/accounts, including departmental metrics.
• Serves as escalation point for servicing issues identified by internal or external customers.
• Drives a high level of associate engagement, and promotes a culture of focused on inclusion and diversity. Maintains an environment that attracts, retains and supports a diverse, engaged and qualified workforce. Fosters a culture of integrity, teamwork, inclusion, personal excellence and accountability.
• Sets performance standards, manages workflow, grants authorities, evaluates performance, and recommends personnel actions within delegated authorities. Consults with Human Resources as appropriate.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting or other relevant discipline.
• Ten (10) or more years of experience in leasing or financial services; or an appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Five (5) or more years of management experience managing multiple work groups and projects, preferably in leasing or financial services.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the Farm Credit System preferred
• Proven experience managing complex multi-functional operations processes and teams, ideally with equipment finance
• Experience working with internal auditors and regulatory examiners preferred.
• Comprehensive understanding of commercial lease operations and lease servicing systems Expertise in leasing terminology, best practices, documentation, security interest, tax and closing requirements.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills and detail orientation, with the ability to apply creative and innovative solutions and focus on profitability while meeting the needs of the customer and the business.
• Excellent technical skills and demonstrated expertise in software product implementation, training and functional financial software support.
• Demonstrated competence in identifying risk areas, analyzing options and new opportunities, and proactively determining appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Knowledge of project management and implementation techniques, process reengineering, and change management.
• Demonstrated leadership, decision making and team building skills, with the ability to manage, train, and motivate people.
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service and negotiation skills, with the ability work collaboratively and build and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of associates and management across the bank, and internal and external customers. Able to effectively promote services and represent the department to internal and external customers.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage and schedule workload and projects in order to navigate peaks, prioritize competing commitments, and complete assignments in accordance with established deadlines.
• Excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word and Excel) and applicable business software applications, including databases, queries and reporting.

Compensation Information

• Estimated Base Salary Range: $115,000-$130,000
• Target short-term incentive opportunity:20%