Director Commercial and Specialty Loan Closing This position develops, plans and directs the strategy as well as is responsible for the delivery of consistent, high quality loan closing services for all Commercial Bank loans ($50 billion) as well as multiple specialty loans including but not limited to CRE Construction, Dealer Floor Plan, Asset Based Loans, International Loans, Standby Letters of Credit and Equipment Leases. The Loan Closing department provides services in support of commercial loans including confirmation that all pre-requisites are satisfied, ordering due diligence items, Subject To Signoffs, etc. to ensure the timely processing of loan closing requests, data validation, and management of data integrity for the reporting of Comerica's loan portfolio. In addition to the loan closing function initiating funding and disbursements, this team also operates under customer-driven tight deadlines and expectations, while ensuring the bank does not commit to lending millions of dollars until the approved legal, credit and regulatory conditions precedent are met. The scope of responsibilities includes data accuracy, pre-closing regulatory compliance, credit approval compliance, due diligence completion, post-closing resolution of issues and exceptions and ensuring high quality customer interactions. The Director of Commercial and Specialty Loan Closing must focus on adding value to the loan closing process through best-in-class services, digital capabilities, an enhanced customer experience, an engaged and proficient workforce as well as providing financial oversight and managing the risks related to these complex lending activities. The position is responsible for partnering with internal colleagues, external counsel and other suppliers to ensure a remarkable experience for the customers. Position Responsibilities: Operations Strategy * Develop, effectively communicate, and implement strategic and tactical plans to deliver Loan Closing services that meet corporate objectives. * Create a consistent national operating model to ensure the delivery of competitive, quality loan closing services to support Comerica's commercial credit activities. * Stay abreast of industry and competitor trends and determine their impact on Comerica. * Benchmark performance against peers to identify opportunities to improve service effectiveness and efficiency. * Drive assessment of existing operations and identify opportunities to move the operations past industry standard toward competitive differentiation. Operations Management * Direct activities to ensure a consistent national platform for the delivery of competitive, quality Loan Closing services to support Comerica's commercial activities. * Lead efforts to efficiently deliver operational services in a manner that ensures both long-term cost competitiveness and positively differentiated quality processing. * Ensure a customer focus for the services provided by partnering with clients and customers to evaluate potential improvements and / or resolve issues. * Identify and manage to key operational metrics, particularity in areas of customer impact, quality, timeliness, productivity, and overall Loan Closing efficiency. * Develop effective communication vehicles to report department performance and actions taken to address service failures. * Champion technology projects that provide standardized, highly automated, and cost-effective Loan Closing services. * Lead with composure during an incident or crisis. Perform effective root cause analysis as well as strategies to recover. Relationship Management * Build critical alliances with key lending, credit, legal, and technology business partners in the delivery of Loan Closing activities. * Establish a structured, rigorous and efficient method to collect and analyze client satisfaction data to identify opportunities for improvement. * Provide consultative support to lending and credit teams related to pre-closing requirements to be satisfied and resolved and data validation activities. * Ensure aligned with strategic plans and pipeline activities with business partners to install confidence in their ability to market timelines and the closing process. Financial and Risk Management * Manage the financials of Loan Closing with attention to the details of planning and budgets while exhibiting cost discipline. * Ongoing operations efficiency should be standard practice and reflected in the financials and budgets annually. * Create and monitor risk management practices to ensure an effective internal control environment as well as compliance with relevant laws and regulations. * Analyze and interpret new or changing regulations and develop plans to implement within operations. Talent Management * Select, motivate, and retain high performing talent, cultivating a spirit of teamwork with shared goals and objectives. Develop and clearly articulate distinctive strategies to position LTS as a competitive advantage to enable Comerica to reach its revenue growth goals. * Develop a team of professionals who can effectively interact with key constituents (i.e. customers, business partners, external counsel, suppliers, etc). In particular, the team must be skilled at interacting with sophisticated commercial customers. * Coordinate with HR and peer operations managers to enhance corporate practices and programs to continuously improve operations management developmental curriculum. * Provide strategic direction to ensure instructionally sound training programs are delivered to improve operational and targeted technical capabilities that ensure team members are skilled for the future. * Develop plans to reduce key person dependencies, ensure succession and knowledge transfer plans. Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/Disabled