Head of Banking

Head of Banking & Mortgage

Location: New York City preferred, hybrid

Alternative locations: Los Angeles or Miami, fully remote until local office space is established

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Compensation: $175,000 to $225,000 base salary, plus equity and performance-based compensation

Shields Group Search is partnering with an open-architecture private banking platform to hire a Head of Banking & Mortgage.

This is a senior builder role combining banking and mortgage operations, compliance, regulatory leadership, product strategy, financial structuring, sales enablement, and team building.

About the Company

Our client serves independent wealth managers and their clients, including ultra-high-net-worth families, founders, and operators.

The company already operates an active credit business serving UHNW clients. It is now building a full deposit and banking business covering checking, savings, treasury, cards, and money movement, as well as a mortgage business focused on jumbo and super-jumbo loans using asset-based and pledged-asset underwriting.

The goal is one integrated platform across credit, deposits, and mortgages.

The Role

The Head of Banking & Mortgage will own the buildout, operations, and regulatory standing of the company’s deposit and mortgage businesses in coordination with its existing credit platform.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this person will be the single point of accountability for banking and mortgage operations outside of product and engineering.

The initial focus will be vendor integration, recruiting, compliance design, and operational buildout. Once the businesses are live, the focus will shift to scaling the team, expanding mortgage licensing state by state, and launching additional products.

What You Will Own

Vendor and Partner Management

• Own the sponsor bank relationship end-to-end, including diligence, contracting, integration, ongoing operations, examinations, and escalation.
• Own the mortgage infrastructure relationship, including contract management, integration, engineering coordination, settlement workflows, and escalation.
• Lead the operating integration and potential acquisition of a mortgage brokerage entity alongside legal and finance.
• Coordinate with the current Broker of Record and ultimately assume the designation.
• Manage relationships with the card processor, card networks, ledger and payment platform, consultants, and outside counsel.

Compliance and Regulatory Leadership

• Establish and own the BSA/AML and broader compliance programs across banking and mortgage.
• Hire and manage the BSA/AML Officer and Compliance Officer.
• Oversee SAR and CTR filing, CIP, CDD, EDD, OFAC screening, sanctions, and transaction monitoring.
• Ensure compliance with applicable banking and mortgage regulations, including Reg E, Reg Z, Reg CC, RESPA, TILA, ECOA, HMDA, and QM/ATR.
• Build and chair the internal Risk and Compliance Committee.
• Serve as the primary contact for federal and state examinations.
• Maintain exam-ready policies and procedures, coordinate requests, lead remediation, and manage internal and third-party audits.

NMLS Licensing and Expansion

• Own all NMLS matters for the mortgage brokerage entity.
• Maintain licenses across New York, New Jersey, and Florida.
• Lead expansion into California, Texas, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, and Washington during year one.
• Build toward full 50-state coverage in year two.
• Sponsor and manage individual MLO licenses, continuing education, and required filings.

Operations Buildout

• Build and run Banking Operations across ACH, wires, RTP, FedNow, reconciliation, exception handling, disputes, chargebacks, and fraud.
• Build and run Mortgage Operations across processing, post-close, investor delivery, servicing coordination, and payments.
• Build Treasury Operations covering wire approvals, ACH files, OFAC review, and large-payment authorization.
• Manage card operations and network compliance.
• Build a white-glove client service function across credit, banking, and mortgages.

Team and Business Leadership

• Hire approximately 8 to 10 people across compliance, operations, and client service during the first 9 to 12 months.
• Prioritize the BSA/AML Officer and Compliance Officer as the first critical hires.
• Establish performance management, compensation structures, and leadership succession.
• Co-own the banking and mortgage P&L, operating budget, and executive reporting with the CEO.

Product, Sales, and Structuring Partnership

This role does not directly own product or engineering, but operating and regulatory realities must shape what gets built.

You will partner with Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market leadership to:

• Translate regulatory and operational requirements into the product roadmap
• Provide implementation, structuring, product, and sales guidance
• Support the successful launch and adoption of banking and mortgage products

What We Are Looking For

Required

• 12 years of financial-services experience, primarily in banking operations, mortgage operations, compliance, or a combination of these areas.
• Senior-level experience at a bank, sponsor-bank fintech, scaled mortgage banker or broker, private bank, or wealth manager with in-house banking operations.
• Experience leading or co-leading at least one full regulatory examination involving the OCC, FDIC, Federal Reserve, or a state banking department.
• Hands-on experience building or substantially rebuilding a BSA/AML program.
• Strong knowledge of banking and/or mortgage compliance, with deep expertise in one area and the ability to develop expertise in the other.
• Experience building and managing teams of 10 or more across compliance, operations, risk, or client service.
• Executive-level vendor management experience involving sponsor banks, processors, infrastructure providers, consultants, or counsel.
• Eligibility to serve as Broker of Record under multi-state NMLS requirements, or a clear path to qualification during the transition period.
• Bachelor’s degree.

Strongly Preferred

• Previous experience as a GM, Head of Operations, or Head of Compliance at a fintech operating under a sponsor bank.
• Multi-state NMLS expansion and mortgage licensing experience.
• Existing NMLS licenses in one or more relevant states.
• Experience with API-first banking and mortgage infrastructure.
• Direct exposure to UHNW or private banking clients.
• Mortgage broker operations or wholesale lending experience.
• Experience combining product management, client-facing sales strategy, financial structuring, and operational execution.
• JD, MBA, CAMS, CRCM, CFE, or another relevant credential.

How You Work

• Builder and operator mindset
• Direct communicator who raises issues early and takes ownership
• Strong written communication and executive judgment
• Disciplined approach to regulatory, operational, and credit risk
• Proven ability to recruit and develop high-performing teams
• Commitment to one integrated client experience rather than separate product silos