Director, Network Strategy & Planning

At Valley Bank, we believe in people's growth potential. We invest in it. We protect it. We focus it. For nearly 100 years, we've been the Bank that clients from every industry turn to for our expertise, strategies, and advice--building the kind of trust that can fuel every goal. We are the leading relationship bank built for growth--with over $60 billion in assets, 3,800 experts, and more than 200 consumer branches and commercial banking offices in communities across the US.

At Valley, we're all driven by an ambition that goes deeper than just having a job. That's why when you work for us, we make it our goal to help you focus on what drives you--working to turn your passions and strengths into assets you can use to propel your ambitions and build the professional legacy you want. Because when we say we're a relationship bank built for growth, that's not just reserved for our clients--that includes all our associates as well.

The Director, Retail Network Strategy Planning is responsible for designing, optimizing, and evolving the bank's physical distribution network to maximize profitability, customer convenience, and long-term growth. This leader owns branch strategy end-to-end--including market coverage, footprint optimization, format innovation, capacity planning, and performance analytics--while ensuring alignment with digital channels, sales strategy, and local market dynamics. The role is especially critical in balancing mature Northeastern markets (New Jersey) with high-growth Southern markets (Florida and Alabama) and De Novo markets (Los Angeles and Staten Island), ensuring capital is deployed where it generates the highest customer and shareholder returns.

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Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

• Develop and maintain a multi-year branch network strategy aligned with the bank's consumer, small business, and wealth growth objectives.
• Define optimal branch coverage by market, including openings, closures, consolidations, relocations, and remodels.
• Segment markets by growth, profitability, competitive intensity, and demographic trends to guide investment decisions.
• Evaluate trade-offs between physical presence and digital adoption across customer segments.
• Lead location intelligence and spatial analysis (catchment areas, drive-time analysis, deposit flows, and competitive overlap).
• Partner with Marketing and Finance to integrate demographics, psychographics, and customer behavior data into network decisions.
• Assess market-level ROI, payback periods, and lifetime value for all network investments.
• Design differentiated branch formats (flagship, advisory/light-transaction, micro-branch, co-located models).
• Set staffing and capacity models aligned to sales goals, service demand, and digital adoption.
• Align branch design with evolving customer expectations and brand positioning.
• Own the financial business cases for all network changes, including capital, operating expense, and revenue impacts.
• Establish clear governance, approval processes, and performance tracking for network decisions.
• Ensure seamless coordination with branch sales strategy, workforce planning, and digital channel migration.
• Define and monitor KPIs such as deposits per branch, sales productivity, cost-to-serve, foot traffic trends, and market share.
• Develop executive-level dashboards and insights for senior management and the board.
• Drive continuous improvement through test-and-learn pilots and market experiments.
  
  

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Required Skills

• Proven leadership in managing large, multi-state branch networks (150 locations preferred).
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including location analytics and financial modeling.
• Experience balancing cost optimization with growth and customer-experience outcomes.
• Experience across both mature and high-growth banking markets.
• Familiarity with CRA, fair-lending, and regulatory considerations impacting branch decisions.
• Exposure to digital-first or omni-channel transformation initiatives.
• The ideal leader for this role will possess several essential attributes:
• Strategic thinker with strong business, financial, and customer orientation
• Data-driven decision-maker who can translate analytics into clear executive recommendations
• Collaborative leader able to influence across functions without direct authority
• Comfortable presentation to executive leadership and the board
• Key success metrics include:
• Retail, mortgage, and small-business sales growth
• Deposit market share growth
• Clear, board-approved multi-year network strategy aligned to growth priorities
• Improved branch-level profitability and productivity across the footprint
• Disciplined capital deployment with measurable ROI on network investments
• Modernized branch formats supporting sales growth and digital adoption
  

Required Experience

• High School or GED and a minimum of 10 years of experience in branch network planning, retail banking strategy, or distribution optimization.
  
  

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field.
• MBA.