Branch Operational Excellence Manager - Little Rock, AR

Who We Are:

Southern Bancorp is more than a bank. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a special certification designated for institutions that serve predominantly underserved communities, Southern Bancorp combines traditional banking and lending services with financial development tools and public policy advocacy to help families and communities grow stronger. Inspired by the principle that building net worth drives economic opportunity, our mission is to be wealth builders for everyone in the communities we serve, with a focus on low-wealth and un(der)banked populations, as well as an emphasis on Black and Brown individuals.

The Retail Branch Operational Excellence Manager is a key role within the Retail Banking Division, responsible for operational integrity and continuous improvement across a multi-region branch network. This role leads the monthly auditing of all retail branches, ensuring compliance with internal controls, regulatory standards, and operational excellence framework. It also leads high-impact operational projects, collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance workflows, strengthen risk controls, and improve the team and customer experience.

Responsibilities:

Operational Auditing, Risk Management, and Branch Auditing & Compliance (50%)

• Lead and execute a risk-based monthly audit cycle for all retail banking branches across three regions using a risk-based methodology.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive audit frameworks, checklists, dashboards, and KPIs in alignment with regulatory and internal standards.
• Deliver detailed, actionable audit reports with findings, risk ratings, and corrective recommendations, and present findings to retail executive and regional management.
• Coordinate with regional, market and branch managers to remediate audit issues, track progress, and verify implementation of corrective actions.
• Identify recurring themes and systemic risks; escalate critical issues to the Director of Retail Branch Operational Excellence.
• Provide consultation, guidance and support to branch staff on operational controls, compliance practices, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Maintain and continuously refine branch audit protocols and scoring mechanisms in alignment with industry best practice.

Operational Standards & Branch Performance Oversight (25%)

• Serve as the primary point of contact for retail branch operations issues, troubleshooting, and resolving problems as needed.
• Serve as an escalation point for high-impact or complex operational issues from branches.
• Drive standardization of operations across branches by creating and enforcing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and best practices.
• Coach, consult and support branch staff during policy changes, new process implementation, and remediation efforts.
• Collaborate with Risk, Compliance, IT, and HR to ensure operational readiness for internal/external audits and regulatory exams.
• Benchmark and analyze branch performance data (e.g., transaction accuracy, teller efficiency, customer service metrics) to identify performance improvement opportunities in partnership with the Director of Retail Branch Operational Excellence.

Special Projects & Strategic Initiatives (25%)

Lead and manage strategic retail operations projects such as:

• Branch automation and workflow optimization initiatives
• Integration of digital tools and process automation
• Operational excellence design, redesign, and queue management optimization
• Compliance remediation efforts
• Branch relocation, redesign, or consolidation projects
• New product operationalization (e.g., instant issuance, remote deposit)
• Staff cross-training and process simplification campaigns
• Oversee full project lifecycle needs assessment, solution design, pilot, rollout, training, and performance evaluation.
• Represent Retail Operations on working groups, cross-functional steering committees, and enterprise transformation efforts.

Required Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in business administration, Finance, Banking, or a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three to five years of progressive experience in retail banking, including branch operations, internal auditing, and project leadership.
• Knowledge of banking laws, regulations, and operational controls (e.g., BSA/AML, KYC, FDIC, CFPB).
• Demonstrated success managing multi-branch initiatives with measurable outcomes
• Strategic thinking with strong analytical and diagnostic skills.
• Proactive leadership with the ability to influence across decentralized teams.
• Strong verbal and written communication; ability to present findings at executive level.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, audit and project management platforms, and core banking systems.
• Capable of managing multiple high-impact initiatives in a compliance-driven and fast-paced environment.
• Must possess and maintain current and valid driver's license and a vehicle with appropriate insurance coverage
• Ability to travel throughout markets for various meetings and appointments

Physical/Sensory Requirements:

• Regular travel (up to 40-50%) across three regions for on-site audits, project delivery, and leadership engagement.
• Flexible/hybrid work arrangements are available, based on audit cycles and business needs

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
What we offer our employees:

A positive impact on Your Future:

• 401(k)/Roth plan with immediate eligibility and employer match up to 6%
• Employee stock ownership plan
• Discounted rate on primary home mortgage
• Credit and housing counseling as well as free financial education tools available to customers and employees

Benefits to improve your health:

• No deductible medical insurance plan
• Dental and vision insurance
• Employer paid life and long-term disability insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts

The opportunity to nurture your well-being:

• Paid holidays and paid time off
• Bonus plan
• Opportunity for merit raises
• Employee reward and recognition programs
• Community service opportunities

Southern Bancorp is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

As a Community Development Financial Institution, Southern Bancorp desires its workforce to reflect the diversity of the customers and communities that we serve. Racial and ethnic minorities, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people are often underrepresented in many financial service industry professions. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.