CRA Program Lead

We are seeking an experienced Community Reinvestment Act professional to take primary ownership of a bank-wide CRA program. This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who can establish the framework for a growing institution, translate regulatory expectations into practical processes, and confidently represent the program with regulators, auditors, senior leadership, and community stakeholders.

The successful candidate will oversee CRA strategy, performance measurement, data quality, community development activity, regulatory reporting, and examination readiness. This person will also serve as the organization’s subject-matter expert when questions arise around CRA eligibility, performance expectations, or regulatory interpretation.

Because the program is being built and scaled, this role requires someone comfortable creating processes and methodologies rather than simply administering an established framework.

• Lead the overall CRA framework, including policies, procedures, controls, performance standards, and governance.
• Maintain and oversee the institution’s regulatory CRA plan, including goal development, updates, required approvals, public input, and regulatory submissions.
• Establish annual performance objectives and develop the supporting analysis used to determine appropriate targets.
• Create consistent standards for evaluating whether loans, investments, services, partnerships, and other activities receive CRA consideration.
• Provide guidance to business leaders on the CRA implications of new products, lending initiatives, partnerships, and strategic decisions.
• Prepare CRA updates and recommendations for senior management and Board-level committees.

• Track results against established CRA objectives and identify potential performance gaps early.
• Develop forecasts and recommend corrective actions when performance is trending below expectations.
• Maintain reliable records covering CRA-eligible lending, investments, services, and employee activities.
• Prepare performance-context analysis and supporting documentation used during regulatory reviews.
• Evaluate economic, demographic, lending, and community-development trends that could affect CRA strategy.
• Translate quantitative and qualitative findings into actionable recommendations for leadership.

• Establish controls governing CRA data accuracy, completeness, classification, and documentation.
• Oversee processes involving geocoding, income and geography classifications, and community-development designations.
• Manage applicable CRA-related regulatory data submissions and reporting requirements.
• Maintain required public disclosures, notices, and CRA-related records.
• Partner with technology and data teams to improve reporting, automate controls, and strengthen data-quality processes.
• Ensure supporting records can withstand independent testing, audit, and regulatory review.

• Develop relationships with nonprofit organizations, community-development groups, public agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Assess community credit and development needs within the institution’s designated market area.
• Use community feedback and market analysis to inform CRA priorities and performance goals.
• Build and evaluate a pipeline of potential community-development loans, investments, services, and partnerships.
• Prioritize opportunities based on community impact, regulatory eligibility, and identified performance needs.
• Represent the institution at appropriate community-development meetings, forums, and industry events.

• Serve as the primary CRA subject-matter contact during regulatory examinations.
• Coordinate examination materials, information requests, management interviews,…