Senior Lead Commercial Banking Portfolio Manager

Head Of Credit For Emerging Middle Market Agricultural Lending

Wells Fargo is seeking a strong leader to serve as Head of Credit for the Emerging Middle Market (EMM) Agricultural Lending and Portfolio Management team. This role provides senior credit leadership and approval authority for a national portfolio of primary agricultural producers and processors with revenues between $25MM and $100MM.

The leader will partner closely with Relationship Managers and Independent Risk to drive disciplined growth, consistent underwriting standards, and a balanced "how can we" mindset while maintaining strong risk governance and portfolio performance across the platform.

In this role you will:

• Manage and develop the Emerging Middle Market Agricultural Portfolio Management team, with a focus on high-quality credit underwriting, monitoring, and execution
• Serve as a senior credit approver for complex agricultural lending transactions, including operating lines, real estate-secured facilities, and agribusiness/processor credits
• Collaborate with Relationship Management, Independent Risk, and product partners nationally to structure and approve credit solutions that meet client needs within Wells Fargo's risk appetite
• Actively participate in the origination, structuring, and execution of credit transactions for primary producers and agricultural processors
• Establish and reinforce consistent underwriting standards, risk rating discipline, and portfolio monitoring practices across regions
• Identify and recommend opportunities for process improvement, efficiency gains, and risk control enhancements within the Portfolio Management function
• Provide subject matter expertise on agricultural industries, including row crops, livestock, dairy, specialty agriculture, and food and agribusiness processing sectors
• Determine appropriate credit strategies and actions to meet complex business objectives, including growth, asset quality, and return targets
• Promote a high level of morale, accountability, and performance across a geographically dispersed team
• Influence and partner with Independent Risk to ensure alignment on credit philosophy, policy adherence, and emerging risk trends
• Coach Relationship Managers on credit structuring, risk identification, and client strategy to strengthen front-line credit acumen and drive sound decision-making
• Provide training and guidance to less experienced individuals
• Manage allocation of people and financial resources to optimize coverage, efficiency, and portfolio performance
• Develop and guide a culture of talent development, inclusion, and continuous improvement aligned with Commercial Banking and EMM strategy

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of Commercial Banking Portfolio Management or leadership experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
• 7+ years of Commercial Agricultural Banking Portfolio Management, underwriting, or credit experience
• 3+ years of management or leadership experience

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with complex credit, underwriting, and debt structure for clients with annual revenue of $25MM to $100MM
• Completion of a formal credit training program
• Deep expertise in agricultural industries (e.g., row crops, livestock, dairy, specialty crops, food processing) and associated risk drivers such as commodity price volatility, weather variability, input costs, and farmland values.
• Strong partnership orientation with proven ability to collaborate effectively with Relationship Managers and Independent Risk
• Demonstrated ability to balance growth and risk, with a track record of maintaining strong credit quality through economic and agricultural cycles
• Experience leading through change, including process transformation, technology adoption, or organizational scaling
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across functions.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities, including portfolio trend analysis, concentration management, and early risk identification.
• Experience operating in a national or multi-region platform with a distributed…