Chief Operations Officer; COO

Company: Core First Bank & Trust

Position: Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Reports to: President and Chief Executive Officer

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, other days and hours as needed. This is an in-person, in-office position and regular hybrid or work‑from‑home hours will not be considered.

Location: Headquarters - Topeka, KS

The Chief Operations Officer (COO) serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and provides enterprise leadership, operational strategy, and organizational oversight across the bank. The COO ensures that operational functions, including loan operations, deposit operations, treasury management operations, business transformation, information technology, and facilities and security, are aligned with the bank’s strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. This position is accountable for driving operational excellence, optimizing processes, strengthening internal controls, and ensuring the effective integration of people, processes, and technology.

The COO will promote cross‑functional collaboration and support the bank’s mission, values, long‑term growth, and fulfillment of our value propositions.

• Participate as a member of the Executive Team in the development and execution of the bank’s strategic plan.
• Translate strategic objectives into operational plans with defined priorities, timelines, and performance expectations.
• Provide leadership that balances long‑term strategic vision with hands‑on operational execution.
• Lead enterprise‑wide operational and transformation initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, customer experience, and overall organizational performance through the alignment of people, processes, and technology to support the bank’s value propositions and competitive positioning.
• Partner with executive leadership to improve operational scalability, organizational effectiveness, profitability, and enterprise performance.
• Key participant and a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) governance and usage efforts.

• Provide executive oversight of Loan Operations, Deposit Operations, Treasury Management Operations, Business Transformation, Information Technology, and Facilities and Security.
• Ensure departmental processes are scalable, documented, compliant, and supported by effective internal controls.
• Lead ongoing bank‑wide initiatives to document roles and responsibilities, analyze workload drivers, and optimize staffing models.
• Oversee cross‑functional processes to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and alignment with business objectives.
• Promote collaboration across business lines and work to eliminate operational silos.

• Collaborate with the Business Transformation Office and IT to establish the bank’s strategic technology roadmap.
• Ensure the technology infrastructure and application stack support current and future business needs.
• Facilitate communication between IT and business units to align technology initiatives with operational and business priorities, ensuring solutions effectively support organizational objectives.
• Support innovation, automation, and digital transformation initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and customer experience, including AI solutions.

• Ensure operational compliance with applicable federal and state regulations, internal policies, and industry standards for all departments reporting to the COO.
• Provide executive support and accountability for external audit, compliance, and regulatory examination activities.
• Promote a culture of strong internal controls and operational risk awareness.
• Maintain and update the Bank Continuity Plan program (bank‑wide).

• Manage assigned vendor relationships to ensure performance, accountability, and adherence to contractual obligations.
• Participate in RFP processes, contract negotiations, and vendor evaluations.
• Reduce redundancy in vendor solutions, optimize utilization, and eliminate unnecessary costs.

• Establish and monitor key…