What are the responsibilities and job description for the Innovation Leadership Program (iLead) - Phoenix AZ - Preferred and Small Busines position at Western Alliance Bancorporation?
Job Title:
Innovation Leadership Program (iLead) - Phoenix AZ - Preferred and Small Business BankingLocation:
CityScapeWhat you'll do:
Start Date Between June 23, 2025 to July 7, 2025This eighteen-month rotational program gives participants the opportunity to further build their business skills and develop an innovation mindset at a fast-growing company. Program participants will become the trailblazers in their functions, working on projects that will shape the future of Western Alliance Bank. Participants will gain high-impact experience, accelerate their careers as innovation leaders, build their professional network and interact closely with senior executives.
The Preferred and Small Business Banking teams are the face of client service at Western Alliance Bank. With a focus on leading the sales, service, and operational experience for preferred and small business clients. This includes creating a positive onboarding experience for new clients. Our teams provide service to clients through 37 branch locations, a dedicated small business banking team, and several centralized centers dedicated to delivering the full value of the bank to clients. Our mission is to deliver an enhanced client experience by enabling our team to interact seamlessly with clients, upskilling our people, improving processes, and driving technological innovation.
iLeaders can expect to have direct insight into and participate in changes we're making to enhance the technology, process, and people experience to better serve our clients. Additionally, iLead participants can expect to learn the fundamentals of business banking, have a front-row seat to project and change management as well gain leadership experience, learning basics of employee performance management, coaching and training.
The iLead participant would gain a holistic, hands-on experience across several key areas of our business, providing a well-rounded foundation in both strategic and operational aspects of banking. By rotating through the small business banking, reporting and risk management, and automation teams within Preferred and Small Business Banking, the individual would develop a deep understanding of how revenue generation, process efficiency, risk management, and technology solutions are interconnected in driving business success. This experience offers exposure to real-world challenges, collaborative problem-solving, and cross-functional leadership, allowing the participant to sharpen their analytical, decision-making, and implementation skills. Ultimately, the program provides a comprehensive learning opportunity that equips the individual to make strategic contributions to the business while developing a well-rounded management skill set.
The Rotations for Preferred and Small Business Banking are:
Rotation 1: Small Business Banking. In this rotation, the participant will gain an understanding of the small business banking sector, focusing on how the WAB Small Business Banking team drives revenue growth, fosters client relationships, and improves operational efficiency. This experience offers insight into key areas of business development and the unique needs of small business clients.
Rotation 2: Reporting and Risk Management Rotation. This rotation would focus on building an understanding and diving deeper into the reporting needs of our small business banking program, while gaining exposure to risk management practices to better understand how to create change while mitigating business risks. The participant will learn how to enhance reporting packages, improve risk management practices, and assess the bank's exposure to various business risks ahead of implementing changes. This rotation provides insight into the importance of data-driven decision-making and risk mitigation.
Rotation 3: Automation. During this rotation, the participant will focus on technology and automation solutions that streamline operations and address business challenges identified in the prior rotations. This experience emphasizes how automation can drive efficiency, reduce costs, and enable faster decision-making by improving data accessibility and workflow processes.
What you'll need:
- MBA or master's degree in a related field completed in the last three years and before the start of the program.
- Job experience of two to five years related experience in: banking or financial services, project management, data analysis, risk management, technology and automation, or client facing sales and service roles (including leadership).
- History of acting as a change agent and taking calculated risks.
- Desired skills:
- Strong understanding of financial principles, business banking, and risk management.
- Proficiency in analyzing data sets, using tools like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI to generate insights and reporting.
- Ability to manage projects, including planning, execution, and evaluation.
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, especially in identifying inefficiencies and proposing solutions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to diverse stakeholders.
- Strong ability to work cross-functionally and with teams across departments.
- Familiarity with automation technologies, digital tools, or workflow software like Dynamics 365, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), or AI-based solutions.
- Desire to innovate, disrupt and improve.
- Entrepreneurial mindset.
- Demonstrated leadership, strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment.
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Office (e.g., Excel) and other presentation tools.
- Ability to work both independently and on cross-functional teams.
- Comfortable with working in a rapidly changing environment.
- Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
Benefits you'll love:
We offer all the important things you'd want - like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!
About the company:
Western Alliance Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Alliance Bancorporation. Alliance Bank of Arizona, Alliance Association Bank, Bank of Nevada, Bridge Bank, First Independent Bank, and Torrey Pines Bank are divisions of Western Alliance Bank; Member FDIC. AmeriHome Mortgage is a Western Alliance Bank company.
Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process and/or need an alternative method of applying, please email HR@westernalliancebank.com or call 602-386-2488. When contacting us, please provide your contact information and state the nature of your accessibility issue. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests that involve a reasonable accommodation in the application process.
Western Alliance Bancorporation
Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process and/or need an alternative method of applying, please email recruiter@westernalliancebank.com or call (602) 797-3662.
