Amid ongoing transformation pressure in the banking industry, the talent selection logic of local banks is being reshaped. The traditional promotion path that relied on internal succession is increasingly opening its doors to the external market in search of executive talent. A review of recent developments shows that Bank of Beijing, Harbin Bank, and Beijing Rural Commercial Bank have successively released mid-level core business management positions at their headquarters, covering areas such as asset-liability management, risk control, and corporate finance, as they seek to attract versatile management professionals from the market.

Local banks cast a wide net for mid-level managers

In this wave of recruitment expansion by local banks, Bank of Beijing has unveiled a list of multiple headquarters management roles, including General Manager of the Asset-Liability Department, General Manager of the Transaction Banking Department (International Business Department), General Manager and Deputy General Manager of the Risk Management Department, and Deputy General Manager of the Post-Investment and Post-Loan Management Department. As a core position responsible for the bank's asset operations and resource coordination, the appointed General Manager of the Asset-Liability Department will be tasked with implementing medium and long-term business plans, coordinating comprehensive asset-liability management, pricing management, performance assessment management, and liquidity management, while ensuring compliance with regulatory indicators and maximizing returns. The General Manager of the Transaction Banking Department (International Business Department) will lead the full life-cycle management of transaction banking products, establish institutional and system frameworks, and deliver customized comprehensive financial solutions for clients. On the risk front, the bank is also making significant deployments. The General Manager and Deputy General Manager of the Risk Management Department will focus on building a comprehensive risk management system, formulating risk policies and risk appetite, and continuously improving the risk assessment framework.

Harbin Bank has also recently published a social recruitment notice for headquarters management positions for 2026, publicly selecting three management roles: Deputy Director of the Board Office (Party Committee Office), Deputy General Manager of the Technology Management Department, and Deputy General Manager of the Data Management Department. The bank requires applicants to possess solid professional expertise and management experience. Among these, the Deputy Director of the Board Office (Party Committee Office) role emphasizes excellent writing skills, coordination ability, and external communication capabilities; the Deputy General Manager of the Technology Management Department focuses on financial technology management abilities; and the Deputy General Manager of the Data Management Department prioritizes data security management skills, cross-departmental coordination, regulatory communication, and familiarity with regulatory reporting and related platform construction.

Shifting focus to another local legal entity in Beijing, Beijing Rural Commercial Bank has also initiated market-based recruitment for the position of Corporate Banking Director. This role carries full responsibility for the corporate banking segment, including formulating the overall strategy and annual business plan for the corporate finance sector, breaking down core business metrics, analyzing market competition trends in corporate banking, and leading improvements in customer group management strategies and marketing directions.

According to Wu Zewei, a special researcher at SuShang Bank, the accelerated adoption of market-based recruitment for management talent by city commercial banks and rural commercial banks is driven by both industry operational pressure and governance reform. In the past, talent development within these institutions relied heavily on internal promotions, with management teams familiar with local markets but prone to fixed mindsets and insufficient reserves of talent in emerging business areas. With continued pressure on interest margins, rising risk management requirements, and higher professional standards for digital transformation, cross-border business, and refined asset-liability management, public recruitment can quickly introduce mature management experience, optimize talent structures, assist local banks in advancing business transformation, and enhance refined operational capabilities.

Selecting executives is only half the battle, retaining them matters more

In recent years, the pace of market-based recruitment of executives by domestic local banks has continued to accelerate. Regarding basic eligibility requirements, multiple banks have set clear standards encompassing age, education, political integrity, and professional background to establish a solid talent admission baseline. For General Manager positions, Bank of Beijing requires all candidates to hold a bachelor's degree or above and be aged 50 or younger. Harbin Bank has moderately expanded flexibility for high-quality talent, with its open mid-level positions uniformly requiring a bachelor's degree or above and candidates aged 45 or under, while exceptional individuals with outstanding industry track records and exceptional abilities may have the age restriction flexibly relaxed.

Meanwhile, Beijing Rural Commercial Bank's recruitment criteria place greater emphasis on professional matching and work experience at quality institutions. The positions give priority to candidates with relevant majors such as finance, economics, marketing, and management, requiring a bachelor's degree or above, more than 10 years of experience in the relevant field, and over 5 years of corresponding management experience at financial enterprises. Candidates with management experience at the headquarters or provincial branches of major state-owned commercial banks or national joint-stock commercial banks will receive priority consideration.

In terms of professional qualifications, the banks are also placing greater emphasis on industry depth and alignment with management experience. On one hand, candidates must not only be proficient in core business logic, industry operating rules, and regulatory compliance requirements, but also possess solid professional foundations, macro-market judgment abilities, and industry insight. On the other hand, they must demonstrate mature strategic thinking, planning capabilities, resource integration abilities, and risk control skills. Additionally, excellent team management, cross-departmental communication and coordination, and execution capabilities are essential qualities to ensure that selected candidates can quickly adapt to their roles, fulfill their responsibilities, and take on core work in business management and transformation development.

However, high-quality selection standards can only filter out suitable top-tier talent; the key lies in how to help new management adapt to local conditions. Wu Zewei emphasized that market-based recruitment typically examines both internal and external candidates. If external mid-level managers are successfully brought in, the first priority is to overcome the issue of "culture shock," effectively fill the capability gaps of local banks, and balance the implementation of external experience with local operational realities. Market-recruited managers need to fully understand the customer base, business culture, and governance environment of regional banks, and must not directly copy the operating models of large banks. At the institutional level, banks must clarify job responsibilities, establish reasonable assessment mechanisms, ensure space for talent to fulfill their duties, and open channels for internal collaboration. Only by organically combining external professional methods with local business resources can internal friction be reduced and mature experience be transformed into tangible improvements in the operational capabilities of local banks.