Chief Credit Officer

About the Role

The Chief Credit Officer (CCO) is responsible for the overall credit quality, risk management, and loan portfolio performance of the Bank, including retail and commercial. This position provides strategic leadership and oversight of all credit-related functions, ensuring safe and sound lending practices, regulatory compliance, and alignment with the Bank’s risk appetite. The CCO partners with executive management and the Board of Directors to support sustainable loan growth while maintaining strong asset quality.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the overall credit risk and entire credit function of the Bank, including both retail and commercial lending.
• Lead the development and ongoing refinement of loan policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance and alignment with industry best practices.
• Ensure credit processes are efficient, scalable, and responsive to support timely decision-making in a competitive market.
• Provide strategic oversight of the loan portfolio, including performance, trends, concentrations, risk grading, exceptions, and overall credit quality.
• Oversee portfolio analytics and reporting, delivering clear and actionable insights to executive management and the Board of Directors on a regular basis.
• Ensure underwriting standards, appraisal requirements, and other credit administration practices align with regulatory requirements in partnership with the Chief Compliance Officer.
• Direct the Bank’s independent loan review process and ensure timely identification and response to emerging credit risks.
• Provide leadership in problem loan identification and resolution, including oversight of workout strategies to minimize risk and loss.
• Chair or oversee asset quality meetings to evaluate portfolio health and drive strategies to reduce criticized and classified assets.
• Collaborate with commercial lending, credit, wealth, and treasury teams to support sound, profitable loan growth consistent with the Bank’s risk appetite.
• Review and recommend credit relationships and loan requests before presenting loans to the loan committee.
• Serve as Chair of Loan Committee.
• Act as the primary credit liaison with regulators, auditors, and external reviewers, including examinations and audits.
• Monitor economic, industry, and market conditions to assess potential impacts on the loan portfolio and credit strategy.
• Perform other tasks as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Commercial Credit Manager
• Loan Portfolio Manager
• Commercial Processor Supervisor
• Mortgage Underwriting Supervisor

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of credit risk management, underwriting, and regulatory expectations.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to develop people within the department.
• Excellent organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
• Highly effective people skills with individuals at all levels, and the ability to work in a team environment.
• Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
• Technologically proficient with various business software suites and Microsoft Office Suite.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Accounting, or equivalent experience.
• Completion of master’s level business degree and/or degree from the Graduate School of Banking preferred.
• Ten to fifteen years of cumulative credit analysis, commercial lending, and management experience required.
• Experience as a Senior Credit or Chief Credit Officer preferred.
• Professional certifications preferred but not required.

Work Environment

General office working conditions exist. The employee may experience sustained moderate/high periods of activity with multiple tasks being performed. They may experience communication with a variety of internal and external sources under favorable and unfavorable conditions. Noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.

Occasional travel to various branches, customer meetings, seminars/training, and other bank-related meetings and events is required.