Credit Officer

As one of the region’s foremost community banking institutions, we take pride in fostering leadership. As a Firstrust employee, your growth is our growth. For you, that means great benefits, performance-based pay, a meaningful role, and resources to help your success. For us, that means employees who offer exemplary customer service with a commitment to our values—honesty, integrity and accountability.

About the role

This hybrid position is intended for an experienced credit professional with prior hands-on underwriting and portfolio management experience, capable of exercising independent credit judgment across complex credit structures. The Credit Officer serves as a trusted risk partner to Relationship Management, providing sound credit judgment, structural guidance, and timely identification of emerging credit risks while supporting prudent loan growth.

Responsibilities

• Credit Underwriting & Approval
  • Independently analyze and underwrite commercial credit requests, including new originations, renewals, modifications, and extensions across assigned portfolios (e.g., C&I, CRE, Construction, SBA, Specialty).
  • Approve credit exposures within assigned lending authority and provide recommendations for higher-level approvals as required.
  • Ensure credit structures, covenants, collateral, and conditions appropriately mitigate identified risks and align with Bank policy.
• Portfolio & Risk Management
  • Maintain ongoing oversight of assigned loan portfolios, including risk-rating accuracy, covenant monitoring, financial statement review, and early-warning indicators.
  • Identify adverse trends, concentrations, and emerging risks; escalate concerns and recommend corrective actions or risk mitigants as appropriate.
  • Participate in periodic portfolio reviews, stress testing, and sensitivity analyses to assess downside risk exposure.
• Problem Credit Management
  • Partner with Relationship Managers and Special Assets to manage criticized and classified relationships.
  • Participate in problem loan identification, action planning, workout strategies, and timely risk-rating changes.
  • Support Problem Loan Committee discussions and documentation as required.
• Governance, Policy & Regulatory Support
  • Ensure compliance with Credit Policy, loan documentation standards, and applicable regulatory guidance.
  • Participate in internal loan reviews, audits, and regulatory examinations related to assigned portfolios.
• Collaboration & Leadership
  • Act as an independent risk voice while maintaining a constructive, solutions-oriented partnership with business line leaders.
  • Provide guidance and mentorship to Relationship Managers, Portfolio Managers, and junior credit staff on underwriting standards and risk management best practices.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives related to credit processes, portfolio monitoring tools, and underwriting standards.
  • Exercise independent credit judgment within delegated authority levels.
  • Accountable for the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of credit analysis and decisions.
  • Responsible for appropriate escalation of elevated risks, policy exceptions, and deteriorating credit conditions to senior credit leadership.

Physical and Sensory Requirements

• Remain in a stationary position (sitting and/or standing) for extended periods while performing desk-based tasks such as reviewing financial statements, analyzing credit requests, and completing computer work.
• Operate standard computer equipment (keyboard, mouse, and monitors) to input and retrieve information and to evaluate credit reports and related data.
• Communicate effectively with customers, management, and staff regarding credit decisions (including speaking and listening, with or without assistive technology).
• Move throughout the workplace to access files and attend meetings.
• Maintain visual acuity sufficient to read and analyze detailed information on documents and computer screens.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer are common.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field preferred or comparable experience.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive commercial credit experience, including direct underwriting responsibility and portfolio management for commercial loan portfolios.
• Demonstrated experience managing risk across one or more asset classes (C&I, CRE, Construction, SBA, or Specialty). SBA experience is highly preferred in this role.
• Strong working knowledge of commercial lending products, credit policy, and regulatory guidance (FDIC / OCC / Federal Reserve).
• Proven analytical skills, including cash-flow analysis, global debt service coverage, collateral evaluation, and sensitivity analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent credit judgment while effectively partnering with business line stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex risk assessments clearly and succinctly to senior management and committees.