Director Credit Risk Review

At Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), we provide friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products through our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operating more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration. We are committed to our employees with competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Governance
  • Lead and manage the Credit Risk Review (CRR) function as an independent second/third line of defense aligned with regulatory expectations (e.g., SR 13-3 / OCC guidance).
  • Develop and execute a risk-based credit review plan covering commercial, CRE, C&I, consumer, and residential portfolios.
  • Report regularly to executive management and the Board Risk Committee on credit quality, risk rating accuracy, and emerging risks.
  • Ensure independence from the credit approval and portfolio management functions.
• Credit Portfolio Oversight
  • Assess the quality of credit exposures across:
    • Commercial Real Estate (CRE)
    • Commercial & Industrial (C&I)
    • Small Business / SBA
    • Retail portfolios (mortgage, home equity, auto, unsecured)
  • Evaluate portfolio trends, concentrations, and risk appetite alignment.
  • Identify and escalate systemic weaknesses in underwriting, structure, or policy adherence.
• Loan Review & Risk Rating Validation
  • Oversee periodic loan reviews to validate:
    • Risk ratings / internal credit grading accuracy
    • Borrower financial performance and repayment capacity
    • Collateral valuation and monitoring
  • Monitor MIS for commercial and retail lending asset quality and underwriting trends.
  • Ensure timely identification of criticized/classified assets.
  • Perform root-cause analysis on credit issues and losses.
• Policy & Regulatory Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with interagency guidelines establishing standards for safety and soundness.
  • Adhere to OCC/FRB guidance on credit risk review and asset quality.
  • Support CECL-related credit quality inputs (as applicable).
  • Evaluate effectiveness of credit policies, underwriting standards, and risk management practices.
  • Support regulatory examinations and internal audit coordination.
• Data Analysis & Reporting
  • Develop robust reporting on:
    • Risk rating accuracy and migration trends
    • Criticized and classified asset levels
    • Portfolio stress indicators and early warning signals
  • Leverage analytics to enhance risk identification and monitoring.
  • Provide actionable insights, not just findings.
• Issue Management & Continuous Improvement
  • Track and validate remediation of identified findings.
  • Recommend enhancements to underwriting, monitoring, and credit risk governance.
  • Promote best practices across commercial and retail lending teams.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of credit review professionals.
  • Set performance expectations and ensure high-quality, consistent reviews.
  • Foster a culture of independence, accountability, and constructive challenge.
• Ancillary Duties

  Provide assistance wherever necessary to help the Company achieve its goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (MBA or CFA preferred).
• 12+ years of progressive credit risk experience, including:
  • Commercial and/or retail credit underwriting
  • Credit risk management or loan review
• 5+ years in a senior leadership or management role.
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressive experience in all forms of lending (both commercial and consumer) with knowledge of current portfolio risk management techniques; experience with CRE, C&I, floor plan, agricultural, special assets, and asset-based lending is desired.
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Skills

• Technical Expertise
  • Deep knowledge of commercial lending (CRE, C&I) structures and risk drivers.
  • Retail credit risk (mortgage, consumer lending).
  • Credit risk rating systems and criticized/classified asset frameworks.
  • Commercial credit scoring models, such as Moody’s RiskCalc.
  • Retail credit underwriting models and scorecards.
  • Strong understanding of regulatory expectations for credit review functions.
  • Experience with portfolio analytics, stress testing, and CECL preferred.
• Leadership & Communication
  • Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with executive leadership and Board members.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially in delivering clear, concise risk assessments.
  • Ability to influence without direct authority and maintain independence.

Benefits

• 11 paid holidays
• Paid vacation
• Medical, Vision & Dental insurance
• 401K with generous match
• Pension
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Banking discounts

Pay

Minimum USD $106,000.00/Year. Maximum USD $196,775.00/Year.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk, or sit.
• Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear.
• The employee may occasionally be required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to focus.