Senior Vice President, Leveraged Finance Credit Underwriting

Citi's Leveraged Finance Underwriting team is seeking a Senior Vice President to lead credit underwriting, risk assessment, and portfolio management for complex leveraged finance transactions involving sponsor-backed and corporate clients.

About the role

In this senior position, you will operate at the intersection of strategic deal execution and disciplined risk management, collaborating closely with partners across Leveraged Finance Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Risk, and Legal. Your credit judgment and leadership will directly influence the quality and performance of Citi's leveraged lending portfolio. The role may also involve underwriting venture lending deals for emerging growth pre-IPO companies, offering significant senior-level exposure.

Responsibilities

• Lead the underwriting, structuring, and approval of complex leveraged finance transactions—including leveraged buyouts, acquisition financings, recapitalizations, refinancings, and dividend transactions—as well as venture lending to pre-IPO emerging growth companies.
• Act as a senior credit advisor on each transaction, rigorously challenging leverage assumptions, valuation analyses, covenant structures, and risk-adjusted return profiles to ensure sound credit outcomes.
• Direct due diligence efforts across deal teams, developing a thorough understanding of clients' business models, industry positioning, capital structures, and financial performance to inform credit recommendations.
• Evaluate and stress-test financial models underpinning enterprise valuations, debt capacity assessments, and operating forecasts, ensuring conclusions are well-supported and clearly presented to senior management and approval committees.
• Oversee an active credit portfolio by proactively identifying emerging risks, tracking covenant performance, liquidity trends, and refinancing challenges, and escalating concerns as appropriate.
• Ensure all transactions and ongoing portfolio activities comply with Citi's credit policies, leveraged lending guidance, and regulatory expectations, including engagement with internal and external regulators.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Analysts and Associates across New York and global partner locations, setting high standards for credit underwriting, financial analysis, and risk discipline.

Requirements

• 8 or more years of experience in leveraged finance underwriting, corporate banking, credit risk management, direct lending, restructuring, investment banking, or a related institutional credit discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in evaluating and underwriting large, complex leveraged finance and/or venture lending transactions, including sponsor-backed and corporate financings.
• Deep knowledge of leveraged buyouts, acquisition financings, syndicated loans, high-yield debt, and broader leveraged finance markets, with a track record of underwriting large and complex transactions.
• Strong independent credit judgment, with the ability to assess risk-reward tradeoffs, identify structural vulnerabilities, and influence transaction outcomes across senior stakeholders.
• Advanced financial analysis skills, including interpreting financial statements, evaluating cash flow generation, assessing debt capacity, and critically reviewing management projections.
• Experience operating within a highly regulated credit environment, with familiarity across leveraged lending guidance, credit policy frameworks, and governance requirements.
• Ability to lead cross-functional deal teams and drive alignment across Banking, Capital Markets, Risk, Finance, and Legal counterparts in a fast-paced transaction environment.
• Clear and persuasive communicator, with the ability to present credit analyses and portfolio recommendations to senior leadership and credit approval committees with confidence and precision.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with portfolio stress testing methodologies and credit monitoring frameworks applied across large, diversified lending portfolios.
• Prior experience developing or enhancing end-to-end credit underwriting frameworks, risk governance standards, or internal credit policy processes at an institutional level.

Benefits

• Direct ownership of high-profile, complex leveraged finance transactions with visibility at the most senior levels of the organization.
• Opportunity to develop deep expertise across leveraged lending, portfolio management, and risk governance within a global financial institution.
• Exposure to venture lending for pre-IPO companies, providing engagement with high-growth, innovation-led businesses and significant senior leadership attention.
• Collaborative, performance-driven environment where credit excellence, accountability, and sound judgment are recognized and rewarded.
• Leadership opportunity to shape and mentor the next generation of credit professionals across New York and global partner locations.
• Hybrid working model with 3 days in the office and 2 days working remotely, supporting both team collaboration and individual flexibility.
• Access to Citi's global network, resources, and career development opportunities across one of the world's leading financial institutions.
• Competitive employee benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs.
• Paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays.

Pay

Full-time salary range: $163,600.00 - $245,400.00. In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards.

Primary location: New York, New York, United States.