Sr. C&I Loan Officer

About the Role

This position is a senior individual contributor commercial lending production role responsible for sourcing, originating, structuring, managing, and closing larger and more complex commercial and industrial (C&I) lending opportunities. The C&I Lender III drives new relationship growth, portfolio quality, member retention, and strategic market presence for the credit union’s commercial lending division. The primary focus is direct production, complex relationship acquisition, and bringing quality opportunities forward for review. While portfolio management is part of the role, the emphasis remains on sourcing new opportunities, originating new C&I relationships, and expanding high-quality commercial member relationships over time.

The role involves leading borrower and referral source discussions, developing loan structures, coordinating with underwriting, processing, closing, servicing, and other internal partners, and ensuring a sophisticated and professional borrower experience throughout the loan process. Key metrics include funded C&I loan dollar volume, referrals to other departments, pipeline volume, and opportunities brought forward for internal consideration.

Responsibilities

• Source and originate commercial and industrial loan opportunities, including working capital lines of credit, equipment financing, term loans, and other permitted commercial lending opportunities, including commercial real estate or government-guaranteed lending paths when appropriate.
• Serve as the relationship contact for new and assigned commercial borrowers from initial introduction through loan closing, fostering and deepening these relationships post-closing.
• Conduct borrower discovery conversations to understand business background, ownership structure, financing needs, repayment sources, collateral, loan purpose, and overall relationship opportunity.
• Review and organize borrower-provided financial information to support preliminary loan evaluation and internal underwriting review.
• Structure and advance C&I lending opportunities in alignment with credit union lending policies, risk appetite, and production strategies.
• Coordinate with underwriting, processing, closing, servicing, and other internal departments to ensure a seamless member experience from application through closing.
• Maintain an active pipeline of assigned commercial lending opportunities and provide timely follow-up to borrowers, referral partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to deepen existing commercial member relationships, including additional lending needs, deposit relationships, treasury management services, and partner referrals.
• Review loan documentation to ensure consistency with loan approval requirements and proper collateral perfection and lien position.
• Organize and manage the loan process through internal systems, including Sageworks and other department-specific systems.
• Support operations, risk management initiatives, and a strong control environment.
• Maintain professional and community relations to increase the credit union’s visibility and enhance new business opportunities.
• Stay informed of the financial industry, C&I lending trends, market conditions, and competition.
• Develop and maintain a network of referral sources.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies, procedures, and documentation standards.
• Lead the origination and management of larger and highly complex C&I lending relationships involving multiple entities, guarantors, collateral types, operating companies, commercial real estate, acquisition financing, partner buyouts, and government-guaranteed lending structures.
• Serve as a senior relationship manager and trusted advisor to commercial members with complex operating, ownership, financing, and succession considerations.
• Develop sophisticated credit structures and risk mitigation strategies in partnership with underwriting, credit administration, processing, closing, servicing, and executive leadership.
• Act as lead presenter for significant commercial loan opportunities, communicating transaction structure, relationship strategy, repayment analysis, collateral support, and key risks and mitigants.
• Manage a larger and more complex commercial portfolio with an emphasis on profitability, member retention, credit quality, risk identification, renewal discipline, and long-term relationship growth.
• Share market, structuring, and relationship-management insight as a senior individual contributor while remaining primarily focused on direct production and portfolio management.
• Develop and maintain strategic centers of influence, including CPAs, attorneys, brokers, business advisors, community leaders, and other referral partners.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field is required, along with seven (7) years of experience in C&I lending, commercial lending, business banking, commercial credit analysis, or related financial services, with a proven record of originating, structuring, presenting, and managing complex commercial loan relationships. Completed formal commercial credit training is required.

Skills

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Professional written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to produce quality work within tight time frames while managing multiple assignments.
• Ability to learn and work within department-specific processing systems, including Sageworks and other credit union lending platforms.
• Ability to manage a pipeline, follow up consistently with borrowers and internal stakeholders, and maintain a high level of organization throughout the loan process.
• Ability to develop and maintain commercial member relationships with the intention of fostering long-term relationship growth.
• Advanced knowledge of C&I lending structures, business financial statements, tax returns, interim financial statements, projections, collateral support, guarantor analysis, global cash flow, covenant structures, and commercial credit risk mitigation.
• Ability to lead complex commercial borrower discussions, coordinate cross-functional internal resources, and present lending opportunities clearly to underwriting, credit administration, loan committee, or senior leadership.
• Ability to develop, retain, and expand complex commercial member relationships while driving lending, deposit, treasury management, and partner referral opportunities.
• Ability to serve as a senior individual contributor, share practical structuring and relationship-management insight, and contribute to department-level production strategy and process improvement without formal leadership responsibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree, relevant industry certification, or additional commercial credit training.
• Prior experience with C&I lending, commercial lending, business banking, or commercial credit analysis.
• Experience managing borrower relationships, lending pipelines, financial document collection, and loan closing coordination.
• Experience with JHA, Sageworks, or similar financial institution systems.
• Advanced formal commercial credit training.
• Experience presenting significant commercial loan opportunities to loan committee or senior leadership.
• Established referral source network and demonstrated success developing centers of influence.
• Experience contributing to commercial lending process improvement initiatives or sharing practical market and structuring insight as a senior individual contributor.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Work additional and flexible hours, including mornings, evenings, and weekends, as required.
• Occasional lifting of 25 pounds or less.
• Sitting and standing for extended periods of time.
• Working on a computer for extended periods of time.
• Employees who work from home must have business operational internet to complete work tasks and communicate via video call or chat messaging systems in a dedicated workspace.

Exempt Grade 7