SVP, Chief Credit Officer

About the role

The Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer (CCO) oversees all credit and portfolio risk management functions for LIIF’s national lending platform. Reporting to the President, the CCO serves as a key strategic leader responsible for maintaining a high-quality loan portfolio, minimizing credit losses, and ensuring sound credit risk management in support of LIIF's mission to advance equitable community development. The CCO will balance prudent credit risk management with LIIF's commitment to expanding access to capital and achieving meaningful community impact.

The CCO will help advance LIIF's Impact, Risk & Profitability (IRP) framework, ensuring credit and portfolio management decisions reflect organizational priorities around equity, impact, sustainability, and financial performance. The role involves close partnership with the Chief Lending Officer to ensure an appropriate balance between prudent loan growth and strong portfolio performance, as well as joint staffing of the Board Lending Risk Committee.

The incoming CCO will join LIIF during a period of significant transition, modernizing credit infrastructure, strengthening governance processes, and advancing a more integrated approach to impact-led lending. The successful candidate will serve as an enterprise leader balancing mission, impact, profitability, and prudent risk management while navigating organizational growth and leadership transition.

This position reports to the President and leads a team of 8 to 10 across Credit and Asset Management.

Responsibilities

• Credit Policy & Loan Approval
  • Oversee credit review and approval of all loan transactions in accordance with LIIF’s Loan and Asset Concentration Policy and delegated credit authority.
  • Support management of credit and lending-related policies in consultation with the LRC Chair, CEO, and President.
  • Manage the Internal Loan Committee and Lending Risk Committee alongside the Chief Lending Officer and President.
  • Provide external perspective on emerging market, economic, regulatory, and industry trends impacting loan originations and portfolio performance.
  • Advise on transaction structuring and credit risk mitigation.
  • Ensure alignment between credit decisions and the organization’s mission and risk tolerance.
  • Foster a committee-based decision-making culture encouraging thoughtful dialogue and disciplined credit judgment.
  • Drive continuous improvement of the credit function to enhance efficiency, consistency, and quality.
• Portfolio Risk Management and Credit Performance
  • Maintain accountability for the quality and long-term performance of LIIF's loan portfolio through disciplined credit risk management.
  • Lead risk monitoring efforts through management of the Asset Management team.
  • Oversee portfolio performance to minimize credit losses and ensure adequacy of Loan Loss Reserves.
  • Proactively identify troubled loans and oversee workouts, restructurings, and resolution strategies.
  • Lead monthly Credit Committee meetings reviewing segments of the portfolio.
  • Manage credit, reputational, and other portfolio-related risks, escalating issues and recommending mitigation strategies.
• Leadership & Talent Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop the Credit Officer and Director of Asset Management, fostering a high-performing team and culture of accountability and collaboration.
  • Build and strengthen LIIF's credit capabilities through talent development, coaching, mentorship, and training.
  • Partner with the Chief Lending Officer to design and deliver credit and underwriting training for lending staff.
  • Establish and champion underwriting best practices, promoting consistency and excellence in credit analysis and portfolio management.
• Reporting & Analytics
  • Lead development of credit-related reporting for the Board and executive team.
  • Coordinate reporting to S&P, AERIS, OFN, funders, and other external stakeholders.
  • Utilize portfolio analytics and impact data to support informed decision-making.
• Capital Reserves & Risk Modeling
  • Collaborate with the CFO to manage financial reserves under CECL and ALLL frameworks.
  • Lead efforts to build and implement enhanced risk rating models and stress testing.
  • Partner with executive leadership to ensure portfolio management strategies support long-term financial sustainability.
• Policy & Product Innovation
  • Maintain and update LIIF’s Lending Manual.
  • Collaborate on product design and implementation to address market needs.
  • Support development of the Impact, Risk, and Profitability (IRP) framework.
  • Strengthen governance structures, approval processes, and credit policies.
• Equity in Lending
  • Work with the Equity Working Group to identify and eliminate bias in lending policies and practices.
  • Partner with lending, impact, and program teams to incorporate equity considerations into lending discussions and decision-making.

Requirements

• At least 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance, credit risk management, commercial lending, or community development finance.
• Demonstrated success in managing credit operations in mission-driven or regulated financial institutions.
• Experience building and developing high-performing teams and leading through change and complexity.
• Experience balancing mission-driven objectives with disciplined portfolio management and credit risk practices.
• Strong familiarity with CDFI lending, nonprofit financials, and affordable housing or facilities finance (preferred).
• Proven ability to collaborate across departments and influence senior leadership.
• Deep understanding of community development-oriented finance, including complex deal structuring, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies.
• Expertise in analyzing financials of nonprofit organizations and real estate operations, particularly rental housing and community facilities.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local government capital funding sources, CDFI Fund programs, New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), and other relevant sources.
• Experience working across multiple geographic markets and national portfolios with a focus on delivering impact at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Real Estate, Urban Planning, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, or Finance.
• MBA or advanced degree in Finance, Urban Planning, or a related field preferred.

Leadership Characteristics

• Exceptional listening and relationship-building skills.
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership style, complemented by independence and sound judgment.
• Commitment to developing talent, mentoring, and fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Strong strategic and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to influence across functions and levels of an organization.
• Sound judgment and thoughtful decision-making.
• Organizational agility and change-management experience.
• Deep commitment to racial equity and impact in community and financial systems.
• Professional maturity, humility, and resilience.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence key stakeholders.

Schedule

LIIF offers a hybrid work environment with flexibility to balance in-office and remote work. All employees are expected to work on-site at least two (2) days per week. The successful candidate will be expected to travel for meetings with borrowers, lending community events, annual staff visits, and company-sponsored events.

Location

LIIF New York City office preferred; open to Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington D.C.