Chief Credit Officer

Job description

Job Description

The Chief Credit Officer will serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the organizations credit philosophy, underwriting standards, credit culture, and portfolio-risk management practices.

This executive will provide strategic leadership for credit administration while partnering closely with the CEO, President, Chief Lending Officer, executive leadership, and Board of Directors. The CCO will help ensure strong asset quality, regulatory readiness, disciplined growth, and consistent credit decision-making across commercial lending, equipment finance and leasing, SBA, and fintech-related business lines. The ideal candidate will bring exceptional commercial credit judgment, strong executive presence, and the ability to balance prudent risk management with the entrepreneurial mindset required to support a growing specialty lending platform.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership

Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team

Partner with senior leadership to develop long-term growth strategies

Help define and advance the organizations overall credit philosophy and strategic direction

Present portfolio performance, credit trends, risk assessments, and recommendations to the Board of Directors

Promote a culture of accountability, sound judgment, transparency, and exceptional client service

Serve as a trusted advisor to lending, operations, finance, compliance, and executive leadership

Credit Administration

Develop, implement, and continually refine credit policies, procedures, and underwriting standards

Establish and maintain the organizations credit parameters while supporting responsible business growth

Oversee commercial credit underwriting, approval, documentation, and monitoring processes

Review and approve complex commercial credit relationships

Ensure consistency and quality across commercial lending, equipment finance and leasing, SBA, and other specialty lending activities

Direct loan grading, risk-rating, credit review, and portfolio-management processes

Monitor credit concentrations, industry exposure, geographic risk, collateral quality, and emerging trends

Ensure underwriting practices appropriately address the unique characteristics of commercial equipment loans and leases, including collateral valuation, useful life, residual values, liquidation considerations, and concentration risk

Portfolio Risk Management

Monitor overall portfolio performance and asset-quality trends

Identify emerging risks and develop strategies to minimize credit losses

Oversee criticized and classified asset management

Establish appropriate risk-mitigation strategies and escalation processes

Ensure sound allowance and loan-loss reserve methodologies

Oversee concentration monitoring, stress testing, portfolio segmentation, and risk reporting

Partner with lending leadership to address developing concerns proactively

Balance portfolio growth with long-term credit quality and risk-adjusted returns

Regulatory, Governance, and Compliance

Maintain compliance with applicable banking regulations and supervisory expectations

Lead or support interactions with state and federal banking regulators

Ensure strong governance, documentation, controls, and audit readiness throughout the credit function

Oversee internal and external credit reviews

Respond effectively to examination findings and implement corrective actions when necessary

Maintain consistently high standards for credit files, approval documentation, reporting, and policy adherence

Leadership and Team Development

Recruit, lead, develop, and mentor high-performing credit professionals

Build succession plans and strengthen the organizations credit bench

Establish clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards

Promote collaboration among credit, lending, operations, compliance, finance, and risk teams

Encourage timely, thoughtful credit decisions while maintaining appropriate risk discipline

Build a credit organization capable of supporting continued growth and evolving business needs

Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Economics, or a related field; MBA preferred

At least 15 years of progressive commercial banking or specialty finance experience

Extensive experience leading commercial credit administration

Prior experience as a Chief Credit Officer, Deputy Chief Credit Officer, Chief Risk Officer, or senior credit executive preferred

Demonstrated experience managing complex commercial loan and lease portfolios

Strong knowledge of:

Commercial and industrial lending

Commercial real estate

Commercial equipment finance and leasing

SBA lending

Commercial loan and lease portfolio management

Credit policy and underwriting standards

Enterprise risk management

Loan grading and risk-rating systems

Banking regulations, examinations, and regulatory expectations

Experience presenting to executive leadership and Boards of Directors

Demonstrated ability to support growth while preserving asset quality and credit discipline

Preferred Experience

National commercial lending platforms

Commercial equipment finance and leasing

Vendor finance or indirect equipment programs

Specialty commercial lending

SBA lending

Embedded banking or fintech partnerships

Multi-state lending operations

High-growth financial institutions

Privately owned or entrepreneurial financial organizations

Technology-enabled credit and underwriting platforms

Leadership Competencies

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate

Exceptional commercial credit judgment

Strategic thinking combined with practical decision-making

Strong executive presence and communication skills

High integrity, sound ethics, and professional credibility

Ability to make timely, well-reasoned credit decisions

Collaborative and approachable leadership style

Ability to build trust with regulators, lenders, executives, and Board members

Comfort operating in a growing organization where decisions have visible impact

Ability to balance client responsiveness with disciplined risk management

Success In This Role Will Be Measured By

Strong and sustainable portfolio credit quality

Effective management of credit and concentration risk

Consistent underwriting and approval practices

Strong regulatory examination and audit results

Timely identification and resolution of emerging risks

Thoughtful support of commercial lending and equipment-finance growth

Development of a high-performing, respected credit team

Strong partnership with lending and executive leadership

Preservation of a disciplined, relationship-focused credit culture

Why Is This a Great Opportunity

This is a high-impact executive opportunity for a credit leader who wants more than a traditional oversight role. The Chief Credit Officer will have meaningful influence over credit philosophy, portfolio strategy, equipment-finance growth, risk management, talent development, and the organizations broader strategic direction. The successful candidate will join an entrepreneurial financial institution that combines relationship-driven service with the sophistication of a growing national commercial lending and equipment-finance platform.

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Worksite address

salt lake city, UT, 84193, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.