Director of Commercial Credit

Location: Seville

Manager: Lucy Blumer

Flexible Work Arrangement

Director of Commercial Credit (fka Senior Credit Leader) Job Summary

The Director of Commercial Credit ("DCC") also known as Senior Credit Leader ("SCL") strategically plans and leads the commercial underwriting function of Westfield Bank. This includes activities associated with new loan origination, loan reviews/renewals, and problem loan assessments. Directly manages the Commercial Loan Underwriting Manager(s) who lead Commercial Loan Underwriters. Partners with Lenders and Lending Management to appropriately screen and structure credit requests. Responsible for other credit administration functions, as assigned by the Chief Credit Officer, that may include inputs into the bank's ACL, development and tracking of underwriting productivity metrics, and administration of workflow system(s) associated with the underwriting process.

Essential Functions (primary functions and/or reasons the job exists in order of importance)

Develops and implements strategic initiatives for the Commercial Loan Underwriting function of Westfield Bank. Oversight of commercial underwriting function to ensure detailed and accurate underwriting of commercial loan requests, modifications, and annual reviews to protect the quality and profitability of the commercial loan portfolio.

Leads Commercial Loan Underwriting Manager(s), who manage the Commercial Loan Underwriters to ensure that credit analyses and underwriting are appropriate to the nature and risk of the credit decision being supported.

Assumes primary ownership of risk rating accuracy for assigned portfolio/underwriting segment(s) in partnership with CCO and Director of Credit Administration. Identify developing problem loans and engage with Special Assets Officer as appropriate.

Proactively collaborates with Commercial Lenders and Lending Management to screen and structure credit proposals, provide balanced and appropriate credit guidance, and to ensure that issues are escalated as necessary for prompt resolution.

Utilizes assigned personal lending authority appropriately and within the bounds of Westfield Bank's credit policy and risk appetite.

Develops and tracks appropriate productivity and/or capacity measures for the Commercial Underwriting team.

Partners with CCO and other Credit Administration staff to deliver continuous skill advancement and compliance with Credit Policy, underwriting guidelines, credit approval authorities, credit processes and procedures, and detailed risk rating analysis.

Partner with CCO to develop and update the Bank's credit policy and lending guidelines.

Chairs or participates in key risk management committees such as Credit Committee, Officers Loan Committee, Board Loan Committee, Criticized Asset Meetings, etc. at the direction of the CCO.

Performs talent management responsibilities to ensure the appropriate skills and capabilities are resident on the team, including employee selection, performance management, coaching, and development. Manages priorities and workload distribution and removes barriers that impede progress. Completes all personnel, salary administration, and reporting duties. Performs operational responsibilities that drive team performance including planning, execution, and process improvement.

Demonstrates thorough knowledge of and adherence to bank credit policy.

Partners with other Credit Administration leaders to gather and evaluate relevant data and identify areas of opportunity for improvements to policies, procedures, or practices.

Maintains awareness, understanding, and compliance with the Bank's internal policies and procedures, laws, and regulations appropriate for this position.

Provides assistance in response to regulatory and internal/external audit requests.

In the performance of respective tasks and duties, the employee is expected to gain and maintain knowledge of and ensure compliance with Bank Secrecy Act regulations and all other regulatory, security and bank policies. This includes but is not limited to the reporting of potential suspicious activity.

Travels as needed in order to perform other essential functions.

Desired Qualifications/Experience/Certification/Education (in order of importance)

10+ years of experience in a senior role in a credit function for a financial services organization.

10+ years of people leadership experience, with at least 2 years of experience in leading other leaders preferred.

Strong knowledge of credit risk underwriting, credit policy administration/development, loan portfolio administration, and skill with computer-based credit spreadsheet and analysis tools such as nCino, and Abrigo.

Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation communication skills resulting in the ability to interact with all levels of management and employee population.

Experience with Microsoft Windows, Outlook, and Excel or transferable software packages.

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Business or other related field or commensurate experience.

Valid driver's license and a driving record that conforms to company standards.

Physical Requirements (specific to the role)

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.

• Ability to work effectively in an office environment for 40+ hours per week (including sitting, standing, and working on a computer for extended periods of time).
• Ability to communicate effectively in a collaborative work environment utilizing various technologies such as: telephone, computer, web, voice, teleconferencing, e-mail, etc.
• Ability to travel as required.
• Ability to operate an automobile within the parameters of the driving policy.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed in this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, skills, responsibilities, knowledge, etc. These may be subject to change and additional functions may be assigned as needed by management.

We are an equal opportunity employer/minority/female/disability/protected veteran