Chief Credit Officer

Our client, a community bank in West Central Illinois and North St. Louis, is adding a dynamic and experienced Chief Credit Officer (CCO) to join their executive leadership team.

The CCO will oversee and manage all aspects of the credit risk strategy and operations, including the commercial, consumer, and mortgage loan operations departments.

This key leadership role ensures the soundness and profitability of the bank’s loan portfolio, fosters strong risk management practices, collaborates with their front-line bankers, and provides oversight for an effective credit approval process that supports the company’s risk tolerance while facilitating desired asset growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Serve as a critical member of the executive leadership team, providing strategic direction and leadership for the bank’s credit risk and loan operations. Collaborate closely with other departments to align credit strategies with overall business goals.

Credit Decisioning: Ensure that the credit analysis team provides timely, accurate, and consistent credit analysis for all loan types, including commercial, agricultural, consumer, and mortgage loans. Provide oversight and final approval for loans within loan authority and recommendation to the Board for large-dollar loan requests.

Credit Risk Management: Oversee the development and implementation of the bank’s credit policies, procedures, and standards to ensure sound risk management practices in commercial, consumer, and mortgage lending operations. Maintains the bank’s credit culture.

Portfolio Oversight: Monitor the performance of the loan portfolio, ensuring compliance with credit guidelines and minimizing delinquency and charge-offs. Provide regular reporting to the executive team and the Board of Directors on the status and health of the loan portfolio.

Team Leadership: Lead and manage the credit analysis team, as well as the commercial and consumer, and mortgage loan operations departments, with a focus on driving value creation, operational efficiency, and performance excellence. Foster a high-performance culture by ensuring the teams are staffed with skilled professionals and providing ongoing coaching, mentoring, and development opportunities to enhance individual and collective contributions to the bank’s goals.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that credit operations comply with all relevant regulations, industry standards, and internal policies. Work closely with internal and external auditors to support compliance audits and examinations.

Process Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in credit processes and operations. Identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, improve risk management practices, and streamline workflow across the lending departments.

Collaboration: Work closely with front line bankers, the SVP Enterprise Risk Management, SVP for Accounting and Finance, and other senior leaders to identify and address emerging credit risk trends and ensure that the bank’s credit portfolio is well-positioned for growth and profitability. Regularly participates in joint sales calls.

Reporting and Metrics: Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting frameworks to track and analyze the performance of the bank’s credit activities. Regularly report on credit trends, portfolio performance, and risk exposure to the executive team.

Training and Development: Actively works to develop the credit team for current and future opportunities within the bank.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field. A Master’s degree or advanced certification (e.g., CFA, CCRA) is preferred.

Experience: A minimum of 10 years of experience in credit/lending, including at least 5 years in senior leadership positions.Credit/lending experience with C&I and CRE required. Some agricultural lending experience preferred. At least 5 years of people management experience required. Experience managing commercial, consumer, and mortgage loan departments is strongly preferred.

Leadership Skills: Proven ability to lead, develop, and manage a high-performing team. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to foster a collaborative and innovative work environment.