Chief Lending Officer

Centier Bank•Merrillville, IN

About The Position

The Chief Lending Officer (CLO) serves as the bank’s senior credit executive, responsible for leading all lending activities across commercial, consumer, and specialty portfolios. As the first line of defense in credit risk management, the CLO ensures the lending function operates in alignment with the bank’s strategic objectives, risk appetite, and regulatory expectations. The CLO oversees portfolio growth, profitability margins, credit quality, risk diversification, and client selectivity, while driving profitable and sustainable lending practices while aligning with the bank’s mission as a values-driven, relationship-focused $15B mid-size community bank, expanding throughout the state of Indiana. The CLO partners closely with the Chief Credit Officer (CCO) to balance growth with sound credit discipline. While the CLO focuses on originating and managing client relationships, credit production, and loan portfolio performance, the CCO provides independent oversight, risk monitoring, and approval authority as part of the second line of defense. Together, they ensure strong risk governance, consistent credit standards, and a healthy balance between business development and prudent risk management. In addition, the CLO ensures that loans are structured and priced appropriately based on risk, aligning terms with the bank’s return objectives and overall risk appetite. This discipline supports both sustainable portfolio performance and long-term shareholder value and future lending and business niches.

Requirements

Proven experience overseeing diverse lending portfolios at a $15B to $50B bank
Strong knowledge of credit administration, loan operations, and evaluating loan portfolio performance and asset quality.
Working knowledge of loan participation, purchase agreements, secondary market investment programs, additional lending niches, etc.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret legal documents, government regulations, financial reports, and industry publications.
Skilled in preparing and presenting reports and responding to inquiries from senior management, attorneys, vendors, and regulatory agencies.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams across multiple business lines with clarity, collaboration, and vision.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Strategic thinker and planner with a hands-on approach to execution and performance management.
Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, or related field required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 20 years of progressive banking experience with at least 10 years in a senior lending leadership role at a mid-size bank.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement the bank’s lending strategy to achieve growth and profitability goals while maintaining sound risk management practices.
Serve as a member of the Senior leadership team, contributing to overall banking strategy, policy formation, and decision-making.
Ensure lending activities align with the bank’s mission, vision, purpose, values, growth, profitability targets, and risk appetite statement.
Promote a culture of performance, accountability, engagement and customer-centric service throughout all lending teams.
Lending Oversight: Act as the first line of defense for all credit risk management within the lending function.
Establish and monitor credit policies, underwriting standards, and portfolio management practices to maintain high credit quality.
Monitor and manage portfolio concentration risks, and develop strategies to ensure diversification across industries, geographies, and client segments.
Enforce client selectivity standards in line with the bank’s risk appetite, ensuring lending decisions support sustainable growth.
Coordinate with finance and credit risk for stress testing, scenario analysis, and risk reporting related to the loan portfolio.
Coordinate with finance on hedging strategies to manage interest rate risk within the loan portfolio.
Partner with the Chief Credit Officer to align credit approval processes, strengthen risk governance, and ensure portfolio quality.
Ensure all credits are structured and priced appropriately for the level of risk, balancing client needs with the bank’s required return and long-term portfolio performance.
Risk Management & Compliance: Provide regular reporting to the Chief Banking Officer, Board of Directors, and appropriate Board Committee on portfolio performance, credit risk trends, and emerging issues.
Ensure effective governance and oversight of all lending activities, including adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and bank policies.
Team Development & Performance: Lead, mentor, and develop the bank’s lending teams, including commercial, consumer, and specialty lenders.
Help hire and recruit future seasoned bankers and develop current bankers.
Ensure efficient loan origination, underwriting, approval, and portfolio monitoring processes.
Drive consistent application of credit policies and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal controls.
Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients, community leaders, and stakeholders.