Director of Credit

Choice Bank•Fargo, ND

About The Position

The Credit Management position is responsible for the direct supervision and development of the Credit Analyst team, ensuring consistency in underwriting quality and adherence to Loan Policy. This role oversees the end-to-end credit process, evaluates the creditworthiness of both prospective and existing clients, and ensures timely and accurate credit decisions. It also involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to support business growth while maintaining risk standards. This position balances strong customer and Banker relationships with sound financial decision-making to minimize risk and support the institution’s strategic objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
Minimum of 12 to 15 years of relevant experience with requisite competencies.

Responsibilities

Recruit, lead, coach, develop and manage the Credit Analyst team to effectively assess the risk of extending financing to prospective borrowers and provide decision makers with the information necessary to make safe, sound credit decisions.
Promote a strong risk culture across the credit team and develop a pipeline of future credit leaders.
Appropriately manage relationships with lenders, vendors, servicing, and legal to ensure the timely qualification and maintenance of Bank’s commercial loans.
Responsible for the continuous development and delivery of credit analysis education to all levels (from new hire to continuing education) of credit analysts including but not limited to systems, financial statement analysis, loan policy, procedures and regulatory knowledge.
Provide decision support for complex relationships to lenders and credit analysts in loan structuring, loan processing, identifying business opportunities, portfolio management and credit risk.
Participate in various decisioning credit committees including but not limited to Ag/Commercial Credit Committee and SAD team meetings.
Collaboration with other departments leaders to align the process with credit risk management.
Identify opportunities to streamline the credit underwriting process and implement best practices to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Continuous research and application of regulatory environment.
Provide applicable management and departmental reporting.
Assist with the development and implementation of lending policies and procedures.
Serve, in various capacities, as a loan approver.
Oversee the ongoing monitoring of the credit portfolio, including concentration risk, industry exposure, and stress testing under various economic scenarios. Including the Regional reporting for annual reviews, risk ratings, exceptions, past dues, criticized and classified loans, and charge-offs.
Ensure exceptions are appropriately approved and documented according to Loan Policy.
Help define and enforce the Bank’s credit risk appetite and exposure limits in alignment with strategic goals.
Leverage data analytics to identify trends, early warning signs, and opportunities to proactively manage the portfolio risk.
Responsible for the audit process of the department. Be the point person for auditor questions by providing auditors with the requested information and answering questions on specific loan decisions.
Act as a point of contact for external auditors and examiners to ensure compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.
Conduct regular one-on-ones to align cultural & business objectives, prioritize the most important work and coach to high performance.
Facilitate execution through effective situational leadership tools.
Support engagement and action by listening to team member feedback – what’s working, what’s not – support them in initiating and executing positive changes and provided them with adequate resources.
Support in the team members professional and personal.
Catch team members being approximately right through timely, individualized recognition.
Promote collaboration and face to face interaction.