Director of Enterprise Credit Risk

First Interstate • Bend, OR

1d • $210,540 - $347,380 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Enterprise Credit Risk is responsible for advancing the enterprise credit risk strategy, portfolio quality, and risk governance across all lending divisions. This position partners closely with the Chief Credit Officer to develop and execute credit policies, underwriting standards, and portfolio management routines that align with organizational objectives, regulatory expectations, and risk appetite. With a focus on disciplined execution, analytics, and collaboration, the Director strengthens risk management practices, supports prudent growth, and fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field required
• 10+ years of senior leadership experience required
• 10+ years of progressive credit risk and/or underwriting experience in commercial and/or community banking required
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience with exposure across multiple levels of the organization required
• Experience across multiple lending segments (e.g., C&I, CRE, Ag, and Small Business).
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with a proven ability to engage audiences effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and influence individuals and groups, building trust and credibility quickly.
• Ability to connect credit policy, underwriting, and portfolio management strategies, with a deep understanding of their combined impact on client outcomes, safety and soundness, and employee engagement.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, Risk Management, or related field preferred
• Professional risk or credit certifications (e.g., CRC, FRM, CFA) preferred

Responsibilities

• Works in partnership with the Chief Credit Officer (CCO) to design and execute enterprise credit risk strategy.
• Provides direct, expert advisory support to the CCO on complex credit decisions, portfolio trends, and emerging risks.
• Serves as proxy in the CCO’s absence, representing Credit leadership with senior management, committees, and regulators.
• Manages territory-based Senior Credit Officers to ensure localized credit risk management is consistent across the Bank’s footprint.
• Oversees all aspects of small business lending, including production and operational support teams, such as credit underwriters.
• Acts as the primary conduit to Risk, Finance, Compliance, and Operations for enterprise credit governance and issue resolution.
• Supports talent management processes, including calibration, succession planning, and organizational design within Credit.
• Champions change initiatives that improve credit discipline, client experience, and employee experience.
• Enables the CCO to focus on strategic priorities by driving consistent execution of credit routines, governance, and remediation.
• Applies enterprise knowledge to ensure teams consistently execute policy, underwriting, and portfolio management expectations.
• Co-leads key credit meetings and offsites with the CCO, demonstrating a unified voice and mission.
• Engages with local teams to understand obstacles, prioritize them, and drive resolution.
• Oversees complex projects impacting the credit lifecycle, including originations, underwriting, monitoring, and problem loan management.
• Ensures adherence to regulatory requirements, credit policy, and risk management frameworks.
• Drives cross-line collaboration to identify and execute integrated credit solutions while maintaining risk appetite.
• Champions portfolio risk management initiatives by equipping teams with tools, insights, and routines that strengthen risk identification and mitigation.
• Leverages advanced analytics to inform strategic decisions, optimize underwriting and pricing guardrails, and identify portfolio risks and opportunities.
• Partners with product, digital, and operations teams to design data-driven enhancements that improve underwriting quality and operational efficiency.
• Monitors market trends and competitive intelligence to anticipate shifts and proactively adjust credit strategy.
• Facilitates alignment of performance metrics across lending lines to ensure accountability and transparency in credit execution.
• Oversees the development of dashboards and reporting frameworks that provide actionable insights to leadership and frontline credit teams.
• Supports enterprise-wide strategic planning by contributing expertise on concentration risk, stress testing, allowance trends, and risk considerations impacting growth.
• Manages a team of Senior Credit Officers.
• Leads the Business Banking Lending Center, overseeing production and operational support teams, including credit underwriters.
• Oversees specialized areas of Credit Risk Management.

Benefits

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) in addition to paid federal holidays.
• Student debt employer repayment program.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 6% match.
• medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability benefits and life insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, employee assistance program, 401(k), Paid Time Off (new hires accrue at .069 per hours worked which equates to approximately 18 days per year inclusive of paid sick time) and up to 11 paid Federal holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director