Head of Credit Risk, Retail, DFS and Payments

First National Bank•Omaha, NE

2d•Onsite

About The Position

In this role you will be responsible for leading approximately $4.5 billion in consumer and business lending portfolios and occupy a critical, high-visibility leadership role. This role will report directly to FNBO's Chief Consumer Credit Officer and will be responsible for defining and executing a comprehensive rules-based underwriting strategy across five distinct lending functions – spanning consumer & small business cards for FNBO customers, retail consumer lending (Mortgage, HELOC, Auto), business lending, large commercial cards, and agricultural equipment financing. This newly structured role brings together multiple underwriting functions to drive operational excellence, increase automation & efficiency, and enable business growth through improved processes and elevated standards. This role will lead a team of approximately 40 professionals to work cross-functionally and collaboratively with product management, analytics, technology, compliance, and risk management to establish scalable underwriting frameworks that balance risk management, operational efficiency, and customer experience. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution and is designed for a leader who can both shape long-term direction and drive measurable outcomes. This is a unique opportunity to shape a newly consolidated organization with significant scope and impact, lead talented professionals who are engaged and interested in this evolution, and partner with senior leadership in a role with clear advancement potential in consumer credit risk management at FNBO.

Requirements

15+ years of relevant credit risk and underwriting experience in consumer and/or commercial finance at a leading institution.
Expert technical hands-on knowledge of underwriting practices across multiple product types, including consumer lending, business lending, and commercial credit.
Demonstrated experience in leading organizational change, ideally overseeing consolidation or transformation of credit risk or underwriting functions.
Proven track record implementing automation and technology solutions in underwriting environments.
Strong understanding of credit risk principles, underwriting standards, and regulatory requirements across consumer and commercial lending.
Strong executive presence and communication skills with ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or related field required.
Candidates must possess unrestricted work authorization and not require future sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish strategic direction and roadmap for consolidating five underwriting functions into a cohesive, high-performing organization, optimizing across risk management, operational expense, and customer experience.
Develop and execute vision for rules-based underwriting across $4.5B in consumer and business portfolios, raising standards and building organizational capability.
Partner with cross-functional teams across the enterprise to ensure consistency of vision, cross-pollination of best practices, and alignment of underwriting standards.
Communicate effectively with Senior and Executive management around the underwriting transformation story, securing top-level buy-in of evolving vision.
Provide leadership and oversight for: Consumer and Small Business Cards – FNBO customer card issuing, Retail Consumer Underwriting – Portfolio mortgage, HELOC, auto, unsecured loans, and stock-secured lending, Rules-Based Business Lending – Business overdraft, loans and lines under $500K, Large Commercial Cards – Medium ($50K-$250K) and large (over $250K) commercial card programs, DFS Underwriting – Agricultural equipment financing.
Collaborate closely with Analytics, Technology, and Operations teams to prioritize automation enhancements, secure funding, and implement roadmap.
Drive significant increases in automation across underwriting processes and systems, with organizational focus on AI and advanced analytics capabilities.
Balance real-time, daily underwriting decisions with a long-term machine learning/model-based approach to continually improve capabilities and inform roadmap.
Standardize underwriting policies, procedures, and decisioning frameworks across all product lines.
Serve as the expert in existing, new, and emerging underwriting tools and technology in the marketplace, and work with existing vendors to drive improvement in product performance.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of underwriting strategies across all portfolios, identifying trends and patterns and implementing optimization plans.
Define and oversee achievement of key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure underwriting quality, efficiency, customer experience, and portfolio performance.
Evolve qualitative thinking and quantitative definitions around underwriting standards, risk appetite, and portfolio segmentation.
Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and internal risk standards across all lending functions.
Lead and develop team of approximately 40 professionals across five functional areas and multiple product lines.
Manage and mentor direct reports including multiple senior managers.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and accountability.
Build organizational capability through talent development, strategic hiring, and succession planning.