Managing Director & Head, Credit & Portfolio Management

Bank of Montreal•Chicago, NY

6d•$300,000

About The Position

The Head of Credit & Portfolio Management is the senior leader of the Portfolio Management (PM) function across Global Corporate Banking in Canada and the U.S. The role owns PM governance, standards, and risk oversight; serves as the senior PM approval authority within the delegated lending framework; leads active portfolio management and credit-structuring excellence; and represents Corporate Banking to Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, and regulators on PM matters. The role sets PM standards and the operating model, while Lending Unit PM leaders own business execution, staffing, and portfolio outcomes. It partners with Risk & Financial Management, Capital Markets, and Global Transaction Banking, and applies effective challenge within BMO’s Risk Appetite framework. The position establishes common PM governance and operating practices across Corporate Banking, exercises delegated credit approval authority, and leads regulatory, audit, and control engagement. It oversees portfolio monitoring, risk insights, active portfolio management, credit products and structuring, PM talent and capability development, and process and operating-model effectiveness. It also leads and mentors the PM team and promotes the Bank’s risk culture and an inclusive, high-performance environment.

Requirements

Post-secondary education or equivalent work experience.
CPA, MBA, or equivalent experience in finance, accounting, and business law.
20+ years of financial-services experience in a corporate-lending environment developing business.
10+ years negotiating and structuring financial transactions, with expertise in Leveraged Finance.
Credit qualified, with expert knowledge of credit risk management and credit philosophy, policies, and procedures.
Working knowledge of U.S. and/or Canadian regulatory expectations and experience leading regulator and Internal Audit engagements.
Command of portfolio-management concepts, including allowance and provisioning, RWA, return on capital, concentration, and limit frameworks.
Expertise across key corporate-lending sectors and in-depth knowledge of corporate banking products and services.
Experience managing a large, diverse team and influencing Lending Unit leaders where decision rights are shared.
Highly developed written and oral communication and relationship-building skills.
Expert analytical thinking, change leadership, negotiation, and risk-management skills, and in-depth strategic business planning.

Responsibilities

Own PM standards, policy interpretation, governance consistency, and a common PM operating playbook across Corporate Banking.
Provide Corporate Banking input to corporate policies and lending directives, and ensure correct interpretation and application.
Hold a standing seat on credit and risk committees as a delegate to the Co-Heads of Global Corporate Banking, following a documented escalation protocol.
Exercise delegated approval authority for transactions above LU PM head authority and serve as delegate for Business Head signoffs for the Co-Heads of Global Corporate Banking.
Challenge material credit, underwriting, and portfolio risk; escalate significant policy, governance, or risk concerns; and ensure risk-taking stays within the Risk Appetite framework, agreed limits, and regulatory requirements.
Represent Corporate Banking on the U.S. Allowance Committee and contribute to the allowance and provisioning outlook.
Serve as the primary PM representative to Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, and regulators; lead Corporate Banking exams and reviews and PM-related remediation and regulatory change initiatives.
Ensure control effectiveness and audit readiness, including first-line quality assurance of credit processes.
Own the KRI dashboard and common PM reporting framework covering KRIs, watchlist migration, early warning indicators, and past dues.
Provide management insight on portfolio trends, concentrations, and emerging sector and macro risks, working with sector heads and Industry Verticals.
Oversee high-risk accounts, risk-rating accuracy, timely action on deteriorating credits, and Special Assets liaison, including lessons-learned sessions.
Contribute stress-testing and scenario-analysis inputs for the Corporate Banking portfolio.
Own the PM data and reporting technology roadmap to establish a common fact base.
Maintain a Corporate Banking de-risking playbook and trigger frameworks for emerging risks and changing concentrations.
Provide input to industry, single-name, tenor, and product limit frameworks and monitor the portfolio against them.
Partner with Capital Markets on hold levels, distribution, hedging, and risk-transfer levers, balancing profitable growth with credit quality.
Define the new-deal hand-off from origination to PM, clarifying deal understanding, ownership, and post-close items.
Support Lending Units choosing a greater PM role in new-business underwriting; origination retains client ownership and negotiation.
Provide structuring expertise and coaching on complex transactions, and evaluate new and tailored financing structures and related policy changes.
Establish PM competency standards, training curriculum, and career frameworks in coordination with the Training working group.
Lead PM succession planning and talent development, and set junior staffing principles that allow flexible deployment across Lending Units.
Drive process simplification, automation, and operating-model enhancements across PM workflows.
Oversee centralized mid-to-back-office support (LC, TPS, KYC), with PM retaining risk decisions and accountability.
Oversee PM KPIs and performance measurements across Corporate Banking in coordination with the KPI task force; continue oversight and management of the BA team.
Promote the Bank’s risk culture through clear accountabilities, open communication, effective challenge, and tone from the top.
Lead and mentor a diverse team, develop leaders, plan succession, and attract and retain talent.
Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture and role-model One Bank leadership and the Bank’s Ambition.