Risk Rating Manager

First Horizon Bank•Memphis, TN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Risk Rating Manager reports to the Commercial Credit Policy and Governance Manager and is responsible for the management and maintenance of First Horizon’s Commercial Risk Rating framework. It includes ownership of the bank’s scorecard models, development and maintenance of risk grading guidance, working with line of business and Credit partners on design and revision to models, and being the point of contact for all inquiries related to Commercial risk ratings. The Risk Rating Manager will build and maintain relationships with partners and stakeholders across the bank, including Lines of Business, Credit, Risk, Technology, Treasury, Finance, and Audit. This role requires high interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly with executives, senior management, peers, analysts, regulators, and auditors. The Risk Rating Manager is expected to work independently with minimal direction from management, lead projects, and manage cross-functional project teams. A broad understanding of Commercial Credit and the use of risk ratings throughout all the activities of a bank is a must.

Requirements

10 years of Commercial/Wholesale Credit rating experience, including Commercial and Industrial lending, Commercial Real Estate, Small Business, and specialty lines of business
Demonstrable experience working with credit rating models and understanding their use, performance metrics, technology requirements, and governance
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with high attention to detail and accuracy
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
Proficiency with Microsoft Office
Familiarity with common 3rd party rating platforms such as Moody’s CreditLens, Commercial front office systems such as nCino, and core systems such as ACBS

Nice To Haves

15 or more years of Commercial/Wholesale credit rating experience with at least 5 years of owning or leading a risk rating practice

Responsibilities

Oversee the lifecycle of commercial rating models from design and development to system implementation and governance
Manage risk grading guidance in conjunction with policy, system constraints, and scorecard design.
Fulfill current and evolving governance requirements with respect to risk ratings, including reporting on operational and statistical performance
Provide input into credit policy as it relates to risk ratings and grading
Manage controls associated with risk grading and communicate with appropriate groups on issues and resolution
Communicate with several constituents across the bank in each line of defense as well as auditors and regulators about risk rating policy and practice
Manage the inventory of scorecard models, including in-use, in-development, and in-pipeline scorecards
Monitor and manage scorecard usage, including periodic revisions to existing scorecards, adapting to new products or structures, etc.
Monitor scorecard performance from an accuracy and operational perspective. Track and report on scorecard usage, override rates, system integrity, past due scorecards, etc.
Be the primary point of contact for oversight groups—regulators, Credit, Credit Assurance, Model Risk Management, and auditors
Effectively challenge first line requests for changes to scorecard models, guidance, or policy
Lead initiatives for development of or revisions to scorecard models
Work with LOB and Credit to define requirements and potential attributes for consideration
Lead the project team for new scorecard development or major recalibrations
Work with Credit Modeling Team on development, monitoring, testing, and implementation
Work with Enterprise Technology on system implementation
Design and lead user acceptance testing to ensure a correct implementation
Guide changes through governance and business unit acceptance
Respond to frequent enquiries from constituents—LOB, Credit, Credit Assurance, Internal Audit, etc.—on interpretation of scorecard guidance, rating particular deals, and other questions regarding scorecards
Collaborate with Credit Policy and Credit Risk on revisions, updates, or modifications to policies that affect risk grading
Collaborate with downstream users of ratings, such as in pricing, CECL, CCAR, and portfolio management
Advise the executive management on strategic initiatives, emerging risks or opportunities, and industry best practices in the space of Commercial risk ratings