Vice President of Lending

Meritus Credit Union•Lafayette, LA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of Lending provides executive leadership and strategic direction for the Credit Union's lending function. This position is responsible for developing and executing lending strategies that support sustainable loan growth, portfolio quality, member relationship development, profitability, and the Credit Union's overall strategic objectives. The Vice President of Lending provides leadership and oversight of lending operations, lending products, underwriting, credit administration, portfolio management, lending compliance, lending technology, and lending personnel. The position is accountable for the overall performance and financial contribution of the lending portfolio and works closely with executive management and other departments to ensure lending strategies support the Credit Union's broader business objectives. The Vice President of Lending serves as a key member of the Credit Union's executive leadership team and provides recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors regarding lending strategy, credit risk, portfolio performance, pricing, product development, growth opportunities, and lending-related investments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, accounting, economics, or a related field required.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive lending experience, including significant management and leadership responsibility.
Demonstrated experience in consumer lending, mortgage lending, commercial lending, or other applicable lending disciplines.
Demonstrated experience managing loan growth while maintaining appropriate portfolio quality and credit risk.
Experience developing and executing lending strategies.
Knowledge of NCUA regulations and applicable federal and state laws and regulations required.
Strong understanding of credit union lending operations, products, services, and financial performance.
Strong knowledge of credit risk management and underwriting principles.
Understanding of asset/liability management, liquidity, capital, and the relationship between lending strategy and overall financial performance.
Strong analytical and financial management skills.
Ability to analyze portfolio performance and identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
Strong strategic planning and decision-making abilities.
Strong leadership, coaching, and organizational development skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to communicate complex financial and lending concepts to employees, executive management, and the Board of Directors.
Strong negotiation, relationship management, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives and competing priorities.
High level of integrity, sound judgment, confidentiality, and professionalism.
Executive leadership competency.
Strategic thinking competency.
Financial and business acumen competency.
Credit and risk management competency.
Lending expertise competency.
Portfolio management competency.
Decision-making and judgment competency.
Performance management competency.
Organizational leadership competency.
Change management competency.
Relationship management competency.
Communication competency.
Regulatory and compliance awareness competency.
Member-focused leadership competency.
Accountability and integrity competency.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional lending/financial services certifications preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience managing or leading a lending function within a credit union, bank, or comparable financial institution preferred.
Experience with lending technology, digital lending, loan origination systems, and process improvement preferred.
Experience working with executive management and Board-level reporting preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and monitor the Credit Union's comprehensive lending strategy in alignment with the strategic plan and overall organizational objectives.
Serve as the senior executive leader responsible for the Credit Union's lending function and overall lending performance.
Establish strategic priorities for loan growth, portfolio composition, member relationship development, profitability, credit quality, and risk management.
Partner with the CEO and executive leadership team in developing and executing organizational strategies that support sustainable growth.
Identify emerging market opportunities, competitive trends, member needs, and industry developments that may affect lending performance.
Evaluate and recommend strategic changes to lending products, services, delivery channels, processes, technology, and pricing.
Serve as a strategic advisor to executive management on lending-related opportunities, challenges, and risks.
Participate in the development and execution of the Credit Union's annual and long term strategic plans.
Establish and oversee strategic loan growth objectives consistent with the Credit Union's financial capacity, risk appetite, and strategic plan.
Develop strategies to increase loan production, member acquisition, member retention, product penetration, and overall member relationship depth.
Evaluate opportunities to expand lending in existing and emerging markets and member segments.
Partner with Marketing and other business units to develop strategies that promote lending products and generate qualified loan opportunities.
Monitor competitive lending rates, products, underwriting practices, and market conditions.
Develop strategies to maintain the Credit Union's competitive position while balancing loan growth, pricing, risk, and profitability.
Evaluate new lending products and services based on member needs, market opportunity, operational requirements, risk, and financial impact.
Maintain executive accountability for the overall performance and quality of the Credit Union's loan portfolio.
Monitor loan production, balances, yields, delinquency, charge-offs, loan losses, concentrations, and other key lending performance indicators.
Analyze portfolio trends and develop strategies to address emerging risks or opportunities.
Evaluate portfolio composition and recommend appropriate lending strategies based on risk, return, liquidity, capital, and organizational objectives.
Establish and monitor lending performance metrics and hold the lending organization accountable for achieving approved objectives.
Evaluate loan pricing and product profitability to support appropriate risk-adjusted returns.
Partner with Finance to monitor the financial performance and contribution of the lending portfolio.
Provide executive management and the Board with regular reporting and analysis regarding lending performance and portfolio trends.
Provide executive oversight of the Credit Union's credit philosophy, underwriting standards, and lending risk management practices.
Establish lending standards and credit practices consistent with the Credit Union's risk appetite and strategic objectives.
Ensure underwriting practices appropriately balance member service, loan growth, credit quality, and risk.
Monitor credit quality and emerging portfolio risks and implement appropriate corrective strategies.
Review and recommend changes to lending policies, approval authorities, underwriting criteria, loan limits, and risk parameters.
Oversee appropriate controls related to loan approval, documentation, funding, servicing, and portfolio management.
Participate in significant or complex credit decisions within established authority.
Ensure appropriate escalation of significant credit risks to executive management and the Board.
Provide executive oversight of lending operations and ensure effective, efficient, and consistent lending processes.
Ensure lending processes support an excellent member experience while maintaining appropriate controls and risk management.
Evaluate opportunities to streamline lending processes and improve efficiency through technology, automation, and process improvement.
Establish performance standards for lending operations and monitor results.
Ensure appropriate service levels are maintained throughout the loan origination and decisioning process.
Oversee the effective coordination of lending with branches, member service, collections, operations, marketing, finance, and other departments.
Ensure lending processes appropriately support both member and organizational needs.
Evaluate the Credit Union's lending products and delivery channels to ensure they remain competitive, relevant, and financially sound.
Identify opportunities to leverage technology to improve loan origination, decisioning, documentation, funding, servicing, and member experience.
Provide executive leadership for significant lending technology implementations, conversions, integrations, and enhancements.
Evaluate emerging lending technologies, automation, artificial intelligence, digital lending solutions, and other innovations.
Partner with Information Technology and other departments to ensure lending systems meet business requirements and appropriate security and risk standards.
Maintain executive accountability for compliance with applicable lending laws, regulations, and regulatory expectations.
Work closely with Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit, and other appropriate functions to ensure lending practices are compliant and appropriately controlled.
Maintain knowledge of applicable NCUA regulations, federal and state lending laws, fair lending requirements, consumer protection requirements, and other applicable regulations.
Ensure appropriate monitoring and corrective action related to lending compliance.
Participate in regulatory examinations, internal audits, external audits, and other reviews involving the lending function.
Ensure timely resolution of lending-related examination and audit findings.
Partner with the appropriate departments to monitor delinquency, charge-offs, recoveries, and other credit quality indicators.
Evaluate trends in delinquency and charge-offs and recommend strategies to maintain portfolio quality.
Ensure lending strategies appropriately consider expected credit losses and overall credit risk.
Work with Finance, Collections, and executive management to evaluate portfolio performance and emerging credit trends.
Monitor the impact of lending strategies on credit quality and profitability.
Provide executive oversight of significant lending-related vendors, service providers, and strategic partners.
Participate in vendor selection, due diligence, contract negotiations, performance management, and ongoing evaluation.
Ensure third-party lending relationships appropriately support business objectives, risk management, regulatory requirements, and member experience.
Evaluate strategic partnerships and external lending opportunities that may enhance the Credit Union's lending capabilities.
Develop and manage the Lending Department's annual operating budget.
Evaluate staffing, technology, vendor, training, and other resource requirements.
Monitor lending-related expenses and ensure effective utilization of organizational resources.
Recommend investments in technology, staffing, products, and services based on strategic value and expected return.
Balance investment in lending growth with profitability, risk, and organizational capacity.
Provide leadership, direction, and accountability for the Lending Department.
Develop and maintain a high-performing lending leadership team.
Establish performance expectations and measurable objectives for lending personnel.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
Develop succession plans and identify future leaders within the lending organization.
Establish a culture of accountability, collaboration, ethical decision-making, member service, and continuous improvement.
Ensure appropriate staffing levels, organizational structure, and talent are in place to support the Credit Union's lending strategy.
Provide regular reporting to the CEO and executive leadership team regarding lending performance, strategy, risks, opportunities, and significant initiatives.
Prepare and present lending reports and recommendations to the Board of Directors and applicable Board committees.
Communicate significant changes in portfolio performance, credit risk, lending trends, regulatory matters, and strategic opportunities.
Provide recommendations regarding lending policies, risk parameters, product strategy, pricing, and other matters requiring executive or Board consideration.