Job Purpose

The Senior Credit Officer will facilitate the lending to customers by assessing their creditworthiness and processing of relevant paperwork. Other responsibilities will include preparing loan applications, evaluating clients’ financial information and calculating risk ratios. Providing loan and appraisal review support while ensuring the overall quality of the Bank’s credit extensions. Building relationships with clients, analyzing the financial data, writing loan proposals, and managing the bank’s growing loan portfolios.

Summary of Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct and facilitate credit exposure approval and associated decision-making processes, in line with relevant credit policies and procedures, and within the stated risk appetite statements.
• Advise and support the credit decision process for individual credit transactions and relevant credit portfolios, within the boundaries of established risk appetite statements, and in line with applicable credit risk policies.
• Monitor and report on relevant transactions, obligors and portfolios.
• Direct Quarterly Portfolio Review and Watchlist meetings and reports
• Complete Risk Ratings in accordance with the bank’s policy and in a timely manner to help assure the portfolio loan loss provision (LLP) is calculated accurately.
• Complete Regulatory Risk Ratings in accordance with bank’s policy and regulatory expectations in a timely fashion.
• Identify industry trends or news events that affect portfolio risk, using this to adjust as necessary Watchlist, Risk Rating or LLP adjustments.
• Actively provide input and/or develop relevant credit risk policies.
• Work with Front Office teams and Credit Administration staff to manage the credit risk of a designated portfolio.
• Manage the credit analyst department. Recruit and trains new credit analysts. Assign and review their work (preparing timely and accurate loan packages, postings, and other reports).
• Own and manage the intern program with support from Human Resources.
• Create or enhance a basic accounting knowledge test/quiz to be taken by all prospective lending new hires.
• Serve as the daily morning loan review to examine new loans that have been originated.
• Manage workflow by supporting lenders in monitoring coming due loans 90 days prior to maturity.
• Work with senior management on the determination of overall loan portfolio composition and the management of concentrations.
• Maintain updated procedures for internal loan review procedures that interface with external loan review. Monitor bank regulatory changes that relate to the credit function.

Required, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent persuasion and engagement skills
• Good analytical and interpretive skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Excellent Analytical skills
• Excellent Interpersonal skills
• Ability to analyze complex financial statements

Primary Areas of Accountability:

Qualification and Experience

• Degree in Business Administration, Banking, Finance, Accountancy, Economics or Business related field
• Must have a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a banking or lending environment with a commercial bank
• Must have excellent knowledge of credit review processes and the establishment of credit policies
• Must have a significant level of experience in all aspects of bank lending functions with prior credit approval experience required.
• Proven knowledge of lending, legal and operational regulations
• Must have a good understanding of lending procedures and customer service experience.
• Must be able to manage processes from a risk management perspective
• Working knowledge of commercial law, particularly as it relates to secured transactions, banking laws related to lending preferred
• Ability to analyze the financial performance of assigned borrowers compared to covenant levels, industry standards, key competitors, borrower’s financial projections and historical performance.

QUALIFIED FEMALES & THE DIFFERENTLY ABLED PERSONS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION

• Conduct and facilitate credit exposure approval and associated decision-making processes, in line with relevant credit policies and procedures, and within the stated risk appetite statements.
• Advise and support the credit decision process for individual credit transactions and relevant credit portfolios, within the boundaries of established risk appetite statements, and in line with applicable credit risk policies.
• Monitor and report on relevant transactions, obligors and portfolios.
• Direct Quarterly Portfolio Review and Watchlist meetings and reports
• Complete Risk Ratings in accordance with the bank’s policy and in a timely manner to help assure the portfolio loan loss provision (LLP) is calculated accurately.
• Complete Regulatory Risk Ratings in accordance with bank’s policy and regulatory expectations in a timely fashion.
• Identify industry trends or news events that affect portfolio risk, using this to adjust as necessary Watchlist, Risk Rating or LLP adjustments.
• Actively provide input and/or develop relevant credit risk policies.
• Work with Front Office teams and Credit Administration staff to manage the credit risk of a designated portfolio.
• Manage the credit analyst department. Recruit and trains new credit analysts. Assign and review their work (preparing timely and accurate loan packages, postings, and other reports).
• Own and manage the intern program with support from Human Resources.
• Create or enhance a basic accounting knowledge test/quiz to be taken by all prospective lending new hires.
• Serve as the daily morning loan review to examine new loans that have been originated.
• Manage workflow by supporting lenders in monitoring coming due loans 90 days prior to maturity.
• Work with senior management on the determination of overall loan portfolio composition and the management of concentrations.
• Maintain updated procedures for internal loan review procedures that interface with external loan review. Monitor bank regulatory changes that relate to the credit function.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent persuasion and engagement skills
• Good analytical and interpretive skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Excellent Analytical skills
• Excellent Interpersonal skills
• Ability to analyze complex financial statements

• Degree in Business Administration, Banking, Finance, Accountancy, Economics or Business related field
• Must have a minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a banking or lending environment with a commercial bank
• Must have excellent knowledge of credit review processes and the establishment of credit policies
• Must have a significant level of experience in all aspects of bank lending functions with prior credit approval experience required.
• Proven knowledge of lending, legal and operational regulations
• Must have a good understanding of lending procedures and customer service experience.
• Must be able to manage processes from a risk management perspective
• Working knowledge of commercial law, particularly as it relates to secured transactions, banking laws related to lending preferred
• Ability to analyze the financial performance of assigned borrowers compared to covenant levels, industry standards, key competitors, borrower’s financial projections and historical performance.