Vice President, Risk Management

Title:     

Vice President, Risk Management

Job Summary: 

The Vice President of Risk Management is a leadership position responsible for protecting the credit union's assets and reputation by providing strategic direction and oversight for all commercial credit risk, information security, vendor management and enterprise risk management (ERM) functions. This role is critical to the credit union's long-term strategic vision, including the launch of a new business banking division and future merger and acquisition activities.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in commercial lending, credit policy, and risk management across all areas of a financial institution. This individual must be a collaborative and strategic leader who can effectively partner with internal teams and external providers, communicate complex risk issues to executive management and the Board of Directors, and champion a strong, proactive risk culture.

Primary Duties:

1. Commercial Credit Administration & Risk Management

• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for all commercial credit administration functions, including commercial underwriting, account reviews, portfolio management, commercial collections, and loan servicing.
• Serve as a voting member of the Executive Loan Committee, providing expert analysis and recommendations on commercial loan approvals.

• Have primary responsibility for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the credit union's commercial lending credit policy, ensuring it aligns with the credit union's risk appetite and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor commercial loan portfolio performance, identify emerging risks, and develop effective mitigation strategies, including conducting stress testing and portfolio-level analysis.
• Lead and mentor the commercial credit administration team, fostering a culture of risk awareness, credit discipline, and continuous improvement.

2. Business Banking & Treasury Services Development

• Lead the "ground up" establishment of a new business banking and treasury services division, defining the operational framework, products, and services.
• Partner with third-party providers to evaluate, select, and implement the necessary technology, platforms, and processes to ensure a seamless and scalable operation.
• Act as the primary liaison between the commercial lending and business banking teams to drive business deposit growth and cross-sell opportunities.
• Coordinate with branch operations and other internal stakeholders to ensure a seamless delivery of business banking services across the credit union's branch network.
• Develop a strategic plan for the growth and expansion of business banking and treasury services, including market penetration strategies and performance metrics.

3. Information Security & Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

• Provide oversight and strategic direction for the credit union's information security program, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and regulatory requirements and  ensuring the credit union's data, systems, and digital assets are protected from evolving cyber threats.
• Oversee the Vendor Management program, ensuring all third-party relationships are thoroughly vetted, monitored, and managed for both operational and security risks.
• Oversee the Enterprise Risk Management program.  Aggregate, monitor, and mitigate enterprise-wide risk items and present findings to the ERM Committee and Board of Directors.
• Develop policies, procedures and overall programs which include the quantification of the risk appetite of the Board of Directors through specific risk limits within the organization.

4. Regulatory & Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)

• In collaboration with the VP of Compliance, take a significant role in preparing for and responding to all annual regulatory examinations, including those from the NCUA and ODFI.
• Assist in managing due diligence teams, performing comprehensive risk reviews across all business lines.

• Lead cross-organizational due diligence teams to review asset quality, loan documentation, collateral, underwriting standards, collection practices, and overall program quality and compliance for commercial, mortgage, and consumer lending portfolios.

Travel Demands: 

Must be able to travel locally.

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field.

Master’s degree in Business preferred.                                        

Prerequisite Experience:

1. A minimum of five years of experience in risk management, preferably in a supervisory or EIC (Examiner-in-Charge) capacity, with demonstrated experience leading NCUA, FDIC, CFPB, or state regulatory examinations and with thorough knowledge of laws and regulations OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. 5-10 years of commercial credit administration experience required at a financial institution with at least $2 billion in assets and a commercial portfolio exceeding $200 million.
3. Have one or more of the following and be willing to work toward others: Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA)
4. Prior, direct management experience.

Physical, Mental or Visual Demands:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: stand, walk,  sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, talk or hear. 
This job regularly requires the employee to lift _1__ to _10_ pounds __1_ times per day.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include the following:  close vision,  distance vision , color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception,  the ability to adjust and focus.
Working Conditions:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may work:
 rarely

The noise level in the environment is usually quiet.