Chief Credit Officer — Sturgis, MI (Sturgis)

Summary

The Chief Credit Officer (CCO) is responsible for the overall credit quality, risk management, and loan portfolio performance of the Bank including retail and commercial. This position provides strategic leadership and oversight of all credit-related functions, ensuring safe and sound lending practices, regulatory compliance, and alignment with the Bank’s risk appetite. The CCO partners with executive management and the Board of Directors to support sustainable loan growth while maintaining strong asset quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the overall credit risk and overseeing the entire credit function of the Bank. This includes both retail and commercial lending.
• Leads the development and ongoing refinement of loan policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance and alignment with industry best practices.
• Ensures credit processes are efficient, scalable, and responsive to support timely decision-making in a competitive market.
• Provides strategic oversight of the loan portfolio, including performance, trends, concentrations, risk grading, exceptions, and overall credit quality.
• Oversees portfolio analytics and reporting, delivering clear and actionable insights to executive management and the Board of Directors on a regular basis.
• Ensures underwriting standards, appraisal requirements, and other credit administration practices align with regulatory requirements in partnership with the Chief Compliance Officer.
• Directs the Bank’s independent loan review process and ensures timely identification and response to emerging credit risks.
• Provides leadership in problem loan identification and resolution, including oversight of workout strategies to minimize risk and loss.
• Chairs or oversees asset quality meetings to evaluate portfolio health and drive strategies to reduce criticized and classified assets.
• Collaborates with commercial lending, credit, wealth, and treasury teams to support sound, profitable loan growth consistent with the Bank’s risk appetite.
• Reviews and recommends credit relationships and loan requests before presenting loans to the loan committee. Serves as Chair of Loan Committee.
• Serves as the primary credit liaison with regulators, auditors, and external reviewers. This also includes examinations and audits.
• Monitors economic, industry, and market conditions to assess potential impacts on the loan portfolio and credit strategy.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Commercial Credit Manager
• Loan Portfolio Manager
• Commercial Processor Supervisor
• Mortgage Underwriting Supervisor

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of credit risk management, underwriting, and regulatory expectations.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to develop people within the department.
• Excellent organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
• Highly effective people skills with individuals at all levels, and the ability to work in a team environment.
• Strong decision making, problem solving, and negotiation skills.
• Technologically proficient with various business software suites and Microsoft Office Suite.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Accounting, or equivalent experience. Completion of master’s level business degree and/or degree from the Graduate School of Banking preferred. Ten to fifteen years of cumulative credit analysis, commercial lending, and management experience required. Experience as a Senior Credit or Chief Credit Officer preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Professional certifications preferred but not required.

Work Environment

General office working conditions exist. Employee may experience sustained moderate/high periods of activity with multiple tasks being performed. They may experience communication with a variety of internal and external sources under favorable and unfavorable conditions. Noise level in the work environment is usually minimal. Occasional travel to various branches, travel to current and prospective customer meetings, seminars/training, as well as other bank related meetings and events.