Vice President of Lending

Located along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Upstate New York, SFCU is seeking a strategic and innovative executive to join the organization as Vice President of Lending . With more than $1.2 billion in assets , 13 branches, and a strong financial foundation, SFCU serves a broad multi-county footprint across Central and Upstate New York, including Broome, Oneida, Herkimer, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Cortland, Onondaga, Madison, Schoharie, Montgomery, Fulton, Hamilton, and Essex counties.

SFCU is committed to a people-first, member-focused culture built on integrity, collaboration, and exceptional service. Guided by its mission to “Do Well to Do Good,” the organization is dedicated to strengthening the communities it serves while making banking more accessible and providing individuals, families, and businesses with the financial tools and solutions they need to grow and succeed.

Reporting to the Chief Credit Officer, the VP Lending provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for all lending functions excluding commercial lending. This includes consumer lending, mortgage lending, loan operations, credit cards/plastics, and member solutions (collections). This role ensures the credit union delivers competitive, compliant, and member-focused lending products and services while maintaining strong asset quality, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. The VP of Lending is a key contributor to organizational strategy, portfolio performance, member experience, and enterprise risk management and does do by providing leadership oversight through a team of department managers.

Key Responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Management

• Develop and execute lending strategies aligned with the credit union’s overall vision, financial goals, and risk appetite.
• Oversee performance and growth of the consumer, mortgage, credit card, and indirect lending portfolios, ensuring appropriate diversification and credit quality.
• Monitor portfolio trends and implement proactive measures to address emerging risks, economic changes, or competitive pressures.
• Collaborate with leadership to enhance member value through innovative lending programs and digital-forward solutions.

Operational Oversight

• Lead and manage all lending operational units, including consumer lending, mortgage lending, loan operations, plastics/credit cards, and member solutions.
• Ensure processes are efficient, member-centric, scalable, and compliant.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to underwriting, processing, funding, servicing, and portfolio management.
• Oversee vendor partnerships related to lending platforms, plastics, and loan servicing.

Risk Management, Compliance & Credit Quality

• Ensure adherence to all regulatory requirements, internal policies, and industry best practices.
• Maintain a strong credit culture through effective underwriting standards, training, and performance monitoring.
• Collaborate closely with Compliance, Audit, and Enterprise Risk to uphold strong controls, documentation standards, and data integrity.
• Oversee collections and loss-mitigation functions to optimize recovery, minimize delinquency, and support members in financial distress.

People Leadership

• Manage and mentor a diverse team of managers and lending professionals across multiple divisions.
• Promote a high-performance culture centered on collaboration, accountability, service excellence, and professional development.
• Align staffing, training, and organizational structure to support strategic objectives and evolving member needs.

Member Experience & Product Innovation

• Champion a member-first experience across all lending channels, ensuring responsiveness, transparency, and ease of doing business.
• Evaluate and enhance loan products, pricing strategies, and delivery channels.
• Drive adoption of digital lending tools, automation, and analytics to improve turnaround times and operational consistency.

The selected candidate will have a history of demonstrated success in lending, a strategic mindset, be innovative, possess excellent leadership and communication skills and a passion for the industry. Proven experience overseeing multiple functions across the full loan lifecycle such as consumer and/or mortgage lending, loan operations or collections is a must. Formal business-related education and 7+ years of progressive experience in lending at a financial institution with at least 3-5 years in a senior leadership role required.