Credit Risk - Executive Director - Credit Decisioning Unit

Job Description

The Credit Decisioning Unit (CDU) is the first-line credit risk function within the Business Banking Group. The CDU establishes the analytical frameworks, underwriting standards, portfolio risk assessment methodologies, and credit policy infrastructure that govern the Group's lending decisions across its wholesale client base. 

We are seeking a Head of Wholesale Credit to lead the CDU's wholesale credit mandate. This is a senior role is designed for a practitioner who can evaluate a complex credit, chair a credit policy working group, and present portfolio risk findings to senior leadership. The position requires fluency across the full credit lifecycle: from individual credit assessment through to framework design and portfolio management.

The wholesale credit portfolio encompasses small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with standard C&I loans, not-for-profit organizations (including private schools, social service agencies, healthcare entities, and community development organizations), and small and local government borrowers. This breadth of obligor type requires an individual with intellectual range — capable of applying different analytical lenses to structurally distinct borrower categories without defaulting to a one-size-fits-all underwriting approach.

J ob responsibilities

• Provide senior credit judgment on complex, non-standard, and exception-level wholesale credits across SME C&I, not-for-profit, and small government obligor segments.

• Design and own the CDU's wholesale credit underwriting frameworks, including segment-specific policies for SME, C&I, not-for-profit, and small government borrowers — establishing the criteria, analytical tools, and decision standards that govern credit decisions across the broader underwriting team

• Establish and maintain minimum eligibility thresholds and approval standards, determine portfolio concentration limits

• Drive the integration of economic profitability into the credit decisioning framework: ensure that risk appetite, pricing adequacy, and return on regulatory capital are embedded in how the CDU evaluates and recommends credits — not treated as a finance function afterthought

• Own the CDU's approach to related obligor definitions, covenant architecture, and collateral adequacy standards for the wholesale segment

• Lead retrospective portfolio studies and performance analyses to assess whether origination practices are producing the risk-adjusted outcomes the Bank intends — and to identify where underwriting standards require recalibration

• Develop and manage early warning and watchlist frameworks for the wholesale portfolio, with a particular focus on obligor types subject to structural revenue risk (not-for-profit, government-dependent, and campaign-reliant borrowers)

• Represent the CDU's wholesale credit function in senior forums including the Credit Committee, CRO leadership team, and Business Banking Group executive leadership — presenting findings, policy recommendations, and portfolio risk views with credibility and precision

• Build and sustain productive relationships with second-line Risk partners, ensuring that the CDU's first-line credit function constructively engages with second-line reducing friction and enhancing the quality of credit governance

• Partner with Finance, Pricing, and Capital Management to ensure that credit decisions are evaluated through the lens of economic profitability and risk-adjusted return

• Guide CDU credit analysts is data-driven studies to assess Portfolio posture and health and perform ad hoc analyses

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Ten+ years of progressive experience in commercial, wholesale, or business banking credit, with demonstrated leadership responsibility for credit decisions, policy development, or portfolio risk management

• Proven ability to underwrite and evaluate complex credits at the individual deal level across multiple obligor types — including detailed financial statement analysis, cash flow assessment, collateral evaluation, and covenant structuring

• Direct experience designing or materially contributing to credit frameworks, underwriting policies, or risk decisioning standards — moving beyond individual deal work to define how a credit function evaluates risk systematically

• Demonstrated experience managing or analytically overseeing a balanced wholesale credit portfolio, with fluency in portfolio-level risk metrics including concentration analysis, default rate analysis, loss forecasting, and risk appetite translation

• Experience with not-for-profit, small government, or mission-driven entity lending — or a demonstrated ability to apply credit discipline to borrower types with non-commercial revenue structures and balance sheet characteristics

• Strong command of economic profitability concepts —risk-adjusted pricing, return on regulatory capital, SVA vs. NPV trade-offs — and the ability to integrate profitability analysis into credit recommendation and portfolio strategy

• Demonstrable track record of engaging constructively with senior management, regulators, or second-line risk functions — presenting credit views with clarity, defending positions under scrutiny, and influencing decisions through analytical credibility rather than positional authority

About Us

Chase is a leading financial services firm, helping nearly half of America’s households and small businesses achieve their financial goals through a broad range of financial products. Our mission is to create engaged, lifelong relationships and put our customers at the heart of everything we do. We also help small businesses, nonprofits and cities grow, delivering solutions to solve all their financial needs. 

We offer a competitive total rewards package including base salary determined based on the role, experience, skill set and location. Those in eligible roles may receive commission-based pay and/or discretionary incentive compensation, paid in the form of cash and/or forfeitable equity, awarded in recognition of individual achievements and contributions.  We also offer a range of benefits and programs to meet employee needs, based on eligibility. These benefits include comprehensive health care coverage, on-site health and wellness centers, a retirement savings plan, backup childcare, tuition reimbursement, mental health support, financial coaching and more. Additional details about total compensation and benefits will be provided during the hiring process. 

We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for applicants’ and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs. Visit our  FAQs for more information about requesting an accommodation.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

About the Team

Our Consumer & Community Banking division serves our Chase customers through a range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. We’re proud to lead the U.S. in credit card sales and deposit growth and have the most-used digital solutions – all while ranking first in customer satisfaction.

Risk Management helps the firm understand, manage and anticipate risks in a constantly changing environment. The work covers areas such as evaluating country-specific risk, understanding regulatory changes and determining credit worthiness. Risk Management provides independent oversight and maintains an effective control environment.