Head Of Credit Risk Jobs in Ridgewood, NJ (NOW HIRING)

New York, NY (Hybrid) Salary Range: $340,000-$380,000

Apple Bank is seeking a seasoned credit executive to serve as Senior Credit Officer and Head of C & I Credit, a highly visible leadership role at the center of our commercial credit strategy and risk governance. This position is a key decisionmaker in complex commercial transactions, a voting member of the Credit Committee, and a trusted partner to lending, portfolio, and risk teams in supporting disciplined, profitable growth. The role offers meaningful authority, enterprise level influence, and the opportunity to shape credit outcomes across the organization.

The successful candidate will bring deep commercial credit expertise, strong risk judgment, and a collaborative leadership style, with direct responsibility for deal approvals, risk ratings, portfolio oversight, and problem credit management. For high performing individuals, this role provides significant visibility with senior leadership and the Board, along with a potential succession path to Deputy Chief Credit Officer over time. This is an opportunity for an experienced credit leader to make a lasting impact within a strong risk culture and a growing institution.

The Senior Credit Officer and Head of C & I Credit is a critical leadership role at the center of the Bank's commercial credit strategy and risk governance. This role combines hands on credit authority with enterprise level influence, offering the opportunity to shape the Bank's credit culture, risk framework, and long-term commercial strategy. The candidate will serve as a key decisionmaker in complex credit approvals, a voting member of the Credit Committee, and a trusted partner to lending, portfolio, and risk teams in supporting disciplined, profitable growth. For high performing individuals, this role offers visible impact, enterprise influence, and a potential succession path to the Deputy Chief Credit Officer role over time.

The role oversees the end to end credit approval process, including transaction review and approval, risk rating governance and risk rating models and methodology, portfolio stress testing, limits and concentration management, CECL review, exception approvals and tracking, and problem loan oversight. You will play a hands on role in approving deals, guiding workouts, and ensuring credit decisions reflect sound judgment, strong analytics, and alignment with the Bank's risk appetite.

Success in this position requires deep commercial credit expertise, strong risk instincts and credit judgment, and a highly collaborative mindset. You will work closely with Lending, Underwriting, Portfolio Management, Loan Operations, Legal, Finance, and Risk to shape lending programs, processes, and procedures while maintaining consistent credit standards across portfolios.

Credit Governance & Approvals:

• Serve as a voting member of the Greenlight Working Group, Credit Risk Committee, and Troubled Asset Working Group.
• Exercise final credit approval authority within delegated limits; approve or decline transactions (new, extensions, modifications) that fall outside standard underwriting parameters.
• Approve and challenge C&I risk rating migrations between pass and classified/criticized.
• Provide effective challenge on material credit risk decisions prior to committee presentations, including policy compliance, risk ratings, exposure limits, and identified weaknesses.

Credit Framework & Policy Oversight:

• Review, approve, and monitor credit policy exceptions, including trend analysis and remediation.
• Partner with the Chief Credit Risk Officer (CCRO) and risk committees to establish portfolio and counterparty limits aligned with the Bank's risk appetite.
• Anticipate and assess regulatory developments, macroeconomic conditions, and industry trends to proactively adjust credit risk practices.
• Remediate credit risk MRAs and internal audit findings.

Portfolio Monitoring & Analytics:

• Oversee C&I portfolio performance - compare actual versus expected performance and recommend policy, structural, or underwriting adjustments where misalignments arise.
• Identify individual, aggregate, and emerging risks, including early warning indicators across transactions, industries and portfolios.
• Analyze external and macroeconomic risk drivers and forecast their impact on portfolio performance; recommend responsive changes to lending policies and loan administration.
• Identify distressed assets early and develop risk‑mitigation strategies to minimize potential losses.
• Oversee credit risk associated with complex or non‑traditional exposures, including counterparty and structured transactions.

Leadership, Advisory & Cross‑Functional Engagement:

• Promote a strong credit culture emphasizing independent challenge, sound judgment, and policy adherence.
• Collaborate with Credit, Risk, Lending, Legal, Finance, and other departments to implement changes related to credit risk management practices, regulatory requirements, underwriting standards, and lending program development.
• Ensure consistent interpretation and application of credit policy, risk ratings, and underwriting standards across businesses and portfolios.
• Provide independent oversight, guidance, and credible challenge across the credit lifecycle to support sound risk decision‑making.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to senior credit professionals to reinforce sound judgment and consistent risk practices.

Other:

• Participate in enterprise‑wide risk initiatives and special credit matters as required.
• Demonstrates a long-term commitment to the success of the institution.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 20 + years of progressive experience in financial services with deep expertise in credit risk management within a corporate and/or commercial lending environment, including experience across multiple credit cycles (experience through the 2008–2009 financial crisis strongly preferred).
• Significant leadership experience (typically 10–15+ years) overseeing credit underwriting, portfolio management, or risk governance functions, including accountability for complex credit decisions.
• Deep subject matter expertise in at least one complex or specialized credit area (e.g., Private Credit, Lender Finance, Private Equity, Subscription Finance, CLOs, or similar structured credit products).

Technical & Risk Expertise:

• Expert‑level understanding of commercial and corporate credit underwriting, risk rating frameworks, credit policy governance, and exception management.
• Advanced knowledge of credit risk measurement methodologies, including loss forecasting, counterparty credit risk assessment, stress testing, and portfolio analytics.
• Strong command of financial analysis, quantitative risk indicators, and the use of data to support credit decisions and risk‑based recommendations.
• Advanced knowledge of applicable federal and state banking laws and regulations, and regulatory expectations governing credit risk management.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management:

• Demonstrated ability to provide independent, credible challenge and exercise sound judgment in high‑stakes credit decisions.
• Proven track record of influencing senior leaders and stakeholders across lending, risk, legal, finance, audit, and compliance functions and drive consistent implementation of the credit risk management framework across the enterprise.
• Extensive experience presenting credit risk matters to senior management and board‑level committees.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex risk issues and recommendations.

Executive Competencies:

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, highly regulated environment while managing competing priorities, exercising discretion, and maintaining independence.
• Demonstrated leadership in promoting a strong credit culture grounded in discipline, accountability, and risk appetite alignment.
• Strong ethics, judgment, and ability to recognize and manage conflicts of interest.
• Ability to influence beyond immediate teams to fully implement the credit risk management program.

Visa sponsorship not available.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, military and/or veteran status, or any other Federal or State legally-protected classes.