AVP Commercial Credit

FirstOntario Credit Union; Burlington; Hybrid; CAD 146,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Professional development support (up $

Pension Plan

Flex-work environment

Employee Volunteer program

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

FirstOntario Credit Union is seeking an Associate Vice President (AVP), Commercial Credit to lead the Commercial Credit team and ensure effective credit risk adjudication and oversight across commercial and small business lending portfolios.

You will drive high‑quality credit decisions, mentor a high‑performing team, and collaborate with internal partners to support FirstOntario's growth while maintaining strong risk controls and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10–15 years of commercial lending experience, including relationship management, credit risk underwriting and adjudication.
• 5–10 years in commercial real estate lending and 5–10 years in non-real estate lending (commercial/small business).
• 5–10 years of experience managing high‑performing teams and developing staff.

Responsibilities

• Review, recommend, and approve credit applications within your authority.
• Lead the Commercial Credit adjudication team and maintain accuracy, professionalism and efficiency.
• Ensure adherence to risk appetite and Credit Risk Management Framework.
• Coach and develop team members to build confidence and capability.
• Ensure audit, compliance and internal control requirements are met.
• Monitor portfolio performance against key risk indicators and SLAs.
• Support documentation and funding processes within credit procedures.
• Drive policy improvements and process enhancements for efficiency and risk control.
• Present credit files to Management Credit Committee and Board when required.
• Stay current with lending products and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Credit risk adjudication

Relationship management

Team leadership

Analytical problem solving

Negotiation skills

Communication

Adaptability

Strategic thinking

Detail orientation

MS Office proficiency

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma in business/economics

Tools

Credit adjudication software

MS Office

Job description

Why FirstOntario?

• Top-tier health and wellness benefits, including comprehensive benefits packages, a yearly health spending account and personal spending account
• Enhanced mental health benefits through SunLife and TELUS Health
• Up to $1000 per year towards professional development
• Pension Plan
• Flex-work environment
• Company-wide Employee Volunteer program (Blue Wave Program)
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

Job Overview

The Associate Vice President (AVP), Commercial Credit is responsible to lead the Commercial Credit team within FirstOntario, ensuring the group meets its mandate of providing effective credit risk adjudication, control and oversight of the commercial and small business lending portfolio. The team delivers professional credit adjudication support across all commercial and small business lending products.

The AVP, Commercial Credit is responsible for provision of outstanding service in commercial credit activities and supporting development of new and innovative approaches to credit management.

Role

• Review, recommend, and approve credit applications within your approval authority
• Lead the Commercial Credit adjudication team, ensuring each team member is meeting their individual accountabilities and objectives with a high level of accuracy, professionalism, and efficiency
• Ensure the team is meeting its established commitments and service level standards to internal and external partners for loan adjudication to support FirstOntario's growth strategy in commercial and small business lending
• Ensure commercial and small business lending decisions approved by yourself and the team are within FirstOntario's risk appetite and Credit Risk Management Framework
• Regularly coach and provide feedback to your team members to enable them to have confidence in what they do and help them grow
• Ensure risks control within the commercial credit process are executed accurately and in compliance with regulatory and internal requirements
• Monitor and assess portfolio performance against established key risk indicators
• Support the team in reviewing and approving commitment letters, renewal documentation, pre-funding documentation and loan fundings within established credit procedures
• Support the ongoing enhancement of credit policy and process improvement, to ensure operating efficiency, while maintaining effective risk control
• Facilitate recommendations and presentation of credit files at the Management Credit Committee and Board, when required by policy
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of FirstOntario's lending products, parameters, credit procedures, systems and tools
• Establish effective working relationships with internal business partners and leaders across the organization and external business contacts to support the team's objectives
• Maintain knowledge of industry developments and trends, economic conditions in an effort to support our continued evolution as a commercial lender, as we expand and grow our commercial lending business
• Assist with development of new technologies, process improvements and innovations to ensure FirstOntario is well positioned to deliver services that improve member experience and profitability while protecting member assets
• Manage resources to meet department budget, business plans, and service level agreements, monitoring variances and taking action to ensure targets are met
• Ensure the team adheres to all audit, compliance, and internal control requirements
• Communicate clearly, respectfully, and effectively to your team and across the organization
• Impart your expert knowledge on staff and colleagues to help them stay on top of the evolving business environment
• Participate actively in personal professional development, and the development of your team
• Perform other duties as required

Required Skills

• Post‑secondary degree or diploma in business, economics, or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered
• Minimum 10-15 years of commercial lending experience, including experience in relationship management, credit risk underwriting and adjudication
• Have 5-10 years of commercial real estate lending experience and 5-10 years of non-real estate lending experience (commercial and small business) to support the future growth of FirstOntario
• Have 5-10 years of experience managing high-performing teams, with demonstrated ability to engage, lead, coach and develop a team of people to deliver excellent service
• Expertise in commercial credit products, procedures and services including in-branch, online, mobile, teleservice and other channels by utilizing your extensive experience within the financial services industry
• Strong negotiating skills, ability to exercise sound judgement and make informed credit decisions under pressure
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in handling complex credit issues and be resourceful in ways to find innovative solutions
• Possess an innate ability to be detail-oriented, use good judgment and ensure the accuracy of numerical data and cost-effective use of company budget dollars
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and strict deadlines
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and able to lead in difficult and challenging situations and deal with uncertainty
• Forward- thinking and strategic approach, ensuring to stay ahead of market changes and best practices within the industry
• Highly proficientusingacomputerparticularlyMSOfficeandcreditadjudication software
• Collaborative team player willing to support colleagues as needed
• Responsive and service‑oriented, with a commitment to supporting all internal and external partners
• Excellent interpersonal skills with strong verbal and written communication and presentation abilities
• Be aware of and mitigate enterprise risk factors and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, legislation and FirstOntario policies and procedures
• Be willing to work flexible hours to accommodate business need ,networking ,and community involvement

This is a hybrid role. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Salary Range: $145,982 to $182,478 annually.

Compensation for this role reflects a combination of skills, experience, and internal equity. Those whose experience more closely aligns the role's requirements may be placed higher within the salary range. You will learn more about FirstOntario Credit Union's total rewards package during the interview process.

Our inclusive work environment welcomes diversity and supports accessibility. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.