Senior Manager, Credit Risk Governance & Adjudication

First Nations Bank of Canada; Saskatoon; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

First Nations Bank of Canada is seeking a Senior Manager, Credit Risk Governance & Adjudication. The role leads second-line oversight of credit risk, with initial individual contributor responsibilities and potential for a direct report as the department grows.

You will develop and monitor credit risk policies, policy adherence, and risk reporting across lending activities, while driving improvements in data quality and governance.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in credit risk, credit governance, or portfolio oversight roles.
• Strong knowledge of retail and commercial lending products, structures, and underwriting standards.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing, implementing, and improving credit policies.
• Experience with regulatory environments and guidance (e.g., OSFI) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and enhance credit risk policies and risk appetite frameworks.
• Monitor portfolio-wide credit risk exposures, early warning indicators, and limit compliance.
• Escalate material policy breaches or deviations to senior leadership.
• Oversee credit classification, staging, and provisioning of problem loans and watchlist accounts.
• Lead stress testing, scenario analysis, and climate risk overlays for the portfolio.
• Contribute to ICAAP with robust credit risk inputs and capital planning.
• Provide second-line oversight and expertise in credit governance across lending activities.
• Independently review first-line adherence to policy and sector limits.
• Monitor large exposures and concentrations to ensure alignment with appetite.
• Stay current with regulatory changes (OSFI) and best practices.

Skills

Credit risk governance

Policy development

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field

MBA, CFA, FRM or similar designation preferred

Tools

IFRS 9

ECL modeling

ICAAP

Job description

Senior Manager, Credit Risk Governance & Adjudication

Full-Time Permanent

About Us

First Nations Bank of Canada (“FNBC”) is a federally chartered bank primarily focused on providing financial services to the Indigenous marketplace in Canada. Over 90% Indigenous owned and controlled, FNBC is a leader in advocating for the growth of the Indigenous economy and the economic well-being of Indigenous people. Headquartered in Saskatoon, FNBC takes pride in its workforce of over 61% Indigenous employees working at locations across Canada.

About The Role

The Senior Manager, Credit Governance and Adjudication support the AVP, Credit Risk Governance and Adjudication in leading second-line oversight of credit risk across the organization.

This role will initially be structured as an individual contributor position, with the potential to add a direct report as the department grows.

This role is responsible for executing key elements of the credit risk governance framework, including maintaining and enhancing credit policies, monitoring adherence to underwriting standards, and ensuring risk frameworks remain effective and aligned with regulatory expectations.

The Senior Manager monitors and reports on portfolio-level credit risks, supports capital planning activities, and drives improvements in governance, data quality, and risk reporting to help maintain sound credit quality and transparency across all lending activities.

The Senior Manager conducts independent and objective reviews and adjudications of complex commercial lending within established credit limits, while recommending and escalating commercial deals as necessary.

Here’s What You Will be Doing:

Credit Risk Governance (70%)

• Develop, maintain, and enhance credit risk policies, risk appetite frameworks, concentration limits, and delegated lending authority matrices.


• Monitor portfolio-wide credit risk exposures, early warning indicators, and limit compliance across all credit portfolios.


• Escalate material policy breaches, emerging credit risks, or deviations from risk appetite to senior risk leadership and governance committees.


• Oversee and challenge the credit classification, staging, and provisioning of problem loans and watchlist accounts. Recommend appropriate remedial actions.


• Lead stress testing, scenario analysis, and climate risk overlays for the credit portfolio, ensuring integration into risk appetite and capital planning processes.


• Contribute to the ICAAP by ensuring credit risk inputs, assumptions, and capital requirements are robust and well-supported.


• Champion improvements in credit risk data integrity, reporting automation, and system capabilities to enhance portfolio oversight and insight.


• Provide second-line oversight and subject matter expertise in credit risk governance across the bank’s lending.


• Independently review and challenge first-line adherence to policy, exception trends, and sector limits.


• Monitor large exposures and concentrations (e.g., by sector, geography, or borrower) and ensure alignment with credit risk appetite.


• Ensure the credit portfolios are managed within the bank’s credit risk appetite, lending policies, and regulatory expectations (e.g., OSFI guidelines).


• Stay current with regulatory changes (e.g., OSFI B-20), credit risk best practices, and industry trends to inform policy updates and governance practices.

Other

• Provide governance input into strategic initiatives such as new lending strategies, and entry into new markets or sectors.


• Credit Risk Governance in internal risk committees or working groups, as assigned.


• Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

About You

• Strong understanding and experience in implementing credit risk governance frameworks, including credit policy, risk appetite, and oversight processes.


• Strategic mindset with the ability to link macroeconomic trends, regulatory developments, and portfolio movements to risk appetite and governance adjustments.


• Confident communicator who can deliver clear, data-driven insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders and credit committees.


• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities


• Strong collaborator who can influence across first and second lines while maintaining independence of thought and action.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in credit risk, credit governance, commercial lending, or portfolio oversight roles within financial services.


• Strong knowledge of retail and commercial lending products, structures, and underwriting standards.


• Demonstrated expertise in developing, implementing, and continuously improving credit policies is a must-have.


• Demonstrated strong experience in real estate financing is preferred.


• Deep understanding of credit policy development, delegated lending authority frameworks, concentration risk, and regulatory expectations.


• Experience with IFRS 9 staging, ECL models, and capital planning (ICAAP) is an asset.


• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field required. MBA, CFA, FRM, or similar designation preferred.


• Experience with regulatory environments and guidance (e.g., OSFI), internal audit, and second-line challenge functions.


• Excellent written and verbal communication, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.

The posting will remain open untilfilled.

We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.