Credit Team Lead - Commercial Banking
Location: Newburyport, MA or Leominster, MA (Hybrid)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Compensation: $83,850 – $121,580 annually
Work Schedule: Hybrid – 3 days onsite / 2 days remote
Our client, an established and growing financial services organization in Massachusetts, is seeking an experienced Credit Team Lead to oversee and develop a team of Commercial Credit Analysts.
This leadership position is responsible for managing credit analysis workflows, mentoring and developing team members, maintaining underwriting standards, and supporting sound credit decisions across a diverse commercial lending portfolio.
The ideal candidate will bring extensive commercial credit experience, strong analytical capabilities, and a demonstrated ability to lead teams while collaborating effectively with commercial lenders, portfolio managers, and senior credit leadership.
This position offers an opportunity to play a key role in credit operations within a collaborative, relationship-focused banking environment.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach, and mentor a team of Commercial Credit Analysts, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing environment.
- Oversee analyst workflow, assignments, and priorities to ensure timely completion of credit requests and portfolio reviews.
- Manage onboarding, training, performance evaluations, and ongoing professional development of team members.
- Communicate and implement updates to credit policies, underwriting standards, and departmental procedures.
- Promote consistency, accuracy, and efficiency throughout the credit analysis process.
Commercial Credit Analysis & Underwriting
- Review and underwrite complex commercial credit transactions, including Commercial Real Estate (CRE), Commercial & Industrial (C&I), and multi-entity lending relationships.
- Evaluate financial statements, cash flow, collateral, repayment capacity, and overall borrower creditworthiness.
- Prepare and review comprehensive credit presentations and recommendations for lending and credit decision-makers.
- Complete annual credit reviews, new loan requests, and other portfolio monitoring activities.
- Ensure credit recommendations comply with established lending policies, risk management standards, and regulatory requirements.
Portfolio Management & Risk Oversight
- Partner with Commercial Lenders, Credit Officers, and Portfolio Managers to support loan originations, renewals, and ongoing portfolio management.
- Identify emerging credit risks, deteriorating financial trends, and potential portfolio concerns.
- Recommend appropriate risk-rating adjustments, corrective actions, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Maintain consistent credit quality and underwriting practices across lending relationships.
- Provide backup support for specialized functions, including appraisal reviews, environmental documentation, and credit reporting.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Serve as a resource to commercial lending teams on complex credit structures, financial analysis, and underwriting considerations.
- Communicate credit findings and recommendations clearly to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
- Participate in borrower meetings, construction site inspections, and other lending-related activities as needed.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives designed to strengthen credit operations and overall lending effectiveness.
Qualifications & Experience
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- 7–10 years of experience in commercial credit analysis, commercial underwriting, or related banking credit functions.
- Strong understanding of commercial lending practices, credit policies, banking regulations, and risk management principles.
- Demonstrated expertise in financial statement analysis, cash flow evaluation, loan structuring, covenants, and credit risk assessment.
- Experience underwriting complex CRE, C&I, and multi-entity commercial transactions.
- Strong financial and accounting knowledge with the ability to interpret complex financial information.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, financial spreading applications, and commercial loan systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex credit concepts to diverse audiences.
- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
- Previous experience supervising, mentoring, or leading Commercial Credit Analysts.
- Experience developing or implementing credit policies, procedures, and underwriting best practices.
- Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on underwriting responsibilities with team leadership and workflow management.
Compensation & Benefits
Annual Base Salary: $83,850 – $121,580
Final compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, technical expertise, and other job-related factors.
This opportunity offers a hybrid work arrangement, a collaborative professional environment, and the ability to contribute to a well-established financial services organization.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected characteristic.