VP Senior Credit Administrator

About Columbia Credit Union

Columbia CU is a full-service financial institution with $2.5 billion in assets, over 100k members and we pride ourselves in our commitment to “Making Life Better” in the communities we serve.  Since 1952, our commitment toward “Making Life Better” has earned us accolades and we are honored to be the recipient of several local community recognitions:

• Best of Clark County Award / The Columbian - 2008-2025
• Best in Business Award / Vancouver Business Journal - 2013-2024
• Corporate Philanthropy Award / Portland Business Journal - 2017-2025

Columbia CU Guiding Principles

Vision: The most trusted, respected, and sought-after financial institution, providing innovative solutions and support for our employees, members, and communities we serve.

Mission: Bringing people together to make life better for themselves and their communities. 

Value Proposition: Earning your trust with knowledgeable people and digital options so you can bank “Columbia” how and when you want.

Leadership Philosophy: Leaders at Columbia CU inspire enthusiasm and accountability that drive our mission. Leaders build engagement and communicate honestly and openly. By rallying everyone around our shared vision, Leaders model and expect the best from individuals and teams.

Core Values

People - We have a passion for helping each other and our members.

Community - We have a passion for contributing to the success and growth of the communities we serve.

Financial Wellness - We have a passion for providing the financial education, tools and assistance that create financial wellness and stability for our organization, each other, our members and the communities we serve.

Benefits

• 100% paid Medical, Dental, Vision for employee - eligible the 1st of the month following hire date
• Accrued PTO, Accrued Extended Sick Time and 11 Paid Bank Holidays
• 401k Match- 100% match up to 6% employee contribution
• A hybrid home office option can be consideredin Vancouver, Washington or Portland, Oregon after all on-site training has been completed and all work from home requirements are met.   
• Tuition Assistance
• And More!

About The Role 

The Vice President Senior Credit Administrator is responsible for the overall credit risk management framework of the Credit Union and the ongoing quality, integrity, and performance of the loan portfolio. This role provides enterprise-level oversight of credit policies, underwriting standards, credit administration, and loan portfolio quality across all lending products, including Member Business Lending (MBL), commercial loans, small business lending, direct and indirect consumer loans, and residential mortgage and home equity lending.

Reporting directly to the SVP, Chief Credit & Lending Officer, the Senior Credit Administrator serves as a key leader responsible for independent credit judgment, disciplined underwriting, and proactive risk identification. The role partners closely with members of the executive leadership team, including   a functional reporting relationship to the President & CEO to ensure transparency, independence, and alignment on the overall credit risk posture. This position requires highly developed commercial credit expertise and proven experience managing complex loan portfolios, credit teams, and risk governance within a regulated financial institution. This role includes oversight of commercial loan servicing, collections, and problem asset management, including complex workout strategies involving Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) collateral, commercial real estate, and multi-creditor structures. The position requires demonstrated expertise in protecting collateral positions, enforcing creditor rights, and minimizing loss exposure through disciplined and timely resolution strategies.

JOB COMPETENCIES

• Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Builds Effective Teams: Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
• Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Decision Quality: Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
• Business Insight: Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Financial Acumen: Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide enterprise-wide leadership and oversight of credit risk management across all loan products, including commercial, MBL, small business, consumer, indirect, and home loans.
• Own and maintain the Credit Union’s credit policies, underwriting standards, risk rating frameworks, and credit procedures, ensuring consistency and regulatory compliance.
• Directly manage commercial loan approvals, senior commercial underwriting, and small business lending credit and operations teams.
• Provide leadership and oversight to the VP of Consumer Loans & Operations, ensuring effective underwriting, collections, loan operations, and lending system support.
• Serve as a senior credit authority for complex, large, or high-risk credit exposures and portfolio concentrations.
• Monitor and evaluate loan portfolio quality, concentrations, delinquencies, non-accruals, charge-offs, and emerging risks; recommend corrective actions as needed.
• Assess and monitor loan concentration limits and portfolio diversification, providing clear analysis and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Lead proactive identification and management of deteriorating credits, problem loans, workouts, and troubled assets in partnership with lending and collections teams.
• Oversee credit risk reporting, stress testing, and portfolio analytics to support executive management, ALCO, Loan Review Committee, and Board reporting.
• Partner with the Chief Credit & Lending Officer to align credit risk appetite with growth objectives, pricing, and product strategies.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state lending regulations and internal controls, support audits, exams, and regulatory inquiries.
• Contribute to allowance for credit losses (ACL/CECL) governance through portfolio insight, methodology review, and risk assessment.
• Provide mentorship, performance management, and succession development for credit leaders and teams.
• Provide oversight and direction for consumer and residential (home loan) underwriting activities, ensuring alignment with credit policy, risk appetite, and regulatory expectations.
• Oversee consumer loan operations and related lending functions to ensure effective execution, risk control, and process integrity across the loan lifecycle.
• Provide leadership and guidance related to lending systems and supporting analyst functions, ensuring systems, data, and workflows effectively support credit risk management and lending operations.
• Exercise credit authority for commercial loan approvals within delegated limits and support complex credit decisioning across the commercial portfolio.
• Oversee small business lending underwriting and operations, ensuring consistency with credit standards, sound risk management practices, and operational effectiveness.
• Actively participate in executive, loan, and risk committees as required.
• Support strategic initiatives, mergers, new products, and system enhancements from a credit risk perspective.
• Provide strategic oversight and direction for commercial collections, loan workouts, and problem asset resolution, ensuring timely identification, escalation, and remediation of deteriorating credits.
• Lead and govern complex commercial loan restructuring and recovery efforts, including negotiation of forbearance agreements, loan modifications, note sales, and legal remedies.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of UCC Article 9, including perfection, priority, and enforcement of security interests in business assets; ensure consistent adherence to lien documentation, collateral monitoring, and legal enforceability.
• Oversee management of commercial real estate distressed assets, including foreclosure strategy, deed-in-lieu transactions, receivership, collateral liquidation, and disposition of OREO (other real estate owned).
• Establish and maintain collection policies, risk grading triggers, and workout frameworks aligned with regulatory guidance and industry best practices.
• Monitor and report on criticized/classified assets, non-performing loans, and recovery performance metrics; provide actionable insights to executive leadership.     

REQUIREMENTS 

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field required
• Advance degree (MBA or similar) and/or formal commercial credit training strongly preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of experience leading multiple functional departments, including underwriting, credit administration, lending operations, or related credit functions.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in credit risk, commercial lending, and underwriting, including significant senior-level commercial credit experience.
• Minimum 7 years of leadership experience managing teams within credit, lending, and operational business segments.
• Demonstrated analytical, communication and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in commercial and MBL underwriting, portfolio risk management, and credit governance.
• Strong knowledge of credit union or banking regulations, lending laws, and examiner expectations.
• Proven ability to exercise independent credit judgment while partnering effectively with executive leadership.
• Deep expertise in commercial loan collections, restructures, and recovery practices, including hand-on experience with workouts, bankruptcies, and multi-creditor negotiations.
• Strong working knowledge of UCC laws (Article 9), lien perfection and priority, and enforcement remedies related to secured and unsecured lending.
• Demonstrated experience managing commercial real estate defaults, including foreclosure processes, collateral valuation, and asset disposition strategies.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical requirements outlined below encompass the diverse range of abilities needed for individuals to effectively perform the essential functions of this job.

• Communicate information and ideas clearly for mutual understanding.
• Exchange accurate information effectively in various situations.
• Observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Constantly remain in a stationary position.
• Occasionally move around the workspace.
• Constantly operate a computer and other office productivity machinery.
• Rarely ascend/descend a ladder.
• Occasionally position oneself to maintain files or other items.
• Never move items weighing up to 60 pounds across the office for various needs.
• Rarely work in outdoor weather conditions.
• Never operate a vehicle.
• Occasionally travel between worksites.

COMPENSATION

• $210,000.00 - 240,000.00/ year
• Eligible to earn Back Office Incentive

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Equal Opportunity Employer/AA

Must be 18 or older to apply