The Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer (CCO) is responsible for
overseeing all credit and portfolio risk management functions for LIIF’s
national lending platform. Reporting to the President, the CCO serves as a key
strategic leader responsible for maintaining a high-quality loan portfolio,
minimizing credit losses, and ensuring sound credit risk management, all in
support of LIIF's mission to advance equitable community development. The CCO
will oversee credit policy, underwriting standards, portfolio risk management,
and asset management functions while serving as a strategic partner to lending,
impact, finance, and executive leadership teams. The successful candidate will
balance prudent credit risk management with LIIF's commitment to expanding
access to capital and achieving meaningful community impact.
In addition to leading credit functions, the CCO will help advance LIIF's
Impact, Risk & Profitability (IRP) framework, ensuring that credit and portfolio
management decisions appropriately reflect organizational priorities around
equity, impact, sustainability, and financial performance. The CCO will work in
close partnership with the Chief Lending Officer to ensure an appropriate
balance between prudent loan growth and strong portfolio performance, serving as
the executive responsible for maintaining portfolio quality and managing credit
risk.
The CCO and Chief Lending Officer will jointly staff the Board Lending Risk
Committee and responsible for partnering with the Lending Risk Committee Chair
and President to develop and review the Lending Risk Committee agendas,
materials, and recommendations. The Chief Credit Officer also partners with the
President to prepare agendas and materials for the Internal Loan Committee.
The incoming Chief Credit Officer will join LIIF at a moment of significant
transition and opportunity. The organization is simultaneously evolving its
credit and portfolio leadership team (with this hire), modernizing its credit
infrastructure, strengthening governance processes, and advancing a more
integrated approach to impact-led lending. The successful candidate will serve
as an enterprise leader who can balance mission, impact, profitability, and
prudent risk management while helping LIIF navigate its next phase of
organizational growth as well as the credit leadership transition.
This position reports to the President and leads a team of 8 to 10 across
Credit, and Asset Management.
Key Responsibilities:
Credit Policy & Loan Approval
Oversee credit review and approval of all loan transactions in accordance with
LIIF’s Loan and Asset Concentration Policy and delegated credit authority.
Support the management of credit and lending related policies in consultation
with the LRC Chair, the CEO and President.
Work closely with the Chief Lending Officer and President to manage the Internal
Loan Committee and Lending Risk Committee.
Provide an external perspective on emerging market, economic, regulatory, and
industry trends that could impact loan originations and portfolio performance,
proactively advising executive leadership and the Lending Risk Committee on
potential risks and recommending strategies to mitigate exposure. Advise staff
on transaction structuring and credit risk mitigation.
Ensure alignment between credit decisions and the organization’s mission and
risk tolerance.
Foster a committee-based decision-making culture that encourages thoughtful
dialogue, diverse perspectives, and disciplined credit judgment.
Drive continuous improvement of the credit function by strengthening credit
processes and operations to enhance efficiency, consistency, and quality,
ensuring the credit function supports LIIF's lending objectives while
maintaining rigorous underwriting standards and prudent risk oversight.
Portfolio Risk Management and Credit Performance
Maintain accountability for the quality and long-term performance of LIIF's loan
portfolio through disciplined credit risk management, partnering with lending
leadership to support mission-driven lending within an appropriate risk
framework.
Lead risk monitoring efforts through management of the Asset Management team.
Oversee portfolio performance to minimize credit losses and ensure the adequacy
of Loan Loss Reserves through ongoing portfolio monitoring, risk assessment, and
reserve methodologies.
Ensure implementation of portfolio risk rating systems and Loan Loss Reserves.
Proactively identify troubled loans and oversee workouts, restructurings, and
resolution strategies to minimize losses and protect LIIF's financial position.
Lead monthly Credit Committee meetings reviewing segments of the portfolio.
Manage credit, reputational, and other portfolio-related risks, escalating
emerging issues and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies to executive
leadership and the Lending Risk Committee.
Leadership & Talent Development
Lead, coach, and develop the Credit Officer and Director of Asset Management,
fostering a high-performing team and a culture of accountability, collaboration,
and continuous learning.
Build and strengthen LIIF's credit capabilities by developing credit talent,
providing coaching and mentorship, and overseeing ongoing training and
professional development for the credit function.
Partner with the Chief Lending Officer to design and deliver credit and
underwriting training for lending staff, ensuring consistent application of
credit policies, sound underwriting practices, and disciplined risk management
across the organization.
Establish and champion underwriting best practices, promoting consistency,
quality, and excellence in credit analysis, loan structuring, and portfolio
management.
Reporting & Analytics
Lead the development of credit-related reporting for the Board and executive
team.
Coordinate reporting to S&P, AERIS, OFN, funders, and other external
stakeholders.
Support transparency in performance metrics and risk disclosures.
Utilize portfolio analytics and impact data to support informed decision-making
and continuous improvement across the lending portfolio.
Capital Reserves & Risk Modeling
Collaborate with the CFO to manage financial reserves under CECL and ALLL
frameworks.
Lead efforts to build and implement enhanced risk rating models and stress
testing.
Partner with executive leadership to ensure portfolio management strategies
support LIIF's long-term financial sustainability and capital stewardship
objectives.
Policy & Product Innovation
Maintain and update LIIF’s Lending Manual.
Collaborate on product design and implementation to address market needs.
Support development of the Impact, Risk, and Profitability (IRP) framework.
Help strengthen governance structures, approval processes, and credit policies
to support organizational effectiveness and consistency.
Equity in Lending
Work with the Equity Working Group to identify and eliminate bias in lending
policies and practices while maintaining strong credit risk management practices
Partner with lending, impact, and program teams to ensure equity considerations
are thoughtfully incorporated into lending discussions and decision-making
processes.
The ideal candidate is an accomplished credit leader who combines deep technical
expertise with a genuine passion for community development and equitable
outcomes.
They bring exceptional judgment, strong listening skills, and the ability to
build trusted relationships while exercising the independence, courage, and
conviction to make difficult credit decisions that protect LIIF's portfolio and
long-term financial strength. They understand that successful community
development finance requires balancing mission, impact, profitability, and risk,
and they are energized by the opportunity to lead through complexity and change.
Most importantly, they are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to LIIF's
long-term success and leave a lasting mark on one of the nation's most respected
CDFIs.
Professional Experience:
At least 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance, credit risk
management, commercial lending, or community development finance or related
fields.
Demonstrated success in managing credit operations in mission-driven or
regulated financial institutions.
Experience building and developing high-performing teams. and leading through
change and complexity.
Experience balancing mission-driven objectives with disciplined portfolio
management and credit risk practices.
Strong familiarity with CDFI lending, nonprofit financials, and affordable
housing or facilities finance (both preferred)
Proven ability to collaborate across departments and influence senior
leadership.
A deep understanding of community development-oriented finance, particularly
real estate-based lending, including complex deal structuring, risk assessment,
and risk mitigation strategies.
Expertise in analyzing financials of nonprofit organizations and real estate
operations, particularly related to rental housing, special needs housing, and
community facilities.
Familiarity with federal, state, and local government capital funding sources,
CDFI Fund programs, New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), and other relevant sources.
Experience working across multiple geographic markets and national portfolios
with a focus on delivering impact at scale.
Leadership Characteristics:
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
Exceptional listening and relationship-building skills.
A collaborative and inclusive leadership style, complemented by the independence
and sound judgment to make difficult, and at times unpopular, decisions that
protect portfolio quality and manage risk.
A commitment to developing talent, mentoring and fostering a culture of
accountability and collaboration.
Strong strategic and analytical capabilities.
The ability to influence across functions and levels of an organization.
Sound judgment and thoughtful decision-making.
Organizational agility and change-management experience.
A deep commitment to racial equity and impact in community and financial systems
Professional maturity, humility, and resilience.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence key stakeholders
and maintain relationships with internal and external partners.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree required in Real Estate, Urban Planning, Nonprofit Management,
Business Administration, or Finance.
MBA or advanced degree in Finance, Urban Planning, or a related field preferred.
Location:
LIIF New York City office preferred; open to Atlanta, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Washington D.C.
LIIF offers a hybrid work environment with flexibility to balance in-office and
remote work. However, all employees are expected to work on-site at least two
(2) days per week.
The successful candidate will be expected to travel for meetings with borrowers
and the lending community at large, annual visits with staff at other locations,
as well as Company sponsored events