Citi Commercial Bank - Commercial Lending Management – Credit Officer, Consumer Products & Retail, SVP

Description

Citi’s US Commercial Bank (CCB) is a rapidly growing business, targeting emerging, mid- and larger-sized companies with annual revenue generally from $100 million to $3 billion.  To facilitate the CCB’s wholesale lending activities, Commercial Lending Management (CLM) serves as an in-business credit function organized around our strategic industries and global target market approach.  CLM plays a critical role of the client delivery model for the CCB, translating thought-leadership, industry and product expertise, and an end-to-end ownership of the credit relationship into best-in-class lending solutions.  We are seeking a dynamic and motivated credit professional to join the US CLM Consumer Products and Retail Industry vertical team.  The position reports directly to the US CLM Consumer Products and Retail Industry Head and may based in either New York City, New York or Iselin, NJ.

The CLM Credit Officer facilitates the end-to-end lending process for a covered industry vertical through a team of credit professionals.  CLM is essential for the delivery of a wide range of financial solutions to Citi CCB clients, working in direct partnership with Relationship Managers and Independent Risk, to execute on the firm’s and client’s business objectives.  This can include working capital solutions, term loans and M&A financing, treasury and liquidity management services, foreign exchange, trade finance and interest rate derivatives.  The primary responsibilities of CLM include credit underwriting, due diligence, structuring and documentation, and portfolio monitoring.  As part of the business and in direct partnership with relationship coverage bankers, CLM teams provide thorough, objective analysis of the financial condition and credit worthiness of borrowers, including prevailing covered industry sector and product/market conditions, as well as the appropriate credit structure based on various risk considerations.

The CLM Credit Officer is responsible for approving and managing a material amount of credit risk associated with capital deployed across a variety of lending products appropriate for commercial banking relationships.  The CLM Credit Officer is a critical partner in the pre-screening of pipeline opportunities with Relationship Management for assessing credit appetite and identifying key issues, providing structuring input on financing options, driving internal analytical work product and discussions on credit approvals, and maintain ongoing credit oversight of the lending portfolio relationships through quarterly and/or annual reviews along with covenant and other reporting monitoring, as applicable.  The assigned industry/specialty vertical requires extensive knowledge of the unique sector/product drivers and key performance indicators to make well-informed credit underwriting decisions and proactively manage the portfolio based on a dynamic environment.  The CLM Credit Officer provides sector and sub-segment insights for key internal and external stakeholders, contributes to industry-specific risk and portfolio content, including industry-level portfolio reviews, and leads the credit-specific risk assessments on new originations and portfolio requests.

The CLM Credit Officer role also requires an extensive understanding of various Citi and CCB-specific credit policies, processes, and procedures, and how to apply these concepts consistently in practice, including ensuring the portfolio is appropriately risk-rated and classified, properly secured (if applicable) and that early warning signs are established and proactively addressed. CLM represents a critical “first line of defense” control function for the bank, ensuring the CCB's credit process is conducted in accordance with all internal and regulatory frameworks, and is responsive to relevant inquiries.  The CLM Credit Officer plays an important role in meeting a high standard for owning the work product of their respective portfolio and represent their covered accounts in numerous highly visible forums.  A Credit Officer can advise or lead strategic projects for US or Global CLM initiatives and provide critical inputs that direct the future of credit formation within the CCB.  Additionally, the CLM Credit Officer identifies, creates, and helps to deliver the necessary technical skills training to various teams across CCB to promote the development and application of credit skills, mentoring/managing junior and other support staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate the end-to-end lending process within the US CCB for the assigned relationships and portfolio
• Knowledgeable of assigned portfolio and industry, and able to articulate and support a credit view based on well-supported analysis that effectively balances risk and business objectives
• Ensure appropriate regulatory classification and minimizing net credit losses for covered portfolio, as well as identify emerging areas of concerns that should be escalated
• Provide accountability for decisioning using credit covering approval authority in tandem with Independent Risk
• Directly manage the analysis and workflow of underwriting requests for new-to-bank and existing credit relationships, including pre-screening opportunities, facilitate amendments and extensions, perform annual reviews and other credit requests, including the related diligence
• Lead the timely analysis and preparation of monthly and/or quarterly financial memo reviews of existing borrowers to track compliance with loan covenants, raising potential concerns and taking necessary actions in partnership with other key stakeholders for the assigned portfolio

• Direct and supervise the loan documentation process for both new transactions and amendments or modifications; including coordination with internal partners and/or outside legal counsel to ensure that all credit approval terms and conditions are appropriately represented in the closing documents
• Conduct periodic client calls on all portfolio clients and select new to bank opportunities in partnership with the Relationship Manager
• Develop and maintain an extensive knowledge in the various credit products and services offered to CCB clients
• Mentor and develop junior staff to become effective resources and future Credit Officers and Bankers
• Recommend changes to improve existing processes to achieve greater efficiency and controls
• Work proactively, and in a constructive and diplomatic manner, with internal and external stakeholders to keep transactions moving forward and in accordance with appropriate controls

Qualifications

• Experienced senior credit underwriting executive with a deep and relevant CLM industry expertise, particularly in commercial and cross-border lending
• 10+ years of experience in credit underwriting, portfolio and/ or risk management with a large multinational financial services organization
• Demonstrated knowledge of intermediate accounting theory and its practical application in the credit underwriting process
• Excellent communication (written, verbal, presentation and listening) and organizational skills; ability to complete multiple priorities in a timely manner
• Strong credit sense and ability to articulate a view, work across a range of credit products, with experience in early problem recognition and resolution skills
• Demonstrates learning agility: Seeks out resources and experience to continually build knowledge/skills; quickly and successfully applies learning to new situations
• Reaches decisions in a timely and transparent manner, knows when enough information has been collected to make sound decisions, takes calculated risks with the confidence to defend their credit view
• Proficient in various spreadsheet and word processing applications
• Bachelor’s degree: advanced degree(s) and other certifications considered but not required

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