SVP, Credit Risk & Policy

Senior Vice President, Credit Risk & Policy

Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF) is a leading Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to providing underserved small business owners with access to capital, networks, and coaching. For over 30 years, AOF has helped small business owners create jobs, build wealth, and strengthen communities by providing responsible financing and business support services.

Since our founding, we have deployed more than $1 billion in financing and have served more than 4 million entrepreneurs through educational resources and business support programs. The majority of our clients come from historically underserved communities where access to traditional financing remains limited.

As AOF continues its mission of expanding financial inclusion, we are building a scalable, sustainable financial institution that combines mission impact with strong financial performance. Our strategic vision includes expanding our lending capabilities, strengthening enterprise risk management, and preparing for future growth across additional financial products, including Credit Union services.

The SVP, Credit Risk & Policy is the senior executive responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing AOF's enterprise-wide credit risk management framework. This leader establishes and maintains the organization's credit philosophy, underwriting standards, portfolio risk management practices fraud prevention strategies, allowance methodologies and governance processes to ensure safe, sound, compliant and mission-driven lending.

The SVP will provide strategic leadership across all credit-related functions while ensuring the organization maintains strong asset quality, regulatory compliance, and sustainable portfolio growth. The position is responsible for balancing prudent risk management with AOF's mission of expanding access to capital for underserved small businesses.

This leader partners closely with the Executive Leadership Team, Credit Risk Committee, Board of Directors, regulators, auditors, and external partners to ensure that credit policies, portfolio performance and risk management practices support the organization's long-term strategic objectives.

The SVP will also play a key leadership role in preparing AOF for further expansion into additional financial products, including SBA lending, Credit Union products, consumer lending and commercial real estate while maintaining consistent enterprise risk management, standards, long-term financial and sustainable growth, and customer impact within AOF's target markets.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Credit Risk Leadership
• Credit Policy and Underwriting
• Portfolio Risk Management
• Credit Analytics & Risk Modeling
• CECL and Credit Loss Management
• Fraud Risk and Financial Crimes
• Regulatory Compliance & Governance
• Credit Operations Support
• Third-Party Risk Management
• Leadership and Talent Development

Qualifications:

Required:

• BS or BA degree in Statistics, Engineering, Mathematics, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or another quantitative discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive commercial and consumer credit risk management practice
• Minimum of ten years leading enterprise credit risk, underwriting or portfolio management functions.
• Extensive experience managing commercial lending portfolios and developing enterprise credit policies.
• Strong knowledge of financial statement analysis, commercial underwriting, portfolio management, and credit administration.
• Demonstrated experience with CECL methodology, allowance calculations and credit loss forecasting
• Deep understanding of credit risk analytics, predictive modeling, automated underwriting systems, and portfolio monitoring.
• Knowledge of applicable federal and state lending regulations, including Fair Lending, BSA/AML, OFAC, KYC, and related compliance requirements.
• Proven ability to present effectively to executive leadership, regulators, and Boards of Directors.
• Outstanding written, verbal, analytical, organizational, and leadership skills.

Preferred:

• Master's degree (MBA, Finance, Economics, Statistics or related disciplines)
• Experience with in a financial institution, credit union or commercial bank.
• Experience with SBA lending programs
• Experience implementing automated underwriting platforms and enterprise credit risk systems
• Experience leading fraud prevention and financial crimes programs
• Fully knowledgeable and proficient with Microsoft Suite, data visualization and analytics tools such as Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, SAS, or similar technologies

Leadership

Competencies:

• Strategic vision and enterprise thinking.
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative skills.
• Strong business judgment and decision-making abilities.
• Executive presence and communication skills.
• Ability to influence across multiple business functions.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.
• High ethical standards and professional integrity.
• Collaborative leadership style with a passion for developing people and the mission of AOF.

Why…