VP / Director – Commercial Credit Administration

San Jose, CA (Hybrid)

The Role (What This Job Actually Is)

This is not a back-office credit role.

You’re stepping into a senior credit seat that sits in the middle of the action—working directly with experienced commercial bankers to structure, challenge, and ultimately get deals done the right way.

You’ll be the right hand to the Senior Credit Officer, helping scale a growing commercial platform while bringing greater consistency, creativity, and judgment to how credit decisions are made.

This role exists because the organization is evolving—new products, more complexity, more deal flow—and needs someone who can bridge production and credit without being a roadblock.

What They’re Really Looking For

This is a fit-and-experience hire, not a checklist hire.

The right person has likely:

• Come up through commercial banking (RM, underwriting, or loan team) and understand how deals actually get won
• Transitioned into credit approval/credit admin leadership
• Seen the full lifecycle of a deal—origination, structuring, approval, and workout
• Earned credibility with production teams by being commercially minded, not just policy-driven

If you’ve only lived on one side (pure credit or pure production), this likely won’t work.

What You’ll Actually Do

• Approve and structure commercial credits across CRE, C&I, construction, SBA, and participation deals
• Act as a true partner to senior bankers—pressure-test deals without killing momentum
• Help evolve credit policy, risk framework, and approval processes as the platform grows
• Work closely with the SCO to prioritize, vet, and move deals efficiently
• Support and influence loan participations and external bank relationships
• Oversee or contribute to special assets strategy and loss mitigation (less of a workout shop, more proactive risk management)
• Play a role in building out a small business / lower middle market credit strategy, including fintech-enabled channels
• Participate directly in deal discussions and occasionally in client/prospect conversations when needed

What Makes This Role Different

• Credit is expected to be creative & constructive, not defensive
• You’ll be working with strong, experienced commercial bankers—this is a peer-level seat, not oversight from a distance
• The organization is actively exploring:
  • New participation strategies
  • Fintech partnerships
  • Technology-enabled small business lending channels
• There is a real mandate to blend traditional credit discipline with modern execution

Profile That Wins Here

You don’t need to check every box—but if this doesn’t sound like you, it’s probably not the right seat:

• 10–15ish years in commercial banking/credit with increasing authority
• Background that includes:
  • Credit approval authority
  • Deep underwriting across multiple asset classes
  • Exposure to policy, risk rating, and portfolio management
• Ideally have:
  • Experience as an RM or close partnership with RMs
  • Ability to structure deals creatively, not just approve/decline
• Comfortable operating in a gray area environment—building, refining, improving
• Interested in growth and progression, not a “last stop” role

What Will Get You Hired

• Bankers trust you
• You know how to say “yes, but here’s how” instead of “no.”
• You can walk into a deal discussion and add value immediately
• You’ve seen enough to have judgment—but still want to build something

What Will Get You Rejected

• Career credit-only profile with no exposure to deal dynamics
• Overly rigid, policy-first mindset
• Strong resume, weak ability to partner with production

Opportunity

This is a succession-oriented hire. The goal is to bring in someone who can:

• Grow into larger leadership responsibilities
• Help shape the next phase of the commercial platform
• Be part of a longer-term build—not just maintain what exists

Bottom Line

This is a builder’s credit role inside a growing commercial platform.

If you’ve been stuck in a pure credit lane and want more influence—or you’ve come from production and want to move into credit without losing the deal mindset—this is one of the better seats in the market.