Senior Vice President, Senior Credit Officer

About the role

Lendesca is seeking an experienced Senior Vice President, Senior Credit Officer to lead the Company's credit function and oversee the evaluation, structuring, and approval of SBA loan transactions. This role is responsible for establishing and maintaining credit standards, ensuring adherence to SBA Standard Operating Procedures, regulatory requirements, and internal credit policies, and driving overall portfolio quality and performance. The role works closely with executive leadership, underwriting, closing, and external partners — including lenders, attorneys, brokers, and clients — to ensure alignment across the lending process. This is a senior leadership position with authority to approve credit decisions and funding initiatives.

What you'll do

• Oversee the ongoing monitoring and management of the Company's loan portfolio and associated reserve levels, including regular portfolio reviews, identification of emerging risk trends, and recommendations for reserve adjustments
• Review and validate SBA loan submissions for completeness, eligibility, and compliance across applicable programs (7(a), Express, etc.), ensuring adherence to SBA SOP and internal credit standards
• Collaborate with business development and referral partners early in the process to assess deal viability, structure, and alignment with credit appetite
• Exercise delegated credit authority to evaluate and approve transactions that meet established credit criteria and program requirements
• Evaluate borrower eligibility and structure transactions to align with SBA guidelines, lender expectations, and overall deal feasibility
• Perform in-depth financial analysis of borrowers, guarantors, and related entities, including review of financial statements, credit reports, and supporting documentation
• Develop clear, well-supported credit memos that articulate transaction structure, risk considerations, and rationale for approval or decline
• Coordinate and review third-party reports (appraisals, environmental, valuations, etc.) to ensure accuracy, compliance, and alignment with underwriting assumptions
• Partner with closing and operations teams to support transactions through to funding, addressing credit-related questions and ensuring alignment with approved terms
• Support ongoing portfolio management efforts, including periodic financial reviews, servicing requests, modifications, and workout scenarios
• Stay current on SBA program updates, regulatory changes, and market dynamics, applying that knowledge to credit decisions and team guidance
• Support the development and performance management of credit team members, including contributing to performance reviews and ongoing coaching

What you'll bring

• Minimum of 10 years of related experience in SBA credit underwriting, or 8+ years of complex commercial credit underwriting and/or specialty lending experience
• Minimum of 5–8 years of related experience in SBA lending
• Strong working knowledge of SBA government guaranty loan programs (7(a), 504, SBA Express, USDA B&I), including program updates and regulatory changes
• Strong working knowledge of accounting, credit analysis, and financial underwriting
• Ability to analyze and approve leases, purchase contracts, trust documents, and other applicable transaction paperwork
• Experience managing credit staff preferred
• Formal bank credit training preferred
• Superior problem-solving and negotiation skills
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent combination of training and experience
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)