Risk Rating Manager

Risk Rating Manager

Location: On site in location listed in job posting

The Risk Rating Manager reports to the Commercial Credit Policy and Governance Manager and is responsible for the management and maintenance of First Horizon's Commercial Risk Rating framework. It includes ownership of the bank's scorecard models, development and maintenance of risk grading guidance, working with line of business and Credit partners on design and revision to models, and being the point of contact for all inquiries related to Commercial risk ratings.

The Risk Rating Manager will build and maintain relationships with partners and stakeholders across the bank, including Lines of Business, Credit, Risk, Technology, Treasury, Finance, and Audit. This role requires high interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly with executives, senior management, peers, analysts, regulators, and auditors.

The Risk Rating Manager is expected to work independently with minimal direction from management, lead projects, and manage cross-functional project teams. A broad understanding of Commercial Credit and the use of risk ratings throughout all the activities of a bank is a must.

Essential duties and responsibilities include overseeing the lifecycle of commercial rating models from design and development to system implementation and governance, managing risk grading guidance in conjunction with policy, system constraints, and scorecard design, fulfilling current and evolving governance requirements with respect to risk ratings, providing input into credit policy as it relates to risk ratings and grading, managing controls associated with risk grading and communicating with appropriate groups on issues and resolution, communicating with several constituents across the bank in each line of defense as well as auditors and regulators about risk rating policy and practice, managing the inventory of scorecard models, including in-use, in-development, and in-pipeline scorecards, monitoring and managing scorecard usage, including periodic revisions to existing scorecards, adapting to new products or structures, etc., monitoring scorecard performance from an accuracy and operational perspective. Track and report on scorecard usage, override rates, system integrity, past due scorecards, etc., being the primary point of contact for oversight groupsregulators, Credit, Credit Assurance, Model Risk Management, and auditors, effectively challenging first line requests for changes to scorecard models, guidance, or policy, leading initiatives for development of or revisions to scorecard models, working with LOB and Credit to define requirements and potential attributes for consideration, leading the project team for new scorecard development or major recalibrations, working with Credit Modeling Team on development, monitoring, testing, and implementation, working with Enterprise Technology on system implementation, designing and leading user acceptance testing to ensure a correct implementation, guiding changes through governance and business unit acceptance.

Additional responsibilities include responding to frequent enquiries from constituentsLOB, Credit, Credit Assurance, Internal Audit, etc.on interpretation of scorecard guidance, rating particular deals, and other questions regarding scorecards, collaborating with Credit Policy and Credit Risk on revisions, updates, or modifications to policies that affect risk grading, collaborating with downstream users of ratings, such as in pricing, CECL, CCAR, and portfolio management, advising the executive management on strategic initiatives, emerging risks or opportunities, and industry best practices in the space of Commercial risk ratings.

Qualifications include minimum experience of 10 years of Commercial/Wholesale Credit rating experience, including Commercial and Industrial lending, Commercial Real Estate, Small Business, and specialty lines of business, demonstrable experience working with credit rating models and understanding their use, performance metrics, technology requirements, and governance, strong analytical and critical thinking skills with high attention to detail and accuracy, excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Preferred experience includes 15 or more years of Commercial/Wholesale credit rating experience with at least 5 years of owning or leading a risk rating practice.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office, familiarity with common 3rd party rating platforms such as Moody's CreditLens, Commercial front office systems such as nCino, and core systems such as ACBS.