How to hire a credit officer

How to hire a credit officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step credit officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a credit officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new credit officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a credit officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The credit officer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A credit officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, credit officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of credit officers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Credit Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Credit Officer		$40-94
   Loan Analyst	A loan analyst is responsible for determining the eligibility of loan applicants in purchasing loan services by analyzing their application documents, account statements, and financial and credit status. Loan analysts evaluate loan agreements and payment plans and explain feasibility to the customers and loan officers before granting the loan... Show more	$11-27
   Mortgage Consultant	A mortgage consultant is a professional who helps customers and businesses identify the best option for mortgage deals based on their financial resources. To maintain an excellent relationship with clients, mortgage consultants must possess a broad knowledge of the company's products to answer all the clients' queries and concerns... Show more	$11-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Risk Management
   • Credit Risk
   • Credit Analysis
   • Real Estate
   • Credit Approval
   • Portfolio Management
   • Customer Service
   • Loan Documentation
   • Credit Policy
   • Credit Quality
   • Due Diligence
   • Loan Portfolio
   • Cash Flow Analysis
   • Credit Underwriting

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage credit risk and provide independent oversight of the bank portfolio.
   • Manage the global function for an ERP software company that has a niche market in manufacturing companies.
   • Manage SBA construction/tenant improvement projects submit until project is completed.
   • Partner with small and entrepreneurial business to develop business plans and assist business owners with achieving payroll.
   • Review clients file for compliance with: CIP, OFAC, HMDA, CRA and red flag activities.
   • Audit applications for HUD and IHDA compliance.

   More credit officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the credit officer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A credit officer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a credit officer in Arkansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level credit officer. Additionally, a credit officer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average credit officer salary

   $129,478yearly

   $62.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level credit officer salary

   $85,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average credit officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$162,805	$78
   2	Vermont	$143,695	$69
   3	California	$142,448	$68
   4	Delaware	$141,500	$68
   5	North Carolina	$138,008	$66
   6	Oregon	$137,983	$66
   7	Connecticut	$137,232	$66
   8	Massachusetts	$134,571	$65
   9	Virginia	$132,901	$64
   10	New Jersey	$131,848	$63
   11	Rhode Island	$130,548	$63
   12	Maryland	$129,669	$62
   13	Maine	$125,365	$60
   14	Pennsylvania	$124,826	$60
   15	Georgia	$123,944	$60
   16	Texas	$120,683	$58
   17	Illinois	$120,607	$58
   18	Ohio	$117,555	$57
   19	Iowa	$115,052	$55
   20	Florida	$111,836	$54

   Average credit officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Farm Credit System	$144,532	$69.49	26
   2	ARES	$141,504	$68.03
   3	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$140,686	$67.64
   4	Western Alliance Bank	$138,925	$66.79	26
   5	J.P. Morgan	$138,378	$66.53
   6	Commerzbank Ag	$138,338	$66.51
   7	AIG	$138,086	$66.39	7
   8	GBC International Bank	$137,886	$66.29
   9	MUFG EMEA	$137,002	$65.87
   10	Silicon Valley Bank	$136,215	$65.49
   11	Capital Farm Credit	$136,160	$65.46	1
   12	Westpac	$135,856	$65.32
   13	Barclays	$135,673	$65.23	1
   14	Toyota Financial Svc	$135,613	$65.20
   15	First Foundation	$134,550	$64.69	4
   16	BNP Paribas	$132,603	$63.75	1
   17	UBS	$131,770	$63.35
   18	ING USA Holding Corporation	$131,732	$63.33
   19	Bank of the Ozarks	$130,928	$62.95	3
   20	CFA Institute	$130,903	$62.93

4. Writing a credit officer job description

   A credit officer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a credit officer job description:

   Credit officer job description example

   Treliant is a global consulting firm serving banks, mortgage originators and servicers, FinTechs, and other companies providing financial services. We are led by practitioners from the industry and the regulatory community who bring deep domain knowledge to help our clients drive business change and address the most pressing compliance, regulatory, and operational challenges.
   
   We provide data-driven, technology-enabled advisory, implementation, and staffing solutions to the regulatory compliance, risk, financial crimes, and capital markets functions of our clients.
   
   Founded in 2005, Treliant is headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in New York, London, Belfast, Northern Ireland and Łódź, Poland. For more information visit www.treliant.com.
   
   Treliant has established a new Credit Solutions practice to help its financial institution and financial services clients address the evolving credit landscape.
   
   We are seeking highly motivated Credit Risk Officers to address our clients' commercial (largely, but not entirely, C&I) and consumer credit risk mitigation needs, including traditional credit/loan reviews, credit administration and policy reviews, and allowance for loan losses / CECL methodology reviews, among others. These roles will conduct independent reviews and produce reports on policy and underwriting exceptions, the adequacy of credit quality and loan documentation, credit administration procedures, and compliance with established policies.
   Responsibilities Perform comprehensive reviews of sampled new loans and modifications to identify potential credit risk weaknesses, policy or regulatory violations, servicing deficiencies, or other relevant trends. These reviews will include analyses of financial information and the credit facility to help form conclusions on the loans or modifications. Perform credit analyses, which will include analyses of financial statements and ratios, cash flow models, collateral, and underwriting decisions. Ensure individual loan transactions are adequately underwritten, properly graded, appropriately priced, and conform to client policies. Produce trend and portfolio management analyses and determine if additional analysis is needed. Clearly communicate (in a defined reporting format) exceptions, trends, concerns, and conclusions of the loan and modification reviews to clients. Write and present clear and concise reports to provide meaningful recommendations to clients. Qualifications Minimum of four (4) years' experience in a credit analyst, commercial lending assistant, loan officer, commercial credit officer, or credit review related position. Knowledge of current commercial and consumer banking laws and regulations, required loan documentation, and bank lending policies to manage the risks in clients' loan portfolios. Strong interpersonal skills to successfully communicate (verbally and written), negotiate, and influence clients, from bank associates to executive management. Comfort working both independently as well as being a part of a broader team under the direction of an engagement lead. General computer skills with specific knowledge of Windows-based applications (i.e., Excel, Powerpoint, Word). Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, or related field. MBA preferred. Job relevant certification (e.g. CPA, CRC, BAI Loan Review Certification) preferred. Benefits Treliant offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefit package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace. In addition to a competitive base salary, candidate is eligible for incentive pay as well as a full range of health benefits, vacation plan, and 401k plan.
   
   If you want to be part of a dynamic team of professionals, we invite you to join the team at Treliant. We invest in people, and challenge you to advance your career while achieving your aspirations and goals. Here at Treliant, we pride ourselves on our collaborative team culture, where we embrace diversity of thought and innovation. If you strive for excellence and seek an inclusive environment apply on line www.treliant.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Treliant LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, religion, age, disability, or military status in employment or provision of services. When contacted for an interview, an applicant who requires special accommodations due to a disability should notify the office so that proper arrangements can be made .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right credit officer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with credit officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit credit officers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your credit officer job on Zippia to find and recruit credit officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting credit officers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new credit officer

   Once you've selected the best credit officer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new credit officer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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