What are the responsibilities and job description for the Portfolio Senior Officer position at Amerantbank?
The Portfolio Senior Officer plays a key first-line role in supporting the Bank’s commercial credit portfolio by strengthening front-end risk discipline, enhancing ongoing portfolio awareness, and ensuring timely and complete financial information for assigned customer relationships. This position is designed to proactively identify emerging risks, support Relationship Managers (RMs) throughout the stages of the deal, including structuring. The Portfolio Senior Officer will serve as an early-warning risk partner within the business. The role emphasizes judgment, escalation, and coordination rather than transactional credit processing. The Portfolio Senior Officer performs high-level financial reviews upon receipt of borrower information to identify potential weaknesses, adverse trends, or sector-related risks, and promptly escalates such concerns to Credit partners for independent assessment. In addition, the role supports origination through preliminary (“soft-quote”) analyses to assess alignment with the Bank’s risk appetite and identify structural or credit issues before formal Credit involvement. While supported by the Client Support Unit in the collection of financial statements and other required documentation, the Portfolio Senior Officer, together with the RM, retains accountability for the ongoing administration of customer relationships, including the timeliness, completeness, and quality of information provided to Credit. The Portfolio Senior Officer operates within clearly defined governance and escalation frameworks to preserve separation of duties, independent credit oversight, and regulatory compliance.Duties and responsibilities include:1. Early Financial Review & Risk TriagePerform high-level reviews of borrower financial information upon receipt to identify:Deteriorating performance trendsLiquidity or leverage pressureIndustry- or sector-specific risk signalsPromptly escalate identified concerns to the Relationship Manager and Credit (second line) for further review.Document early-warning observations in accordance with established PM protocols.Ensure loans are properly risk rated in a timely manner2. Origination Support & Deal Screening (Pre-Credit)Support Relationship Managers (RMs) during early deal structuring and origination.Conduct soft-quote / preliminary analyses to:Assess alignment with the Bank’s risk appetiteIdentify potential structural or credit weaknessesRecommend whether a transaction should proceed to Credit or be declined earlyAssist RMs in preparing preliminary proposals and materials for the deal-screening process.Collaborates with the Relationship Manager in the loan approval and closing process to ensure timely and efficient closings.3. Ongoing Relationship Administration & AccountabilityJointly accountable with RMs for the ongoing administration of customer relationships, including:Timely receipt of borrower financial statementsCompleteness of required informationResponsiveness to Credit and Risk information requestsTimely completion of annual reviews, covenant tests, post closing items and ticklers.Coordinate with the Client Support Unit (CSU) to facilitate the collection of financial and other required information.Ensure delays, missing information, or unresponsive clients are escalated appropriately. 4. Industry & Sector MonitoringMonitor assigned industries and sectors for:Macroeconomic trendsEmerging risk indicatorsConcentration or portfolio-level issuesProvide relevant insights to:RMsPortfolio Management leadershipCredit and Risk partners5. Portfolio Monitoring & Issue IdentificationMonitor portfolio reports including:MaturitiesDelinquenciesPast duesPending annual reviews and covenant testingPending financials and other ticklersIdentify and escalate portfolio irregularities or adverse trends to Portfolio Management leadership.Participate in site visits or inspections, as required, and document observations.6. Governance, Compliance & Risk CultureMaintain working knowledge of the Bank’s credit policies, programs, and risk appetite.Ensure activities comply with applicable regulations and internal policies, including BSA/AML, OFAC, and related requirements.Support management initiatives and special projects as assigned.Minimum Education and/or Certifications Requirements:Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting or finance required. Master’s degree preferred OR 3 years of commercial & retail portfolio management experience in lieu of education. Formal credit training required.Minimum Work Experience Requirements:7 years of professional experience in lending and/or portfolio management field and/or credit analysis. Knowledgeable of banking products and documentation.Technical and/or Other Essential Knowledge:Thorough understanding of the Bank’s credit procedures, programs and policy. Accounting and credit principles. Proficiency in Microsoft Suite is required; experience in SQL is a plus. Salesforce, nCino, FIS IBS experience is a plus. Sound time management and organizational skills required. Well organized and systematic. Must possess strong communication skills.