A former Bank of America senior vice president will be stepping in as Cohasset-based Pilgrim Bank’s new chief financial officer, saying he wanted a new challenge and a better quality of life at a local bank.

Christopher G. McCourt, a resident of Scituate, told Banker & Tradesman his last role, though locally based, had required frequent business trips to New York. In addition, his work at Bank of America was highly concentrated on a few tasks, while the CFO job at the $171.6 million Pilgrim would require a broad focus on all aspects of the business.

McCourt, who worked in Bank of America’s Global Wealth Management department and dealt with merger integrations, said his experience will help him eliminate inefficiencies at the bank and "re-engineer" bank processes that could be better managed. He also takes on his new position as Pilgrim Bank expands on a major project to expand its main office, and said he’ll participate in the execution of that plan as well.

According to a statement from the bank, prior to Bank of America, McCourt had previously been senior vice president at Fleet Financial, where he served various lines of business during his tenure.

"We are excited to have someone like Chris in a vital role at Pilgrim Bank," Pilgrim CEO Frank Campbell said in the statement. "His background and qualifications make him an incredible asset to our staff and as a local resident, Chris has a personal stake in our community focused mission."