Senior Director, Loan Origination (NJ)

Position Reports to: Senior Director, Loan Origination 
Department: Financing 
Location: This is a US-based remote role, with a requirement to be located in New Jersey. 
Salary Range: $163,500 - $184,555 

About Nonprofit Finance Fund  

Nonprofit Finance Fund® (NFF®) is a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate. Since 1980, we’ve helped organizations access the money and resources they need to realize their communities’ aspirations. Alongside others, we’re working to build community wealth and well-being and put affordable housing, essential services, quality jobs, and excellent education within reach of more people. To learn more, visit nff.org. Learn more about our work to achieve our vision through our Theory of Change and Values.  

About This Role 

The Senior Director, Loan Origination (New Jersey) is responsible for driving lending activity in the state of New Jersey. The Senior Director cultivates relationships with clients that may have financing needs, builds a continuous pipeline of new lending opportunities, and evaluates incoming loan requests for viability and preliminary loan structuring. In support of and alongside this work, this role draws on the existing relationships, programs, and products NFF is currently deploying across the state, which include debt products and financial strategy consulting. 

NFF has offices in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Oakland, and Los Angeles. This is a US-based remote role, with a New Jersey residency requirement and 25% travel. NFF has core business hours where we expect all staff to be available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm local time.

What You Will Do 

Essential responsibilities for this role include, but are not limited to:

Loan Originations (50%) 

• Generate new business and manage loan pipeline to meet enterprise-wide lending goals, while owning specific goals/sectors, including volume of loans closed and deployment of dedicated pools of capital 
• Ensure high-quality prospects and timely progression of deals into underwriting; annual lending goals will be commensurate with title and department lending goals 
• Originate loans and NMTC transactions: identify, assess, negotiate, and support the Underwriting team and Program Directors in the structuring of complex financing transactions that meet client needs 
• Advance NFF’s strategies for special asset classes and exploratory markets, while maintaining sound credit quality, including NMTC and off-balance sheet opportunities 
• Gather due diligence, conduct initial assessment and analysis of client prospects, draft initial loan overview memos, and prepare term sheets for prospective borrowers 
• Provide strategic and technical guidance to other Loan Origination colleagues as they originate complex loans, helping to identify, assess, negotiate, and structure viable financing 
• Proactively monitor industry and regional trends, policies, funding, and other external drivers that may inform strategies for pipeline development 
• Identify unmet financing needs in New Jersey, and propose new products, partnerships, programs, or capital sources to help NFF meet such needs 

 Relationship Management (10%) 

• Develop and nurture new and existing client relationships ensuring a seamless financing process 
• Engage clients with empathy and garner understanding of their experiences and needs, including the barriers faced in their access to capital 
• Develop financing solutions that reflect client needs while working closely with all Loan Origination, Underwriting, Program, Closing, and Portfolio Management staff to ensure excellent customer service  
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with lending partners (banks, CDFIs, foundations, institutional investors and other capital providers and intermediaries) and stakeholders such as consultants, government agencies, nonprofit networks and advocacy organizations 
• Represent NFF at local, regional, and national events to deepen engagement with community leaders and align lending activity with community priorities 
• Collaborate closely with Loan Origination staff and Underwriting, Program Directors, Loan Servicing, NMTC, and Portfolio Management team leaders to ensure an efficient, client-centered process 

 Program Management (20%) 

• Oversee NFF’s BEACoN NJ program, a $20MM 10-year statewide revolving loan fund to support community ownership of assets for nonprofits 
• Maintain an active pipeline and relationships with nonprofits, developers, consultants, and other stakeholders in connection with ongoing BEACoN NJ lending 
• Provide client and project-related information to support periodic investor reporting 
• Represent NFF and the BEACoN NJ program in public events, conferences, media, partner and funder meetings, and other external-facing opportunities as needed 
• Leverage other NFF lending programs, including the NJ Social Impact Investing Fund (a flexible off-balance sheet statewide loan fund), Faith in our Communities (a credit-enhanced faith-based lending program), and other programs that NFF may develop over time 

 Strategy and Market Development (10%) 

• Develop, recommend, and implement tactical annual plans that will generate a viable pipeline of clients and transactions that contribute to the advancement of various Financing Department goals, including, but not limited to, on-balance sheet lending, NMTC transactions, and off-balance sheet opportunities 
• Help lead the planning process for the geographic and sector expansion of NFF’s lending services alongside the design of new programs and products 
• Coordinate with Community Engagement and other Client Services staff to develop and implement strategies for outreach and community trust-building 
• Research and share insights from relevant industry/sector conferences and events in NFF’s markets, keeping up to date on market dynamics and community feedback to inform our lending practice 
• Represent the lending perspective in cross-functional forums 
• Participate directly, or support the team, in business development activities, including early-stage client visits and conversations and attendance at external events 
• Leverage existing client relationships held by other NFF teams to identify business development opportunities and coordinate lending activity to intersect with NFF’s priorities and key relationships. 
• Identify and develop community partnerships to support product and process design 
• Support the opportunistic integration of capital delivery and technical assistance to ensure that borrowers’ capacity-building needs are met with a client-centered relational approach 

 Meetings and Other Duties as Assigned (10%) 

• Attend internal and external meetings as needed 
• As work and community/client needs evolve, projects and job duties may also evolve 

Who You Are and Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in financial services and/or lending 
• Eight (8) years of progressive professional experience in the financial services industry as a loan officer or similar lending roles 
• Advanced expertise in credit analysis, loan structuring, and business development, with expertise in at least one: affordable housing, education, healthcare, human services, or other community facilities  
• Demonstrated success leading programs or projects, or as market lead for specific geographies, to deliver on organizational growth and impact goals 
• Market knowledge and existing relationships with nonprofits and related stakeholders in New Jersey 
• Proven ability to handle sensitive, confidential information with high degree of integrity and discretion  
• Exceptional and proactive communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills 
• Proficiency with online collaboration tools, Salesforce or similar CRM software, and Microsoft Office Suite 

The Strongest Candidates Will 

• Commitment to NFF’s values, mission, and approach to community impact 
• Strong understanding of CDFIs and their role in nonprofit financing 
• Familiarity with real estate and financing structures 
• Experience with nonprofit accounting, financial statements, and business models 
• Experience with community development finance programs, including New Markets Tax Credits and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, as well as New Jersey programs such as Aspire and CAFE 
• Strong organization and project management skills 
• Experience leading cross-functional efforts in a matrixed organization 
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a remote environment and build strong relationships with colleagues and partners across geographies and time zones 
• Willingness to collaborate with a dynamic and mission-driven team 
• Learning orientation and commitment to continuous learning and improvement 
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, changing, and at times ambiguous context 

Benefits and Compensation 

NFF offers a generous benefits package that currently includes up to twenty (20) paid holidays/business closure days, three (3) floating holidays, flexible time off, group medical insurance with a funded health reimbursement account, dental and vision plans, life insurance and disability plans, a retirement plan with both a non-elective employer contribution (4%) and additional match contribution (up to 2%), a “work from home” fund, and flexible spending accounts to cover health, dependent care, and commuter costs.

This is an exempt full-time role with a compensation range of $163,500 - $184,555. A compensation offer is based on a candidate’s background and years of relevant experience, with consideration for internal equity. Because of our strong commitment to equity and growth, we do not negotiate compensation offers.