Chief Lending Officer

Lyons, Nebraska, Location Flexibility in eastern Nebraska May be Offered

The Center for Rural Affairs is seeking a Chief Lending Officer (CLO), a newly created role designed to support the organization’s growth in community-based lending. The position will be based in Lyons, Nebraska; location flexibility may be offered for strong candidates in eastern Nebraska.

The Center for Rural Affairs is an intermediary lender for the Small Business Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and hosts an affiliated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the Department of Treasury. The organization has $15 million in loans outstanding today and projects that the total loans outstanding will grow to more than $50 million within the next several years. The CLO will play a critical role in expanding the Center’s lending initiatives, including areas such as larger small business loans, multi-family housing loans, lending to low-income and historically excluded populations, and the development of new areas of lending in solar, clean energy, climate, food systems, and new partnerships.

The CLO will be responsible for defining the vision for short-term and long-term loan production, growth, and service objectives. Major new initiatives at the Center that the CLO will support include:

Meat & Poultry Intermediary Lending Program — A new $15 million loan pool supported by the United States Department of Agriculture. Eligible borrowers are small and medium-sized meat processors. As funds revolve, all middle-of-the-food chain businesses become eligible.

Climate Lending — The Center intends to develop significant new lending in areas of clean energy and climate resilience in the next few years. Supported by a $62 million Solar for All grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, along with several upcoming funding opportunities.

Housing Development — The Center endeavors to expand multifamily housing and new housing construction lending efforts started in the last two years and aimed at filling gaps not covered by other programs or funding sources.

The CLO role includes developing strategies, tactics, and performance goals required to achieve targeted financial objectives while building relationships with key stakeholders including regulators, examiners, contractors, and other external partners. Additionally, the CLO oversees policies and procedures that comply with state and federal regulations. This dynamic role requires industry knowledge and analytical skills to assist low- and moderately-low-income-owned businesses and homeowners, experience building new programs, and experience in clean energy or related fields.

Who we are

The Center for Rural Affairs is a dynamic, energetic non-profit organization working to build a better rural future for all. We’ve done this work for 50 years and we do it from rural places with a flexible work environment. Our work creates opportunities for beginning farmers, new business owners, and first-time advocates. The Center’s work is rooted in principles of diversity and inclusion. We believe that a diversity of people and ideas strengthens our work, our workplace, and our communities. We celebrate this diversity and we are committed to advancing practices that create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and we welcome and support all applicants and team members. Additional information can be found at www.cfra.org. Check to see if our Mission and Values match yours, and read about our work demonstrating how awesome the Center is!

What you’ll do

The Chief Lending Officer reports to the Executive Director and will work closely with the Lending Services Director, Chief Financial Officer, Solar for All Director, Development Director, and other members of the Center team to meet the responsibilities of the role. The CLO is responsible for the following:

• You will develop a network of key community-based partners interested in supporting solar, clean energy, food systems, small businesses, and homeownership in Nebraska.
• You will develop new areas of lending in food systems, climate, and housing including, loan product development, partnership development, and recruiting, developing, and supporting a team of staff.
• You will review loans to ensure loan requests comply with loan underwriting, product, and program policies and procedures and support partnership development, marketing products, lead generation, and client attraction.
• You will work with borrowers on all loan packages over $200,000, gather the necessary data about clients and their businesses, analyze and verify the borrower’s creditworthiness, and determine the probability of repayment related to the loan terms.
• You will develop a network of community-based partners interested in supporting new and existing sectors of lending throughout Nebraska.
• You will make solar, small business, and housing lending programs available to low- and moderate low-income and rural community residents throughout Nebraska that meet the Center’s mission.
• You will have the decision-making ability to objectively analyze situations and draw accurate conclusions based on logic and facts.
• You will have the ability to establish and achieve clear, measurable, performance goals that are linked to the solar, housing, and lending goals.
• You will have the ability to collaboratively seek input from others, facilitate group problem-solving, cooperate, and work effectively with others to achieve goals.
• You will collaborate with your supervisor and colleagues to continually seek to effectively incorporate the Center’s DEI principles into internal processes, external programming and communications, and work relationships.

Who you are & keys to success (the must-haves)

To be successful in this job, you will excel in five areas:

• Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with team members in the program, across the organization, and with a diverse group of stakeholders. You know how to build alliances with marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, low-income families, military veterans, and immigrants, and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests.
• Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of accomplishing ambitious goals and getting results even when there are obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and come up with pragmatic solutions. You plan backward and involve stakeholders appropriately.
• Inclusive leadership and management: You approach leadership with a collaborative mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly include others in decision-making. You seek out those who have the experience to guide, advise, and plan how you approach the work.
• Setting and managing priorities: You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to staff, partners, consultants, and volunteers to leverage time and talent for impact.
• Commitment to racial equity and social justice: You recognize the role of race, income, age, immigration status, and other identities in addressing disparities, and you consistently amplify community voices to advocate for more equitable policy solutions. You recognize how your own identities show up in the work, and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Building a network of key community partners to support solar, clean energy, food systems, small businesses, and homeownership initiatives across Nebraska.
• Establish clear measurable objectives to achieve program goals related to solar, climate, housing, meat and poultry processing lending initiatives, lead generation, and client acquisition.
• Developing new lending products that broaden the opportunity for lending, and advance both greenhouse gas emission reduction and low-income and disadvantaged communities.
• Strategically creating competitive, out-of-the-box strategies that translate to action plans.
• Leading a dedicated team focused on creating opportunities and driving impact across our service areas by developing partnerships, providing technical assistance, identifying key opportunities that connect clients to capital, and securing the financial resources needed to sustain these efforts.
• Leveraging the strengths of the Center’s existing lending programs, products, and lead generation to expand and grow the Center’s influence in the lending space.

You have experience with the following:

• You have seven or more years of experience in lending or comparable experience.
• You can read and interpret financial information found in loan proposals.
• You can quickly recognize strengths and weaknesses in a loan proposal.
• You are self-confident in prospecting, networking, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• You are passionate about building formal and informal networks inside and outside the organization, drawing upon multiple relationships to exchange ideas and resources, and reaching sales and new client outreach goals.
• You are a planner and can align and prioritize work to meet commitments and organizational goals.
• You can work effectively with diverse groups of individuals and value differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic circumstances.
• You are an effective communicator, and have the ability to convey an image that is consistent with effective leadership and the organization’s values.
• You are willing and able to travel to various sites across Nebraska as needed.

What else you should know

This is a full-time exempt position based at least 2 days per week in Lyons, Nebraska. Location flexibility in eastern Nebraska may be offered to the right candidate. The Chief Lending Officer is a member of the Leadership Team.

Compensation and benefits:

This position has a salary range of $82,500-$130,000 with top-notch benefits that have a cash value of $10,000 to $29,500, depending on family status and tenure with the Center. Benefits include items such as 97% employer-paid family health insurance that includes a contribution to a Health Savings Account, 6% employer contribution to a retirement plan, a fantastic Employee Assistance Program, 12 paid holidays plus paid time off between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, Friday Summer Hours, and vacation and sick pay.

The Center for Rural Affairs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify, is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals, and takes steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

How to apply

If you would like to work for an organization that has a national reputation as one of the top organizations in the country working to make rural communities more vibrant, apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and three professional references by clicking here.

In the cover letter, please include:

• How your personal and/or professional experiences have positioned you for success in this role and any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or Racial Equity-related work, skills, or expertise you want us to know about.
• Please describe how your past leadership roles make you the right candidate for this role.
• Let us know how you heard about this position and why you want to work for the Center.