Remote Senior Director, Environmental Justice Loan Program

Summary

Join Nonprofit Finance Fund as a Senior Director, Environmental Justice Lending to lead the development and growth of NFF’s green lending portfolio, in alignment with NFF’s mission and strategic plan.

Requirements

• Minimum 8 -10 years of professional work experience, with at least 7 years in the environmental justice and lending space
• Proficient in reading and understanding financial statements, project budgets, and operating pro formas/cash flow projections
• Market knowledge and relationships in the environmental sector
• Experience working on programs which require significant government compliance
• Strong relationship-building approach with the ability to center the needs of clients and communities
• Strategic thinker; combine strategy and innovation to successfully design and implement processes, systems and policies that support the organization's overall vision and growth
• Strong project management skills with demonstrated success managing multiple projects and priorities
• Aptitude for problem-solving and ability to identify challenges and provide solutions
• Maintain a high level of integrity and handle sensitive information in a confidential manner
• Flexible, adaptable, and willing to pivot on short notice to meet the organization’s needs
• Committed to continuous improvement and demonstrate a growth mindset
• Exceptional and proactive communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• Enjoy collaborating with team members who are working together to re-envision the Community Development Finance Industry
• Embody NFF’s mission, core values and commitment to equity and demonstrate this in your work

Responsibilities

• Develops a strategy for our green lending that responds to needs for appropriately structured and priced loans; aligns with NFF’s impact and business goals
• Design loan products that can fill market needs and gaps, and leverage the capital available through GGRF and any other federal, state, and philanthropic sources that NFF is able to access in support of its EJ Loan Program
• Leads the development of internal infrastructure necessary to expand and scale up NFF’s environmental lending, which may include things like: templates for loan term sheets, due diligence checklists, and credit memos; standardized reporting requirements and loan covenants; best practices for portfolio management and loan monitoring; training staff on green lending best practices, common risks and techniques for risk mitigation; typical capital sources, capital stacks, and funding streams; among others
• Ensures NFF’s lending in the environmental space is well positioned to support nonprofit organizations led by and serving people of color, working to lower facility emissions and facing barriers to obtaining financing
• Coordinates with the Market Leaders on NFF’s lending team and NFF Community Engagement staff to identify gaps and opportunities for NFF to finance environmental projects, particularly those in geographies where NFF has an active presence and/or relationships (e.g., NYC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Bay Area, Massachusetts, Boston, Colorado, New Jersey), as well as in possible expansion areas to be identified
• Coordinates with all NFF Financing staff who will help with implementation of local and national strategies, and meeting lending goals, including loan origination, underwriting, portfolio management, and New Markets Tax Credit teams
• Deepens and maintains strong networks with community level associations, peer CDFIs and other lenders, funders and investors
• Serves as an NFF environmental justice expert; share knowledge internally and externally, represent NFF in various industry associations and working groups, among other ways
• Builds NFF’s brand among partners and stakeholders; raises awareness of our goals and available capital to support environmental justice; and develops our reputation over time as a vital CDFI in this space. This will be accomplished through direct relationship building and networking, as well as by working with our Marketing & Communications team to develop and post relevant content via social media, as well as occasional emails, blogs, etc
• Responsible for building pipelines sufficient to meet lending goals and requirements of GGRF and other related capital
• Collaborate with the Market Leaders on NFF’s Origination team in development of pipeline
• Identify, assess, and shepherd viable lending opportunities into and through the loan pipeline
• Conduct the analysis of environmental loan opportunities, including the following: project feasibility; capital stack; borrower structure and financials; development team qualifications and track record; market studies and community engagement; project cash flow, repayment and/or take-out sources; impact & community benefits; and other relevant areas as appropriate
• Support Underwriting team in proposing appropriate loan structures, reporting requirements, covenants, and other loan features where particular environmental loan products or project features may require the expertise provided by this role
• Assist Portfolio Management team in reviewing borrower reporting where staff need additional context or environmental expertise; provide support on requests for modifications, extensions, and waivers for loans in the environmental portfolio as needed
• Collaborate with Portfolio Management team to establish best practices around monitoring and risk analysis of the environmental portfolio overall; provide context on sector and market trends that may impact credit quality within the environmental loan portfolio

Benefits

• Up to 18 paid holidays
• 3 floating holidays
• Unlimited vacation time off
• Health insurance with NFF funded health reimbursement account on medical plan
• Employer contributions toward retirement plan
• Flexibility to work remotely
• Access to a “work from home” fund
• Flexible spending accounts including medical, commuter, and childcare benefits