Director, Housing Loan Program

Position Reports to: Vice President, Financing

Location: Preference is for the position to be in commutable distance to NFF’s New York office. Remote locations will be considered.

Department: Financing 

The COVID crisis and the uprising for racial justice have shone national light on both the urgent work required to build a more just and vibrant society for all Americans and the potential for positive action when our communities mobilize. In most cases, these efforts are spearheaded by nonprofits, community organizations, and their heroic staff who deliver essential services like affordable housing, social justice advocacy, health, youth development, and the arts. Yet these nonprofits and the communities they support operate within a flawed, inequitable funding system that controls their access to resources, impeding their ability to make a difference.   

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is setting out to change that. We know that nonprofit leaders have power when they have access to capital and financial knowledge. Our strategy focuses on helping to shift that power by changing funding and financing practices so more money flows equitably and with less restriction to community-centered organizations led by and serving people of color, so they can be the drivers of their own change.  

Read about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion here. 

About the Opportunity: 

NFF’s Financing team provides loans to nonprofit organizations for their real estate and working capital needs with a commitment to ensuring Black, Indigenous, and communities of color and their leaders have access to and control of the funds they need to meet their goals. Currently, NFF manages around $400 million of financing assets, primarily loans to nonprofit organizations in the education, healthcare, human service, and housing sectors.  

Historically, NFF has lent to nonprofit developers and operators focused on supportive housing; transitional housing for youth aging out of foster care and adults returning from incarceration; emergency and shelter housing for people experiencing homelessness; and residential treatment and recuperative care facilities. We have had a limited focus on more traditional affordable housing projects. As requests for project financing have consistently grown in volume and size, NFF seeks to play a more intentional, proactive, and wider-ranging role in the affordable housing sector.  

We are seeking a Director, Housing Loan Program to lead this work in formalizing and expanding NFF’s affordable housing finance program. This position will play a central role in developing appropriate capital resources, identifying tailored products, and creating specific policies and guidelines.   This individual serves as a single point of contact to represent NFF’s housing work externally. Internally, this role will serve as an in-house expert that trains, supports, and coaches other staff who serve as generalists across various functional areas (e.g., business development, underwriting and closing, portfolio management) and other NFF departments. The role will collaborate with our Marketing & Communications team to raise NFF’s profile in this sector, and advocate for greater access to resources for NFF, CDFIs generally, and our clients in the housing sector.

A successful Director, Housing Loan Program will help us rethink our approach to lending by prioritizing the needs of strategically aligned organizations and developers, eliminating practices rooted in white supremacy, and demonstrating a willingness to be creative and flexible in decision-making. This is an opportunity for someone to lead this work at NFF and within the industry.  Please review Plan 50%+.

The preference is for the position to be in commutable distance to NFF’s New York office location. Remote locations will be considered. Our offices have re-opened, and staff can opt into in-person work as desired and based on the needs of the role. There is potential for up to 10% travel, which will consist of client visits, local/national conferences, and travel to NFF office for staff retreats.

The Director, Housing Loan Program will report to the Vice President, Financing who is based in Philadelphia. 

What you’ll do: 

Program Leadership 

• Develops a strategy for our affordable housing lending that responds to needs for appropriately structured and priced loans; aligns with NFF’s impact and business goals.  
• Designs affordable housing products that can fill market needs and gaps; helps to identify the necessary types of capital to support those products. 
• Leads the development of internal infrastructure necessary to expand and scale up NFF’s housing 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 housing development 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 housing sector is well positioned to support nonprofit developers and operators led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color particularly those that face 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 affordable housing, particularly those in geographies where NFF has an active presence and/or relationships (e.g., NYC, LA, Philadelphia, Bay Area, Colorado, New Jersey, Washington State), 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 affordable housing developers, operators, funders, consultants, state and national associations, and lending peers.  
• Serves as an NFF housing expert; share knowledge internally and externally, represent NFF in various industry associations and working groups, among other ways.  
• Builds NFF’s brand among housing partners and stakeholders; raises awareness of our work in housing; 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.

Loan Origination, Structuring, and Portfolio Management 

• Leads the development of a pipeline of viable loan opportunities in partnership with the Market Leaders on NFF’s Loan Origination team.   
• Identify, assess, and shepherd viable lending opportunities into and through the loan pipeline. 
• Conduct and/or oversee the analysis of housing 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; and other relevant areas as appropriate. 
• Support Underwriting team in proposing appropriate loan structures, reporting requirements, covenants, and other loan features  
• Assist Portfolio Management team in reviewing borrower reporting where staff need additional context or housing expertise; provide support on requests for modifications, extensions, and waivers for loans in the housing portfolio as needed. 
• Collaborate with Portfolio Management team to establish best practices around monitoring and risk analysis of the housing portfolio overall; provide context on sector and market trends that may impact credit quality within the housing loan portfolio 

Who you are: 

• You have a minimum of 10 years of professional work experience, with at least 7 years in affordable housing finance and/or development.   
• You are proficient in reading and understanding financial statements, project budgets, and operating pro formas/cash flow projections  
• You have market knowledge and relationships in the affordable housing sector 
• You have a strong relationship-building approach with the ability to center the needs of clients and communities.   
• You are a strategic thinker; you combine strategy and innovation to successfully design and implement processes, systems and policies that support the organization's overall vision and growth     
• You possess strong project management skills with demonstrated success managing multiple projects and priorities
• You have an aptitude for problem-solving and are able to identify challenges and provide solutions
• You maintain a high level of integrity and are able to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner
• You are flexible, adaptable, and willing to pivot on short notice to meet the organization’s needs
• You are committed to continuous improvement and demonstrate a growth mindset
• You have exceptional and proactive communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• You enjoy collaborating with team members who are working together to re-envision the Community Development Finance Industry   
• You embody NFF’s mission, core values and commitment to equity 

Compensation:

At NFF, we are invested in discussing the depth and breadth of each candidate’s background and experience during the interview process and using that information to determine the best offer while considering internal pay equity. The starting salary range for this position is $120,000-$145,000. If provided an offer, NFF will determine salary compensation based on relevant skills and years of experience. NFF also takes into consideration internal equity in setting salary bands for each role. NFF provides an attractive benefits package that currently includes up to 18 paid holidays, 3 floating holidays, unlimited vacation time off, health insurance with NFF funded health reimbursement account on medical plan, and employer contributions toward retirement plan. In addition, NFF provides flexibility to work remotely and access to a “work from home” fund, and flexible spending accounts including medical, commuter, and childcare benefits.