Lending Director

Job Title Lending Director
Department Finance
Reports To Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
FLSA Status Exempt - Administrative
EEO Code First/Mid-Level Officials and Managers
Workers’ Compensation Code 8810
Date November 2025


Position Overview

The Lending Director handles efforts related to technical assistance as well as lending, including marketing, outreach, underwriting, structuring, closing, monitoring, problem solving, state and federal reporting, servicing of loans, and if necessary, workouts. They work closely with the rest of the lending team to ensure program objectives are met.

Technical support is training to help borrowers succeed. Support can come in many forms, from business planning to other forms of education to bolster borrowers’ financial and business-management capacity.

Lending will be primarily our smaller loan programs, such as The Small Enterprise Loan Program, The Emerging Entrepreneur Loan Program, Building Blocks Loan Program, and The Grow a Farmer Loan Program.

Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities
Collaborate with the Lending Team on The Foundation’s loan programs to control risk, gain adequate interest income and facilitate the success of loan clients.
With the Lending Team, identify and implement loan process improvements.
Research, identify and adopt innovative loan pools and other business financing capital sources that give the Business Finance programs competitive advantage.
Analyze the performance of individual loan customers and propose corrective actions for problem accounts.
Evaluate the performance of the Business Finance loan portfolio and develop and implement strategies to improve the performance of the portfolio.
Research, and where appropriate, implement new lending programs and financing tools that meet the needs of the Business Finance clients.
Promote the Business Finance lending programs to business financing professionals and partners in the region and state.
Diagnose needs of loan clients and prospective loan clients and provide technical assistance. Deliver personalized technical assistance to businesses or refer to appropriate staff or outside consultants.
Work collaboratively with other Lending and SMIF team members to leverage Business Finance experience and tools across programs.
Conduct regular program evaluations and use the results to continuously improve lending programs.
Oversee loan process management, including credit analysis, risk mitigation and loan servicing.
Ensure compliance and reporting with all State and Federal programs.
Serve on SMIF Internal Loan Committee.

Non-Essential Job Functions
Perform other duties as assigned.




Minimum Qualifications

Education/Experience/Requirements
Undergraduate degree in business finance or related field.
Minimum 3-5 years related work experience, preferably with a nonprofit or foundation.

Competencies
Ability to consistently demonstrate SMIF’s Guiding Values & Code of Ethical Conduct while performing the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Strong analytical skills and understanding of credit analysis.
Strong interpersonal communication and group presentation skills.
Ability to effectively organize and prioritize multiple, simultaneous work assignments and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
Ability to work effectively with a broad range of people and styles.
Ability to identify and develop solutions to opportunity.
Develop unique/innovative solutions to business financing needs.
Experience with Microsoft office and lending portfolio management software.

Working Conditions/Physical Demands
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that are necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Normal office environment with the pressure of time deadlines.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to: concentrate, sit for long periods of time, stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and/or talk and hear. The employee must have the capacity to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Ability to travel within the 20-county service area 50% of the time.


Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation will make reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals who may need assistance in performing the essential functions of this position.


All Resumes must be accompanied by a cover letter.
Send to Melissa Langer, melissal@smifoundation.org

Complete acknowledgment on the next page

















Acknowledgment




Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (The Foundation) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, genetic information, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, local human rights commission activity, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Statements included in this job description do not necessarily represent an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as circumstances change.

Job Description Acknowledgment: I have read and understand the job requirements, responsibilities and expectations set forth in this job description provided for my position. I attest that I am able to perform the essential job functions as outlined with or without any reasonable accommodations.
Position Title Lending Director
Employee Name
Employee Signature Date