Loan Specialist - Southeast Nebraska

Are you passionate about assisting individuals and communities with small business development, affordable housing, and access to capital? Do you enjoy talking with people to uncover their needs and present them with financial solutions? Are you competitive and self-driven to meet goals? The Center for Rural Affairs is looking for you!

The Center for Rural Affairs is seeking full-time Loan Specialists to work in Southeast Nebraska. Fluency in Spanish is a plus.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about small businesses, entrepreneurship, and affordable housing and think strategically about access to capital. They will have a proven ability to build relationships with clients, community leaders, and partners to maintain a strong referral network. They will deliver technical assistance to potential and current loan clients. They will visit current client businesses and celebrate their accomplishments. They will be committed to getting results while assisting clients in navigating opportunities for entrepreneurship and affordable housing.

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 applicants from historically underserved audiences. 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 Loan Specialist reports to the Assistant Lending Services Director, works with the lending team, and is responsible for the following:

• You will develop a referral network with local partners, businesses, bankers, economic development districts, and local community residents to identify and support individuals who need small business and housing loans.
• You will assist, guide, and educate prospective loan borrowers as they journey through the loan application process.
• You will prepare loan packages and gather all documents needed to present a loan application for review and approval.
• You will provide technical assistance to borrowers in all stages of their loan relationship with the Center.
• You will build strong relationships with all loan clients, regularly contacting them in person and through phone conversations.
• You will be the trusted source of resources and referrals when requested by community members, organizations, Center staff, and partners. 

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

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

• Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders and can attract allies and partners from marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, low-income families, and immigrants. You know how to build sales networks and alliances and find points of collaboration even when competing interests exist.
• Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of accomplishing ambitious goals and getting results despite obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and develop pragmatic solutions. You plan backward and involve stakeholders appropriately.
• Inclusive leadership and management: You approach leadership with a mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly include others in decision-making. You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to clients, partners, and contractors to leverage time and resources 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 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 are fluent in speaking and writing Spanish, this is a plus.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Identify individuals who need small business and housing loans and use your knowledge and experience to sell them solutions.
• Creating an action plan with a client that helps them meet their financial and/or business goals, with the vision of closing their loan in sight.
• Meeting your quarterly and annual goals by creating a large network of relationships.
• Analyzing, assessing, and presenting a complete loan application package for a business or housing loan to the loan committee for approval several times a month.
• Providing technical assistance to your loan clients to help them succeed, learn best business practices, and make regular payments on their loan(s).

What else you should know

This is a full-time non-exempt position, based in Southeast Nebraska. This position may be based in an existing Center office, home office, or newly established office. This position will require frequent travel by car throughout the region to build your sales and client network, meet with community partners and loan clients, and occasionally include overnight travel. This position has a salary range of $51,500 to $66,000. Candidates with more extensive relevant experience may be considered for a Senior Loan Specialist role with a salary range of $63,000 to $80,000. A top-notch benefits package with a cash value of $10,000 to $29,500, depending on family status and tenure with the Center, is also included. Benefits include a 97% employer-paid family health insurance that includes a contribution to a Health Savings Account, retirement options, 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. The Center 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 with a national reputation as one of the top organizations in the country that works 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 professional experiences have positioned you for success in this role and any related work, skills, or expertise you want us to know about. Also, list which part of the state you are applying for. Please let us know how you heard about this position and why you want to work with us.