Program Manager – Lending

Background

IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) is a subsidiary of the International Rescue Committee and a non-profit financial institution that offers accessible, small-dollar consumer and microenterprise loans primarily to refugees, immigrants, and other traditionally financially excluded communities. CEO makes its loans through partnerships with trusted community-based organizations that offer financial education and other asset-building services.

CEO is actively lending through 30 partners in 19 different states, and continuing to expand.

Summary

This new role will focus on three core areas: 1) loan underwriting  2) borrower flexibility and 3) capacity-building. The position reports to CEO’s Sr Manager for Credit & Risk. It will work closely with other members of the CEO team and with our external community partners that refer clients for financing. The role will also have direct engagement with CEO’s applicants and borrowers.

CEO is rapidly expanding nationally and offers opportunities for career growth. 10% – 15% of each week may be spent gaining experience across any of CEO’s core operational areas – including customer service, project design, curriculum/resource development, grant and donor support, communications, partnerships or monitoring and evaluation.

Responsibilities

Underwrite Consumer and Support Business Loans

• Serve as the lead underwriter for all consumer loans; support the underwriting of business loans
  
• Review, analyze, and evaluate loan application documents (financial statements, cash flow projections, tax returns, credit reports, etc.); apply CEO’s underwriting standards in the review of both consumer and small business loans; make decision recommendations
  
• Conduct due diligence throughout underwriting, flag issues of concern, and propose potential solutions for risk mitigation; work directly with applicants or referring Financial Coaches to clarify or complete applications;
  
• Support the drafting of credit memos for internal and external loan committee review and approval, in coordination with the Senior Business Counselor

Enhanced Customer Support, Flexibility & Modifications

CEO’s borrowers have often faced incredible hardship and trauma in their home countries. Many face financial turbulence even after their arrival to the U.S. The Loan Program Coordinator will lead in providing direct support to those facing hardship and use these experiences to enhance and refine CEO’s repayment & loan modification policies, protocols and systems.

Key Duties:

• Serve as primary Tier 2 support for all requests related to extended or enhanced loan modification requests.  Incorporate knowledge of the U.S. credit system and the impacts of CEO’s loans to propose tailored modifications that are achievable for borrowers and maximize their chances for overcoming turbulence; connect clients to relevant partner or community resources and offer light-touch guidance and support.
• Monitor cohort of borrowers under modification and take actions as necessary to update/support or reconnect with borrowers as warranted
• Support in further development of CEO’s loan flexibility options, formal loan forgiveness process, protocols; consistently apply learnings to improve client experience and reduce friction;
• Conduct and support collections; update collections protocols, policies, systems etc to achieve greater impact, efficiency & automation while ensuring we maintain focus on compassion, empathy and dignity for our clients at every step in the process

Capacity Building

• In close coordination with the Sr. Credit Strategy Manager, support continued development of new financial products or services accessible to and supportive of underserved communities
  
• Identify and execute strategies for enhancing the efficiency of CEO loan process for applicants, referring financial coaches, business counselors, and CEO underwriters (internal and external) nationally
  
• Support research on collection and repossession compliance across the states where CEO operates; inform & update policies
  
• Support the lending team with timely submission of program reports, and tools/resources to achieve greater efficiencies in data collection and analysis

Requirements

• Undergraduate or advanced degree or education in business or finance preferred; experience in lending & financial inclusion sector may substitute for education
• Must possess in-depth knowledge of the U.S. FICO credit system; prefer candidates that have completed CNMC Financial Coaching Training curriculum, CBA’s Credit as an Asset and/or FEC’s Coaching training OR other similar contextualized courses for working with low-income, credit-thin households
• Must have excellent customer service/client management skills and experience working with highly diverse, often under-resourced households.
• Underwriting experience strongly preferred; in-depth familiarity with the financial conditions/context of newly-arrived refugee communities as they pertain to assessing credit risk may be substituted
• At least 3 years of experience working in Financial Inclusion programming targeting diverse, underserved communities;
• Experience in or knowledge of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) industry is required.
• Strong financial analysis skills in interpreting and developing financial statements, cash flow projections, basic ratios, and a borrower’s ability to repay
• Strong speaking and communication skills; able to prepare and present engaging material to large groups, in-person or remotely
• Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google and business accounting software (I.e. QuickBooks or similar)
• Strong computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook); advanced Excel proficiency required;
• Prior experience in using Zendesk as CRM system and loan management software is a plus

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation: USD 54,800.00 – 73,500.00 Annually

 *Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget.  Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.*

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to apply through this online application portal: https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/45056?c=rescue