Program Officer, Lending

What We Do

With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families.

Strategies We Pursue

• Equip talent in underinvested communities with the skills and credentials to compete successfully for quality income and wealth opportunities.
• Invest in businesses, housing and other community infrastructure to catalyze economic, health, safety and educational mobility for individuals and communities.
• Strengthen existing alliances while building new collaborations to increase our impact on the progress of people and places.
• Develop leadership and the capacity of partners to advance our work together.
• Drive local, regional, and national policy and system changes that foster broadly shared prosperity and well-being.

Since 1979, LISC and its affiliates have invested approximately $29.7 billion in businesses, affordable housing, health, educational mobility, community and recreational facilities, public safety, employment, and other projects that help to revitalize and stabilize underinvested communities. Headquartered in New York City, LISC’s reach spans the country from East coast to West coast in 38 markets with offices extending from Buffalo to San Francisco and in 2,400 rural counties across 49 states and Puerto Rico. Visit us at www.lisc.org

LISC Duluth

As one of 38 local offices, LISC Duluth provides capital and strategy to our local community and community development partners. Since 1997 we have invested $86M and leveraged an additional $337M to advance the community's priorities in affordable housing, economic mobility, and wealth building. Our work in Duluth has yielded the creation and preservation of 1,684 units of housing and has created 1,553 jobs. The work we are a part of directly affects places and creates neighborhoods where people can thrive. We aim to increase investments in the interconnected areas of housing, health, education, public safety, and employment. As a capacity building intermediary, we connect public, non-profit, and private resources with underinvested places and people to increase access opportunities. For more information, please visit www.lisc.org/duluth

Position Description

The Program Officer (PO), Lending, will report to the Executive Director and will work closely with members of LISC Duluth, in partnership with LISC Twin Cities and across LISC National teams. This position is charged to support LISC Duluth’s work towards increasing transformative impact by facilitating and deploying capital and guiding development capacity at the local and regional level. We seek an experienced professional who desires to strengthen communities through thoughtful lending, technical assistance, and project management. This person will be responsible for managing LISC Duluth’s lending pipeline and Emerging Developers Capacity Building Initiative. The candidate will have three or more years of experience with community development and development of investment strategy. This includes technical assistance for projects and deploying capital; working in underinvested communities; deep ties and experience building relationships, networking, and collaborating effectively with ethnically, culturally, and socio- economically diverse communities and organizations that serve them; and deep passion for and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. This position requires a hybrid work arrangement. 

Responsibilities 

Lending and Project Technical Assistance (60%)

Working closely with the Executive Director, Lending and Project Investments colleagues, the PO will:

• Develop a strategic approach to support and manage the growth of lending and real estate-based transactions in Duluth, Duluth MSA, and Northeast region of MN.
• Build and manage a pipeline of projects in such asset classes as affordable housing, commercial developments and community facilities. 
  • Identifying projects that qualify for and benefit from access to green capital.
• Activate the office’s local subsidies (0% Project Development Loan Pool and Housing Trust Fund) and connect local projects to national subsidy sources and lending strategies.
• Identify and develop new financing partnerships to sustain and/or increase access to capital.
• Work with community development partners to assess feasibility, develop realistic financing strategies, access public subsidies and conventional financing to assure successful project execution.
• Source, originate and underwrite, including working with borrowers to assess feasibility, structure the transaction, conduct due diligence and financial analyses, and draft credit memoranda.
• Coordinate with LISC Duluth and national staff to present loan recommendations to LISC's national Credit Committee and assist with closing.
• Support program fundraising efforts.

Emerging Developers Capacity Building Initiative (30%)

Lead the implementation of the Developer Capacity Building Initiative, including:

• Responsively design experiences to fit developers’ needs, integrating green resources and knowledge.
• Facilitation of peer-to-peer cohort/regional housing ecosystem meetings.
• Support program fundraising efforts.
• Provide technical assistance with financing, government approvals and access to private equity. 
• Source and underwrite LISC loan opportunities. 
• Building relationships with mentors and project champions.

Other Responsibilities (10%)

• Collaborate with full LISC MN team (Duluth and Twin Cities offices), local community partners and national LISC departments on large-scale, leading edge and high-impact strategic priorities and initiatives – includes internal lending and green work-groups.
• Prepare reports and present to LISC Duluth’s Local Advisory Board.
• Represent LISC at external meetings, conferences and events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Business Administration, Public Policy, Community Development, Planning, or related field, or relevant work experience. Master’s Degree a plus.
• Minimum five (5) years of demonstrated and increasingly progressive experience in the field of community development, including lending. Some prior senior or management level experience a plus.
• Familiarity with the real estate markets in the Duluth and Northeastern MN.
• Experience working with city, county, state and federal financing programs available to support projects strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects at various stages, adhering to work plans and budgets, coordinating with internal and external parties to meet approval and closing deadlines.
• Understanding of underwriting issues with respect to residential/ commercial real estate development and small business.
• Demonstrated familiarity with principles of affordable housing and commercial funding programs and mechanisms including local, state, and federal housing and community development programs, and low-income housing and new market tax credit programs.
• Demonstrated cultural competency working with diverse communities and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in their work.
• Highly motivated, solution-oriented individual who is self-directed, and able to successfully balance multiple priorities and programs.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others and demonstrate flexibility and poise in dealing with a diverse range of individuals and organizations. Familiarity with navigating various cultural contexts.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills are essential. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Bilingual in a language commonly used in Minnesota communities, a plus.
• Ability to work in a hybrid capacity.

Please include a cover letter with your submission.

Compensation

LISC offers a competitive salary of $70,000 - $85,000 commensurate with experience and excellent benefits.

*Actual salaries may be based on several factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's skill set, experience, education, work location and other qualifications.

Our benefits include: 

Medical, Dental, Vision Coverage: Comprehensive health plans for you and your family's well-being; Disability Insurance: Long-term and short-term coverage for peace of mind; Retirement Savings: Secure your future with our 401(k) and 403(b) plans; Generous Holidays: Enjoy ample time off to recharge and celebrate; Vacation, PTO, and Sick Days: Take advantage of flexible time-off policies to maintain work-life balance; Tuition Assistance: Pursue your educational goals with support from our tuition assistance program; Referral Program: Earn rewards for referring qualified candidates to join our team; Professional Development Opportunities: Grow and advance in your career with access to ongoing training and development programs tailored to your goals.

LISC is an equal opportunity employer. LISC does not discriminate in employment on account of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military status or veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

We will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.

LISC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND JUSTICE