Director of Lending

Position Summary: The Director of Lending reports to the Executive Director and provides strategic leadership and oversight of LEDC’s lending programs, including loan origination, underwriting, servicing, and portfolio management.

This role is responsible for driving the growth, performance, and sustainability of the lending portfolio, with a strategic goal of expanding it to $100 million. The Director ensures alignment across lending functions, maintains strong credit quality and portfolio health, and oversees compliance with funder and regulatory requirements.

The Director of Lending supervises the Loan Operations Manager and the Loan Servicing & Underwriting Manager, establishing clear accountability across pipeline management, credit decisions, servicing, and risk management. Working closely with the Finance and Development teams, the Director also plays a key role in managing liquidity, supporting capital strategy, and strengthening relationships with funders and external partners.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Growth

• Develop and execute a lending strategy aligned with organizational goals and community needs.
• Lead efforts to grow the lending portfolio to $20 million within the next 3 years while maintaining strong credit quality.
• Establish annual production targets, portfolio goals, and performance benchmarks.
• Identify opportunities for new products, markets, and partnerships to expand impact.
• Support the design and implementation of new lending products in collaboration with internal teams.
• Accountable for overall lending performance, including portfolio growth, deployment, and portfolio health metrics.

Team Leadership

• Supervise and support the Loan Operations Manager and Loan Servicing & Underwriting Manager.
• Build a high-performing, accountable, and collaborative lending team.
• Provide strategic guidance while empowering managers to own execution.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and professional development across the lending team.
• Collaborate with the Director of Small Business Development to ensure programs are integrating.

Lending Operations Oversight (Pipeline to Portfolio)

• Provide oversight across the full lending lifecycle, from origination through servicing.
• Ensure strong coordination between Loan Operations and Loan Servicing & Underwriting functions.
• Monitor pipeline performance and loan production to ensure alignment with targets.
• Identify operational gaps and implement improvements to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Credit, Risk & Portfolio Management

• Oversee underwriting standards and ensure alignment with credit policies and risk tolerance.
• Lead the credit risk committee and decision-making on non-performing loans, modifications, and complex credit cases.
• Approve loans within delegated authority and recommend loans for Board Lending Committee approval.
• Monitor portfolio performance, including delinquency, defaults, recoveries, and write-offs.
• Oversee portfolio trend analysis and use data to inform strategic decisions and improve performance.
• Collaborate with Finance on CECL methodology, portfolio risk assessment, and reporting.

Capital, Liquidity & Financial Oversight

• Work closely with the CFO to manage lending capital, liquidity, and deployment strategy.
• Support fundraising efforts in collaboration with the Executive Director and Chief of Development.
• Ensure and enforce compliance with all applicable regulatory and program requirements (e.g., SBA Microloan, CDFI Fund, other funders).
• Lead lending capital planning, including identifying and securing new lending resources.
• Ensure lending activities align with financial sustainability and organizational targets.

Funder, Partner & External Relations

• Build and maintain relationships with funders, financial institutions, and community partners.
• Represent LEDC in external meetings, events, and stakeholder engagements.
• Oversee and ensure timely fulfillment of lending-related funder deliverables and reporting requirements.

Data, Systems & Reporting

• Oversee data integrity and performance reporting across lending systems (Airtable and DownHome).
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting to leadership, funders, and the board.
• Monitor key performance indicators across pipeline and portfolio.
• Use data and trend analysis to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.
• In coordination with the Director of Operations, support improvements to systems and tools that enhance efficiency and scalability.

Specific duties may vary based on program needs, funding requirements, and operational priorities. As the role evolves, additional responsibilities may be assigned.

Required Qualifications:

We recognize that candidates may meet these qualifications in different ways and encourage individuals with a passion for community-centered work to apply, even if their experience does not align perfectly with every item listed.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or business-related.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills required.
• Effective and motivational manager of diverse and dispersed teams.
• At least five years of micro-lending or business lending experience, including underwriting and loan/portfolio management or equivalent experience in financing.
• Innovative and creative problem-solving mindset.
• Capable of coordinating across various internal departments.

Additional Qualifications:

• Availability to work evenings and weekends, as needed, to support community events.
• Ability to travel up to 25% to support clients, programs, events, and other office locations.
• Access to reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five years of banking experience.
• MA/MBA degree in accounting or finance.
• Proven fundraiser, ideally bringing your own set of funder contacts.
• Experience working with small business owners.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, with professional proficiency in reading, writing, and verbal communication in Spanish.

Work Environment & Schedule:

• Work Environment: This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and scanners.
• The office environment is generally climate-controlled; however, temperatures may vary, and some individuals may find it too warm or too cool at times.
• Hybrid Work Model: LEDC maintains a hybrid workplace model. In-office schedules vary by team, but all staff are expected to be able to report to the office any day of the week, as needed.
• Schedule: Typical office hours are 9am-5pm, however the finalized schedule is approved by this position’s supervisor. This is a full-time, exempt role which typically requires 40 hours per week. Some travel or work outside of normal hours may be required.
• Travel: This role requires occasional travel for meetings, trainings, and events within the DMV region. Rarely, occasional overnight travel may be required.
• Primary Reporting Location: 1401 Columbia Rd. NW, Unit C-1, Washington, DC 20009.

Physical Requirements:

This is largely a sedentary role; however, some or all of the following may be required.:

• Ability to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods (e.g., sitting at a desk).
• Ability to move about the office to access files, office machinery, etc.
• Ability to occasionally move/lift/carry up to 10–20 pounds (e.g., office supplies, files, equipment).
• Constant operation of a computer, keyboard, mouse, and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and scanner.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment (copiers, printers, scanners, telephones)
• The person in this position frequently communicates with staff, external stakeholders and clients who have inquiries about our services and/or their cases. The incumbent must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Constantly views and reads information on a computer screen for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in person, over the phone, and in writing.
• Ability to see details at close range (within a few feet).
• Ability to hear and respond to spoken communication during meetings, calls, and office interactions.
• Regularly works in an office setting with moderate noise levels.
• Ability to enter and move through commercial buildings, including navigating stairs, elevators, hallways, and uneven surfaces.
• Occasionally required to travel to external locations for meetings, trainings, or events.

This list is not exhaustive, and other reasonable physical requirements may be assigned as needed to support the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Compensation & Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $110,000.00 - $135,000.00, commensurate with experience and team budget and covers all hours worked. LEDC provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Options for employer-paid healthcare, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Paid sick leave, vacation, and personal days.
• Additional benefits and resources to support employee wellbeing.

How To Apply:

Send your cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Emi Reyes, CEO at ereyes@ledcmetro.org, with a subject line of: Director of Lending. No phone calls please!