Senior Vice President, Commercial Lender Manager

Background

Embrace a leadership role that drives real change with Invest Detroit! We are seeking a Senior Vice President, Commercial Lender Manager—a unique opportunity to leverage your strategic lending expertise in fueling Detroit’s growth while championing equitable access to capital.

Summary

This isn’t just any role—it’s a mission-critical position with a nonprofit lender dedicated to financing catalytic projects that uplift communities and transform lives. With a focus on small business, commercial and industrial lending, and commercial real estate, you will shape Detroit’s future, one neighborhood at a time.
You’ll lead a talented team of lending professionals, identifying gaps in the market, overcoming barriers to equity, and collaborating with local partners to deliver solutions that benefit underserved communities. Your team will work alongside emerging and established business owners, helping bring bold, impactful projects to life—projects that enrich neighborhoods and empower under-resourced residents. This role collaborates with the other team leads, ensuring financial products meet the needs of the community, assessing credit risk, and maintaining compliance—all while staying rooted in a mission to deliver meaningful impact.
If you’ve been searching for a way to bring purpose to your lending career, this is your chance to make an impact that reaches far beyond the bottom line.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the small business, commercial and industrial, real estate, and NMTC lenders (6).
• Provide training, guidance, and performance evaluations for direct reports.
• Set and monitor lender team goals related to loan origination, approval, and servicing.
• Screen all new loan requests for mission alignment.
• Collaborate with the Credit Officer to approve loan and equity requests up to $500K along with grants.
• Collaborate with the Credit Officer to review all loan requests to make sure they are aligned with fund and credit guidelines, and key risks are properly mitigated.
• In collaboration with the Credit Officer, monitor and manage the loan portfolio to maintain a healthy balance between growth and risk.
• Collaborate with Credit Team Manager, Portfolio Team Manager and Loan Operations Manager to help resolve relationship, structuring, and credit challenges that may arise.
• Work with staff to identify appropriate resources as needed. This includes assessing project feasibility, developing financing strategies and helping borrowers access other forms of capital including philanthropic contributions and/or public subsidies.
• Identify opportunities to establish relationships and increase engagement with potential borrowers and external stakeholders to further our mission and deepen our impact with a focus on historically underrepresented communities.
• Manage strategic partnerships with for-profit and nonprofit financial institutions and local, state, and national governmental subsidy programs, that could support potential permanent financing structures for Invest Detroit’s borrowers.
• Accept special projects in support of the team and community involvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as finance, business, and/or public administration, graduate degree in one of these fields is a plus but not required.
• At least seven (7) years of direct commercial lending with a focus on real estate ideally at a community development financial institution, a commercial bank or other financial institution.
• At least three (3) years of direct employee management experience.
• Strong knowledge of loan structuring and underwriting, including solid financial analysis skills and familiarity with housing and community facility subsidy programs. Formal credit training is also a plus.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others and demonstrate flexibility and poise in dealing with a diverse range of individuals and organizations while meeting tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated success in building and managing individual and organizational relationships, and strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated experience in preparing and negotiating complex transactions and balancing the programmatic needs of community-based organizations with sound underwriting judgment and risk mitigation.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local community development programs, particularly programs that finance affordable housing, tax credit programs; and/or experience in small business or commercial and industrial lending is a plus.
• Experience working with historically underrepresented communities, understanding of the local racial history of inequitable and predatory lending practices and the resulting harm to communities, and existing relationships and familiarity with the local market landscape and community leaders/stakeholders is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft programs and Salesforce. The ability to learn and adapt to a changing I.T. environment is required.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Compensation and Benefits

Working at Invest Detroit
Invest Detroit is a mission-driven lender, investor, and partner working to ignite inclusive economic growth in underserved Detroit communities and across the region. A leading Detroit-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), we bring 25+ years of experience acting as a
catalyst for economic development and investment, providing critical gap financing through real estate development, commercial lending, and venture capital. We have deployed over $593M to date.
Our team is a hard-working, supportive group that is passionate about our mission and believes strongly in equitable opportunity, diversity, and respect. We believe that through partnership, tenacity, creativity, and drive, we can help to improve access to opportunity and an overall better quality of life for all Detroiters.
For more information on Invest Detroit, please visit the Invest Detroit website.

Salary Range
Invest Detroit offers a competitive salary and benefits, commensurate with experience and skills. The annual salary range for Senior Vice President, Commercial Lender Manager is $175,000 – $195,000. Invest Detroit is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace.

How to Apply

Please forward your resume and cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position to [email protected]. Please include “SVP, Commercial Lender Manager” in the subject line and indicate how you heard about this opportunity in the email.