Position Reports to: Vice President, Financing

Location: Remote or based out of any NFF offices (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and Philadelphia)

Department: Financing

The COVID crisis and the uprising for racial justice have shone national light on both the urgent work required to build a more just and vibrant society for all Americans and the potential for positive action when our communities mobilize. In most cases, these efforts are spearheaded by nonprofits, community organizations, and their heroic staff who deliver essential services like affordable housing, social justice advocacy, health, youth development, and the arts. Yet these nonprofits and the communities they support operate within a flawed, inequitable funding system that controls their access to resources, impeding their ability to make a difference.

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is setting out to change that. We know that nonprofit leaders have power when they have access to capital and financial knowledge. Our strategy focuses on helping to shift that power by changing funding and financing practices so more money flows equitably and with less restriction to community-centered organizations led by and serving people of color, so they can be the drivers of their own change.

Read about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion here.

About the Opportunity:

NFF’s Financing team provides loans to nonprofit organizations for their real estate and working capital needs with a commitment to ensuring communities of color and their leaders have access to and control of the funds they need to meet their goals. Currently, NFF manages close to $400 million of financing assets, primarily loans to nonprofit organizations in the education, healthcare, human service, supportive housing, and art sectors.

We are seeking a Director, Charter School Lending to develop and maintain a broad network of relationships that we can use to identify viable charter school financing needs in NFF markets. This position will play a central role in the growth and expansion of NFF’s financing business nationally and serve as NFF’s charter school market leader. The Director will ensure NFF meets the annual goals articulated in its performance agreements with the Federal Department of Education (DoE) related to two $12 million grants that support flexible financing for charter schools. This individual serves as a single point of contact to represent NFF’s charter school financing work externally. A successful Director, Charter School Lending will help us rethink our approach to lending by prioritizing the needs of strategically aligned organizations, eliminating practices rooted in white supremacy, and demonstrating a willingness to be creative and flexible in decision-making. This is an opportunity for someone to lead this work at NFF and within the industry.  Please review Plan 50%+.

This position can be remote or based out of any one of NFF’s office locations which are in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and Philadelphia. Our offices have re-opened, and staff can opt into in-person work. There is a potential for up to 25% travel.

The Director, Charter School Lending will report to the Vice President, Financing who is based in Philadelphia. 

What you’ll do:

Charter School Market Leader

Develops a market strategy for our charter school lending that responds to the needs of charter schools, particularly those led by and serving people of color, and that face barriers to obtaining financing.
Coordinates with NFF lending staff who will help with implementation of the market strategy and meeting lending goals.
Identify market gaps and opportunities for NFF to support charter schools rooted in community, particularly those in geographies where NFF has an active presence and relationships (e.g. NYC, LA, Bay Area, Philadelphia, Memphis, Washington State), as well as in possible expansion areas to be identified.
Deepens and maintains strong networks across charter school funders, authorizers, consultants, state and national associations, and lending peers.
Serves as an NFF charter school expert: share knowledge internally and externally, represent NFF in various industry associations and working groups, among other ways.
Builds NFF’s brand among charter school partners and stakeholders.

Loan Origination

Leads the development of a pipeline of viable loan opportunities in partnership with NFF’s Loan Origination team.
Serves as a trusted partner for new and existing charter school clients; lead conversations with charter schools in a way that demonstrates empathy and garners understanding of their financing experiences and needs, and develop financing solutions that reflect these needs.

Credit Enhancement

Manages NFF’s Department of Education (DoE) charter school credit enhancement award(s), including:
Deployment of credit enhancement to provide loan loss protection on new charter school loans
Identification of partners, such as other lenders and consultants, that NFF can work with to source viable loans that are eligible for credit enhancement.
Monitoring progress toward meeting DoE performance goals throughout the year, including lending volume and number of schools financed.
Supporting NFF’s Portfolio Management team, as well as Investor Relations, Operations, and Finance departments in data collection, management, reporting, and compliance with DoE.

Who you are:

You have a minimum of 7 years of professional work experience, with at least 5 years in charter school finance, operations, management, facility development, and/or lending.
You are proficient in reading and understanding financial statements, project budgets, and operating pro formas / cash flow projections.
You have market knowledge and relationships in the charter school sector
You have a strong relationship-building approach with the ability to center the needs of clients and communities.
You are a strategic thinker; you combine strategy and innovation to successfully design and implement processes, systems and policies that support the organization's overall vision and growth
You possess strong project management skills with demonstrated success managing multiple projects, including government or philanthropic grants is strongly preferred
You have an aptitude for problem-solving and are able to identify challenges and provide solutions.
You maintain a high level of integrity and are able to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner.
You are flexible, adaptable, and willing to pivot on short notice to meet the organization’s needs.
You are committed to continuous improvement and demonstrate a growth mindset.
You have exceptional and proactive communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.
You enjoy collaborating with team members who are working together to re-envision the Community Development Finance Industry
You embody NFF’s mission, core values and commitment to equity

Compensation:

At NFF, we are invested in discussing the depth and breadth of each candidate’s background and experience during the interview process and using that information to determine the best offer while considering internal pay equity. The salary range for this position is $125,000 – $150,000. If provided an offer, NFF will determine salary compensation based on skills and years of experience. NFF takes into consideration internal equity of our existing team members as part of the offer stage. The range mentioned is the full base salary range for the role. We typically do not hire at the maximum range in order to allow for salary growth. NFF provides an attractive benefits package that currently includes up to 18 paid holidays, 3 floating holidays, unlimited vacation time off, health insurance with NFF funded health reimbursement account on medical plan, 2% match and 4% non-match employer contributions toward retirement plan. In addition, NFF provides flexibility to work remotely and access to a “work from home” fund, and flexible spending accounts including commuter benefits.  

Please Note:

All salaries are commensurate with experience and include an attractive benefits package.

Nonprofit Finance Fund is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce. We encourage candidates that will help us live out this commitment to apply.

NFF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or military or veteran status in accordance with federal law. In addition, NFF complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it maintains facilities. NFF also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.

This job posting provides a general list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required for this position. It does not represent a contract for employment and NFF reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without notice.

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