Credit Underwriter - Renewable Energy

Job Description

Job Description

Farmer Mac is looking to hire a driven, analytical, and personable individual with five (5) or more years of credit, lending, and structuring experience or three (3) or more years of relevant renewable energy experience for the position of Credit Underwriter for its Infrastructure Finance team.

Team Summary
Farmer Mac’s Infrastructure Finance team is a fast-paced, knowledgeable, mission-oriented team lending to organizations that finance renewable energy project finance transactions, power and utility entities and broadband companies, in addition to providing wholesale lending to a select group of financial institutions. Infrastructure Finance has delivered significant growth and is a crucial business in the execution of Farmer Mac’s strategic plan. The segment’s focus is on deepening existing client relationships, developing new customer relationships, and diversifying the products offered to clients.

Position Summary
The primary responsibilities of the Credit Underwriter include underwriting new loan opportunities, writing analytical credit recommendations, running sensitivity models, and portfolio management as it pertains to the Renewable Energy segment. The Credit Underwriter will maintain power and utilities industry knowledge with an emphasis on renewable energy and help to maintain key relationships with customers and business partners. The Credit Underwriter will develop internal relationships to help conduct portfolio activities leading up to credit approval, as well as post-approval processing; and be a part of the team driving new product innovation. This role is expected to contribute immediately towards accelerating growth within Farmer Mac’s Renewable Energy segment and contribute significantly to Farmer Mac’s strategic objectives and initiatives.

Who You Will Work With
The Renewable Energy Credit Underwriter will report directly to the Senior Director - Credit Underwriting. The position holds a high level of visibility within the company and will have regular interaction with Senior Managing Director of Infrastructure Finance, Managing Director of Renewable Energy, Relationship Managers, Transaction Management, and Farmer Mac internal and external counsel. The position will also have a high degree of interaction with Farmer Mac credit committee, including the Chief Credit Officer, and Farmer Mac clients.

Where and When You Will Work
The position can be remote or based in Farmer Mac’s Washington, DC or Johnston, IA, locations. Work outside of core hours may be required for planned and unplanned activities to complete time sensitive projects or to attend off-site meetings or events.

Key Responsibilities

• Primary contributor in the underwriting, portfolio management process, serving as a direct point of contact for client interaction during the underwriting and structuring phase.
• Review, analyze, and assess complex transactions from a variety of counterparties across project finance space within the United States, with a focus on renewable energy.
• Review and critically evaluate potential transactions including structure, key counterparties, technology, contracts, and financial projection models.
• Review loan documentation and consultant reports of potential opportunities for acceptability of terms and conditions and advise on structural considerations.
• Prepare and conduct credit presentations, recommending new or incremental credit exposure to the credit committee.
• Work with Relationship Manager, Transaction Management, Loan Operations, and Legal to coordinate the close of transactions.
• Manage an existing portfolio of borrowers, track ongoing financial performance and trends, report on covenant compliance, and ensure accurate borrower risk ratings.
• Secondary contributor in preparing annual reviews with risk rating rationale, managing portfolio credit actions including amendments, waivers, and consents.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of specific industries, economy, market conditions, rates, and competition.

Professional Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or related.
• Five (5) or more years of credit underwriting experience or three (3) or more years of relevant renewable experience (e.g. development, finance, project management).
• General understanding or willingness to learn specific dynamics of power industries and project finance structures.
• Ability and desire to eventually handle renewable energy deal opportunities largely autonomously, including sensitizing financial models, calculating financial ratios, reviewing third-party reports and financing agreements, having awareness of power industry technologies and key participants, identifying key strengths and weaknesses, developing reasonable credit solutions, and providing credit recommendations.
• Excellent skills in credit analysis, quantitative and qualitative assessments, valuation, loan underwriting, and documentation review.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Must have strong written and verbal communication abilities.
• Self-starter with strong work ethic and the ability to work on one or more tasks efficiently and effectively with minimal supervision.
• Broad knowledge of risk management processes and functions.

Our compensation philosophy is targeted pay positioning relative to peers, our industry, and external markets. Farmer Mac is committed to a compensation program that will enable the organization to attract, motivate, reward, and retain highly skilled and creative talent to maintain sustained long-term performance and achieve the organization’s strategic business objectives. The typical base pay range for this role is $115,000 to $145,000 per year. Compensation will vary based on experience and geographic work location.