Community Lending Officer, Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Flint

Community Lending Officer, Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Flint)

• Location: Flint
• Type: Full time

STATUS: Full-Time, Exempt
LOCATION: Flint, Michigan / Hybrid
REPORTS TO: Director of Lending

OUR MISSION:
Michigan Women Forward is a community development financial institution whose mission is to expand economic opportunity for women and entrepreneurs of color by providing access to capital and business resources. Michigan Women Forward celebrates outstanding women by honoring their leadership contributions to the community, economy, and our state.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
This role blends relationship building, community engagement, and loan evaluation. The ideal candidate is comfortable being visible in the community, sourcing opportunities through trust-based relationships, and guiding entrepreneurs through the loan readiness and lending process.

This is not a back-office underwriting-only role. Success requires judgment, autonomy, and the ability to balance people-facing work with financial analysis and internal loan preparation.

HYBRID EXPECTATIONS:

• Two days per week in Flint, embedded in community partner spaces and in-market meetings.
• Three days remote, focused on underwriting preparation, follow-ups, loan packaging, and pipeline management.
• Occasional early morning, evening, or community event hours may be required.

NON-NEGOTIABLES
:

• 5 plus years
  of professional experience in lending, banking, credit union, or finance-related roles
• Experience in
  relationship-based lending
  , small business banking, branch banking, or community-facing financial services
• Proven ability to
  source and develop a lending pipeline
  through community engagement, referrals, and partnerships
• Ability to review financial information and projections and assess reasonableness and repayment capacity
• Strong customer experience skills and emotional intelligence
• Comfort presenting loan recommendations to internal stakeholders or loan committee style groups
• Strong organization skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently

PREFERRED

SKILLS:

• Formal underwriting or credit analyst experience
• Experience with microloans, nonprofit lending, CDFIs, or CRA-related programs
• Existing relationships within the Flint small business ecosystem or a transferable book of business
• Experience meeting quantifiable lending or portfolio goals
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Build trust and deliver an outstanding customer experience across the full lending lifecycle
• Engage entrepreneurs, banks, chambers, and partners to source loan-ready applications
• Maintain visible community presence to support pipeline development
• Conduct client meetings and site visits
• Represent the organization at ecosystem events and partner meetings

• Guide entrepreneurs through loan readiness and documentation
• Evaluate loan applications and business plans for completeness and credit alignment
• Review financial statements, tax documents, and projections for reasonableness
• Analyze revenues, expenses, and debt obligations, including repayment capacity
• Identify key risks and collaborate on post-loan technical assistance plans

• Prepare loans for bi-weekly loan committee meetings with clear narratives and analysis
• Participate in loan committee discussions
• Facilitate loan closings and support disbursement processes

Salary range: $75,000 to $90,000, commensurate with experience

Flexibility:Exceptional candidates with strong community lending, relationship-building experience, or a transferable book of business may be considered above range

• Medical coverage
• Paid time off
• Half-day Fridays during the summer
• Office closure between Christmas and New Year’s

The position requires regular presence in the Detroit office for direct coordination with the President & CEO and CFO. Some flexibility for remote work on administrative and data entry tasks may be available depending on operational needs. The role may occasionally require early mornings, late afternoons, or weekend hours to support board activities, strategic initiatives, or…