Loan Fund Director

Tucson IDA / Groundswell Capital Loan Fund Director Tucson, AZ
· Full time Apply for Loan Fund Director

The Loan Fund Director is the institutional owner and architect of Tucson IDA and Groundswell Capital’s direct lending programs.

The Tucson Industrial Development Authority (Tucson IDA) is a quasi-governmental nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable strategic economic and community development by providing financing and access to capital for projects and programs that benefit a thriving Tucson. Our subsidiary, Groundswell Capital is a nonprofit lending organization focuses on sustainable economic development and access to capital.

The Tucson Industrial Development Authority (Tucson IDA) and Groundswell Capital, our 501(c)3 nonprofit lending arm, are seeking a Loan Fund Director to steer our direct lending programs to forward the organization’s mission of equitable, innovative and sustainable economic development.

The Loan Fund Director is the institutional owner and architect of Tucson IDA and Groundswell Capital’s direct lending programs. This role is responsible for designing, governing, and stewarding lending programs that advance equitable, innovative, and sustainable economic development while protecting the long-term financial health and public trust of the organization.

As Groundswell Capital scales its lending activity—including expansion of its SBA Microloan Program, pursuit of CDFI certification, and growth of climate and small business lending—the Loan Fund Director ensures that lending policies, credit standards, portfolio construction, and operating systems are aligned with national best practices and are built to scale.

The Loan Fund Director serves as the backbone of the lending institution—establishing guardrails, decision frameworks, and portfolio discipline that enable origination and business development staff to operate effectively within a clear and durable system.

• Serve as the primary internal authority on lending policy, credit standards, and risk management frameworks.
• Design, document, and continuously refine lending policies, procedures, and credit boxes across all loan products.
• Chair or co-chair internal loan committee processes; prepare and oversee credit memos, portfolio analysis, and recommendations for executive and Board review.
• Own overall portfolio construction and health, including concentration limits, risk layering, and performance monitoring.
• Own and maintain loan-level and portfolio-level financial models, ensuring assumptions, calculations, and outputs are accurate, well-documented, and consistent across programs.
• Develop portfolio-level metrics and reporting dashboards for the CEO and Board, supporting data-driven decision-making.
• Monitor loan performance and emerging risks; proactively recommend mitigants, policy adjustments, or program refinements.
• Ensure lending-related financial data and reporting are audit-ready, reproducible, and defensible for internal review, external auditors, and funders.
• Partner closely with the Director of Finance to ensure clean handoffs between lending systems and the general ledger, and alignment with accounting standards, internal controls, and Single Audit requirements.

• Act as the chief designer of lending programs, translating community needs, funder requirements, and strategic priorities into scalable financial products.
• Ensure lending programs are operationally efficient, audit-ready, and supported by appropriate systems, technology, and documentation.
• Lead efforts to integrate technology and automation (e.g., loan origination and servicing platforms) to maximize impact within a lean team.
• Play a significant role in long-term planning initiatives focused on operational excellence and institutional maturity.
• Provide leadership and direction to lending staff (full-time, part-time, and contracted), ensuring clarity of roles, workflows, and accountability.
• Support origination and business development staff by providing clear credit frameworks, timely guidance, and decision support—without becoming a…