Managing Director, Lender Finance Underwriting

Position Summary

Pinnacle Financial Partners is seeking a Managing Director, Lender Finance Underwriting to serve as a senior credit leader and underwriter for lender finance and specialty finance credit facilities ranging from $10MM to $150MM.

This role is responsible for end-to-end credit underwriting, structuring, and approval of complex specialty finance transactions and sits at the center of a relationship-driven, credit-focused platform. The Managing Director will partner closely with originations to deliver tailored financing solutions to non-bank lenders, specialty finance companies, and asset-based lenders, while ensuring disciplined risk management aligned with growth objectives.

In addition, this individual will oversee underwriting standards, mentor junior professionals, and play a central role in credit committee presentations and approvals.

Key Responsibilities

Credit Underwriting & Structuring

• Underwriting of lender finance facilities, including warehouse facilities (consumer, commercial, fintech assets), asset-backed revolvers and other structured credit solutions.
• Perform detailed analysis of:
• Borrower financial performance and liquidity
• Collateral quality, dilution, and performance trends
• Advance rates, borrowing base mechanics, eligibility criteria, and concentration limits
• Structure credit facilities to optimize risk-adjusted returns, including covenants, reporting requirements, and control mechanisms
• Own preparation of clear, decision-oriented credit memos and present transactions to credit committee in partnership with the originations team

Partnership with Originations & Clients

• Act as a strategic credit partner to deal teams (not a gatekeeper)
• Engage early in deal screening, structuring, and term sheet development
• Provide pragmatic solutions to support execution within defined risk tolerance
• Interface directly with clients, sponsors, management teams and intermediaries as a senior credit representative

Credit Risk Leadership, Governance & Portfolio Transition

• Ensure alignment with firm-wide credit culture, policies and risk appetite
• Identify and mitigate key risks, including collateral volatility, concentration exposure, operational risk, and counter party risk
• Partner with portfolio management to ensure effective transition from underwriting to ongoing monitoring
• Maintain high-quality underwriting standards across the platform
• Serve as a senior voice in credit committee discussions and decisions

Cross-Functional Execution

• Collaborate closely with originations, legal, portfolio management, and operations to execute transactions efficiently
• Support negotiation of loan documentation and closing conditions
• Provide structuring guidance throughout transaction lifecycle, from deal screening to term sheet development and through closing

Strategic & Platform Development

• Help build and scale Pinnacle's lender finance platform, including credit frameworks, underwriting guidelines, and product capabilities
• Contribute to portfolio construction strategy, including industry focus and concentration limits
• Provide market insights on specialty finance trends, structures, and competitive dynamics
• Assist with hiring, development and mentoring of junior underwriters and analysts
• Deliver training on structuring, collateral analysis, and credit judgment and promote best practices in credit writing and presentation
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative underwriting culture while supporting scalable growth

Technical & Soft Skills

• Expertise in collateral-based lending, borrowing base mechanics, and advance rate analysis
• Strong financial modeling, structuring and risk assessment capabilities

• Deep understanding of legal documentation and intercreditor dynamics

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to balance risk discipline with commercial pragmatism
• Strong judgment in complex and ambiguous situations
• Comfortable operating on a lean, high-accountability team
• High ownership mindset with end-to-end accountability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in lender finance, fund finance, or structured finance platforms
• Background working with non-bank lenders, fintechs, or specialty finance companies
• Prior experience building or scaling an underwriting function

Minimum Experience

10-15+ years in Asset-based finance, Lender finance / specialty finance, and/ or Structured or private credit

• Deep experience underwriting and structuring collateral-based credit facilities in the $10MM-$100MM+ range
• Proven experience presenting to and interacting with senior leadership and credit committees