Lending Operations Analyst

Position Overview

Position: Lending Operations Analyst

Status: Full-time, Exempt

Location: Detroit Hybrid (minimum of 3 days in office)

Reports to: Director of Lending

Michigan Women Forward (MWF) 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. MWF celebrates outstanding women by honoring their leadership contributions to the community, economy, and our state.

The Lending Operations Analyst serves as the central gatekeeper of MWF’s lending pipeline, responsible for initial financial assessment, intake quality control, and loan file integrity across the loan lifecycle. This role ensures that applications are appropriately triaged — advancing qualified borrowers, providing foundational technical assistance to strengthen applications, and redirecting those who are not yet ready to external partners. The Lending Operations Analyst works closely with Business Development, Underwriting, and external Technical Assistance (TA) contractors to strengthen MWF’s lending operation through sound processes, compliance integrity, and data accuracy.

The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, internally focused, and committed to building structured processes that strengthen MWF’s ability to serve women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color by advancing economic empowerment.

• Loan Intake, Evaluation & Financial Readiness Assessment
  :
  Review all incoming loan applications for completeness, financial viability, and borrower readiness to maintain a healthy and well-qualified lending pipeline. Review business plans for reasonableness and alignment with financial projections. Evaluate key financial indicators, including cash flow, revenue trends, debt capacity, and documentation quality, and assess current and historical financial performance trends. Assign each application to the appropriate pathway: advance to underwriting, provide basic technical assistance to support application progress, or redirect to external partners.
  
  Perform technical assistance when needed to support the borrower’s application progress.
• Pipeline Quality Control
  :
  Serve as the primary filter for all inbound applications, ensuring only well-prepared applicants enter underwriting. Standardize intake processes and documentation requirements across the lending pipeline. Track and report application outcomes, including approvals, declines, redirects, and TA referrals.
• Loan File Management & Compliance
  :
  Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready loan files from intake through post-loan. Ensure compliance with requirements from MEDC, SBA, State of Michigan programs, and internal MWF policies. Organize disbursement documentation and prepare files for internal and external audits.
• Data Insights
  :
  Capture and organize data from loan applications, TA engagements, and cohort programs. Identify trends in borrower readiness and common documentation or financial gaps. Maintain clean, consistent records across CRM and lending data systems.
• Collaboration & Coordination
  :
  Partner with Business Development to ensure smooth intake handoffs and share regular feedback on applicant gaps and pipeline trends. Collaborate with Underwriting to improve file quality and reduce incomplete submissions. Identify and align Technical Assistance resources to support applicant readiness.
• Other Duties as Assigned
  :
  Perform special projects and tasks as requested by leadership. Contribute to MWF culture and values through engagement in team activities.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, or a related field with demonstrated coursework, or equivalent education and experience.
• Minimum three years of experience in lending operations, loan processing, financial analysis, compliance, or a related skill.
• Demonstrated ability to review financial statements and assess small business loan readiness.
• Strong data management skills; proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and relevant CRM or database systems.
• Excellent…