Loan Specialist - Nebraska

Position: Loan Specialist - Central Nebraska
Location: Lyons

Are you passionate about assisting individuals and communities with small business development and access to capital? Do you enjoy talking with people to uncover their needs and present them with financial solutions? Are you competitive and self-driven to meet goals? The Center for Rural Affairs is looking for you!

The Center for Rural Affairs is seeking a full-time Loan Specialist who is bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish to serve central Nebraska with a focus on Grand Island, Kearney, Lexington, North Platte, Columbus, and Schuyler.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about small businesses, entrepreneurship, and think strategically about access to capital. They will have a proven ability to build relationships with clients, community leaders, and partners to maintain a strong referral network. They will deliver technical assistance to potential and current loan clients. They will visit current client businesses and celebrate their accomplishments. They will be committed to delivering results while helping clients navigate entrepreneurship opportunities.

Who

We Are

The Center for Rural Affairs is a dynamic, energetic non-profit organization working to build a better rural future for all. We’ve done this work for more than 50 years, and we do it from rural places with a flexible work environment. The Center focuses on capital access, community capacity, and policy advocacy strategies, with work in areas of food systems, community resources, small business support, and environment and resilience.

The Center’s work is rooted in our mission-aligned values. We believe that a diversity of people and ideas strengthens our work, our workplace, and our communities. We take equal opportunity seriously, and we welcome applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Additional information can be found a.org. Check to see if our Mission and Values match yours!

What You’ll Do

The Loan Specialist reports to the Lending Services Director, works with the lending team, and is responsible for the following:

• You will assist, guide, and educate prospective loan borrowers as they journey through the loan application process.
• You will develop a referral network with local partners, businesses, bankers, economic development districts, and local community residents to identify and support individuals who need small business loans.
• You will gather all documents needed, as well as prepare, analyze, and assess loan packages to present a loan application for review and approval.
• You will provide technical assistance to borrowers in all stages of their loan relationship with the Center.
• You will build a strong relationship with all loan clients, making regular contact with them in person, through phone conversations, or other methods of touching base with clients to keep them informed, gather information, or point them to resources.
• You will develop the expertise to be the trusted go-to person for resources and referrals when requested by community members, organizations, Center staff, and partners.

Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves)

To be successful in this job, you will excel in four areas:

• Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with team members, across the organization, and with a diverse group of stakeholders. You know how to build alliances and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests.
• Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of accomplishing ambitious goals and getting results even when there are obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and come up with pragmatic solutions. You plan backward and involve stakeholders appropriately.
• Inclusive…