Join our established, fast-growing organization and learn from the Nation’s first local green bank. You'll have the chance to lead, build, and shape the organization’s future, while accelerating your personal and professional growth.

Organization: Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF)

Job Title: Chief Operating Officer

Classification: Exempt under FLSA

Location: Hybrid Remote- this position will be in-office three days a week. SELF headquarters is in Ft. Pierce, Florida. SELF will provide a relocation stipend for the ideal candidate.

Salary: An attractive and competitive salary will be offered, commensurate with experience in commercial and consumer lending.

About SELF:

SELF is a national award-winning non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a mission to rebuild and empower underserved communities by providing access to affordable and equitable capital to homeowners, landlords, developers, contractors, and small businesses to help transition communities towards an inclusive clean energy economy. Founded in Florida, SELF has expanded and now serves most of the Southern United States. Due in part to the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, there is historically unprecedented momentum toward clean energy and home resilience. As the country’s first local Green Bank, and an established and proven pioneer of climate equity, there is need for SELF to lead this national movement. Thus, SELF is rapidly growing and hiring—a position with SELF provides enormous career growth opportunities while doing work that matters.

Position Overview:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a key role in the expansion of our Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and maintaining SELF’s mission-driven culture through leadership and high standards. This professional should have significant business development, mortgage, and commercial lending experience, with a track-record of working with Community Banks, Credit Unions, or CDFIs. The ideal candidate is a highly motivated professional with knowledge of the resources available to CDFIs, who can guide our business expansion strategies, capital solutions, community development activities, and operational growth while supporting our overall mission. The COO will champion mission and organizational excellence and will design and implement improvements in a range of protocols and systems (project management, procurement, risk analysis, and mitigation, etc.) that will benefit the organization and the clients we serve. The COO will work closely with the CEO/Executive Director in delivering and improving the mission and vision of the organization.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required, a master’s degree in a related field is highly preferred.
5+ years of similar experience working in community banking, credit unions, or mid-large CDFIs is required. Leadership role for a CDFI and/or community bank is highly preferred.
Experience leading a team of over 20 full-time employees is preferred.
Deep understanding of revenue growth drivers.
Experience and understanding of loan products such as acquisition and construction loans, affordable housing tax credit and equity deals, small business and /or commercial lending experience, applicability of credit enhancements, and consumer lending is required.
Experience and deep knowledge of structuring debt for project finance, special purpose vehicles, bridge loans, and securitization of loan portfolios is required.
Experience designing and implementing expansion strategies.
Experience with CDFI target markets, mapping tools, regulations, and certification compliance.
Experience applying and/or managing CDFI Fund grant awards, new market tax credits (NMTC), and BEA and FA programs is highly desired.
Experience reporting to investors, federal funds, and use of technology for M&V.
Experience with interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; and evaluating performance.
Experience with financial technology, loan origination and servicing software, development of internal tracking, reporting systems, and development of internal systems leveraging fintech is highly preferred.
Experience with regulations, lending laws, and compliance is required.
Experience working in a fast paced, dynamic, and changing environment and creating loan products and services to fill market gaps with prudent loan products is highly preferred.
Highly analytical, detail oriented, and organized.
Proficiency in building financial models, budgets, and projections is required.
Proficiency in putting together presentations, visual representation of numbers (charts), and case studies to support new initiatives is required.
Experience engaging with the community and developing new programs and products focused on their needs.
Knowledge of DEI principles and experience working in the community.
Experience in building codes, green building standards, energy efficiency, and solar project finance is HIGHLY DESIRED.
Understanding of key performance indicators and key financial drivers for a non-profit CDFI is required.
Experience with energy efficiency, multifamily rehabs, and home improvement projects is a highly rated attribute.
Experience and proficiency with Salesforce or other CRM systems.
High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Position will drive operations to meet goals, deliver mission- based results, and capital deployment.
Ensures the organization is compliant with CDFI certification and with all laws in regions where SELF operates.
Ensures the operation is efficient, seamless, and can scale to achieve goals.
Ensures that operations are achieving and exceeding self-sufficiency goals and performance goals.
Ensures that operations maintain the highest standards of service and mission – while managing risk.
Fosters a positive culture to ensure that teams have an enduring commitment of excellent service and reliability to our external and internal clients, and contractors.
A willingness to dedicate the necessary time and energy to achieve success.
Responsible for planning, organizing, and controlling the day-to-day full range of operational activities of the organization.
Serves as key support and partner to the CEO/Executive Director.

Operations:

Identify and develop opportunities that will maximize SELF’s operational impact and further its mission by leveraging skills, knowledge, and technology (financial technology).
Focus on key drivers of SELF’s operational, compliance, lending, and financial performance.
Manage, identify issues, and solve and create systems to improve efficiency and productivity of all SELF departments.
Advise on matters of risk management, structure, and compliance regarding the organization's goals and mission.
Drive process and organizational efficiency initiatives.
Forecasting, budgeting, and long-range planning.
Develop mid and long-range strategic plans.
Performance analysis and management reporting.
Produce key performance indicators (KPIs) with scorecards, analytics, and insights.
Partner with Product and Technology team to manage budget and supporting activities.
Identify and drive profitability and cash flow improvements.
Determine results versus goals with variance analysis and explanation.
Ensure strategies support growth expectations.

Lending and Collections:

Oversee the development, structure, and implementation of SELF’s loan departments.
Develop and oversee key performance measures that support the strategic plan of the organization and set high performance expectations for loan processing, underwriting, closings, and overall loan servicing and collections.
Compile key metrics and goals with the Underwriting and Loan Team leaders to ensure productivity and effectiveness.
Lead the organization with consistency in strategic initiatives, governing consumer credit laws, and rules and regulations.
Compile, review, and improve all policies and procedures relevant to the Commercial Lending department.
Margin, EBITDA less CapEx by product and channel.

Expansion and Strategic Partnerships:

Work with the Executive Team to design and implement business expansion strategies to increase lending, triple bottom line impacts (financial, social, and environmental performance), and further SELF’s mission.
Advise on talent recruitment, retention, and organizational development.
Assess corporate initiatives for impact (+/-) to business unit forecast.
Ability to navigate the industry and utilize existing connections to drive growth.
Assist in developing a vision for SELF’s future growth and expansion.
Work with the Executive Team to expand our community development reach through partnerships and other methods of deploying capital within our mission to expand our asset base.
Oversee and ensure lending guidelines, laws, and compliance requirements are met in order to provide lending services in other states.

Capital Solutions (desirable, not required):

Identify, develop, and manage scalable capital solutions, innovative programs, partnerships, financial instruments, and grant opportunities that align with SELF’s mission.
Evaluate trends and data related to productivity and revenue generation.
Grant writing, evaluate capital and resource investments; provide recommendations.

Top Benefits and Perks:

We provide a comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits; and a 403(b)-retirement plan with up to 5% match; performance-based bonuses; 12 paid holidays; a minimum of 21 days of paid leave; and paid leave to volunteer—something SELF is passionate about.

Apply:

If you are interested and ready to join a national leader that provides innovative financing and technical assistance to communities across the nation to achieve an inclusive and equitable clean energy economy that benefits ALL Americans, please submit a resume on our website at https://solarenergyloanfund.org/careers/. Inquiries welcomed.

SELF (Solar and Energy Loan Fund)

New Jobs

Chief Operating Officer