Loan Officer, CED Loan Fund

About the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP):

Our mission

We partner with low-income and working people to build economic and racial equity. We do this by confronting economic abuse and investing in community wealth. We use an ever-evolving set of legal, economic and advocacy tools to challenge and dismantle unjust systems, building quickly towards a world where all people have what they need to live and thrive. 

Our Organization

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Colorado-based nonprofit. Launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, our organization was formed to keep our neighbors housed during the pandemic. Working with clients, we built a deeply integrative approach to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed. 

Our team now serves more than 1,000 people per month, bringing together housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, organizers, and technologists to serve our clients. We have served more than 50,000 low-income Coloradans across 45 counties, distributing over $200 million in emergency assistance. We have also contributed to the passage of major legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and make credit and life-saving medication cheaper.  CEDP’s model has been cited as a best practice by White House,
HUD, the
Urban Institute, and in the media.

The CED Loan Fund

In 2025, we launched a new entity called CED Loan Fund. CED Loan Fund is dedicated to solving service-delivery challenges for governments and non-profits and increasing access to capital and other basic needs for everyday people. The Fund offers credit and technology products to increase access to social services and affordable housing. It also works alongside CEDP’s Ventures team to incubate and launch new non-profit social enterprises and technologies that challenge extractive entities like check cashers, moving and storage companies, for-profit government service providers, and potentially many others. Finally, the Fund will have a presence at the policymaking table, helping to shape state and local policy around access to credit, housing, and basic needs. 

More about the role: 

The Loan Officer at CEDLF will play a critical role in underwriting, structuring, and managing loan transactions.  As one of the initial team members, the Loan Officer will have a unique opportunity to help shape the Fund.  Accordingly, the Loan Officer will be expected to assist in most aspects of the Fund’s administration, although many of those tasks may be shifted to other positions as staff increases.    

The ideal candidate will possess a passion for business development and lending, strong financial analysis skills, experience in community lending or mission-aligned finance, and a deep commitment to equity and justice. This role also includes client relationship management, portfolio monitoring, and support for fund development and program growth.

Responsibilities:

• Relationship Building and Pipeline Development:
  
  
  
  • Develop and implement outreach strategies to promote CED’s Loan Fund to potential borrowers and community partners.
  
  
  • Actively seek out and identify potential loan applicants and investment opportunities that align with CEDP's mission and lending criteria.
  
  
  • Represent CED Loan Fund at public events and gatherings to raise awareness of the organization's lending programs.
  
  
  • Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including community leaders, financial institutions, and other lending organizations.
  
  
  • Prepare and finalize term sheets based on initial borrower assessment and alignment with CED Loan Fund’s products.
  
  
  • Track engagement meticulously in CRM.
  
  
  
  


• Underwriting, Credit Review, and Loan Closing
  
  
  
  • Prepare detailed underwriting assessments and present them to the loan committee, providing clear and compelling justifications for each proposed loan.
  
  
  • Conduct thorough underwriting assessments and due diligence on potential borrowers, including financial analysis, credit history assessment, and risk evaluation.
  
  
  
  


• Initially Managing Portfolio and Providing Client Service:
  
  
  
  • Maintain a portfolio of active loans, ensuring that borrowers comply with loan terms and conditions.
  
  
  • Monitor loan repayments and take proactive measures to address delinquent accounts, including working with borrowers to develop repayment plans.
  
  
  • Provide exceptional customer service to loan clients, responding promptly to inquiries and offering guidance and support throughout the loan process.
  
  
  
  


• Additional Responsibilities:
  
  
  
  • Stay informed about industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in community development finance.
  
  
  • Collaborate with other CEDP team members to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
  
  
  • Participate in community development initiatives and contribute to the overall mission of CEDP.
  
  
  
  

Qualifications

• 2-5 years in commercial lending or business banking, as a loan officer, credit underwriter, preferably with a CDFI, non-profit loan fund, or community bank.


• Familiarity with CDFIs, nonprofit organizations, or socially responsible lending is a plus.


• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience in a related field is preferred (e.g., Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Policy).


• Love for community engagement, business development, and sales.

• Track record of lending, meeting goals, and disciplined use of tools for tracking opportunities, calling efforts, and client requests.


• Experienced in credit analysis and preparation of credit memorandums for loan approvals. Formal credit training is a plus.


• Excellent interpersonal skills and cultural competency when working with diverse communities.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Highly organized, with attention to detail and follow-through.


• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, housing justice, and community-led solutions.

Why Us?

• We are a social enterprise with a sustainable business model focused on one of the most important issues in society – keeping people in their homes and improving  access to affordable housing


• Opportunity for local involvement while making a statewide and even a national impact


• Our co-founders have collaborated for 5+ years and are committed to building a company where everyone loves to work


• Unlimited growth potential within the organization


• The opportunity to step into a new organization five years after its founding and play a substantial role in its growth

Compensation and Benefits

• Strong preference for candidates to reside in Colorado or be willing to move, ideally within the greater Denver Metro area. 


• The position includes competitive pay, flexible time off, benefits package (including medical, dental, vision), and 401k. 


• A  base salary of $78,000 a year if hybrid or in-person plus a $1,000 per year hybrid employee salary adjustment.


• All employees receive a technology stipend of $720 per year.


• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by May 14, 2025


• The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by Jun 1, 2025


• As in-person work is sometimes required, all employees at CEDP & CED Law are expected to maintain current vaccination status in keeping with CDC recommendations.