Bilingual Financial Counselor I

Southern Bancorp; Lockesburg (AR); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with employer match

Employee stock ownership plan

Discounted home mortgage rate

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

A community development financial institution in Lockesburg is seeking a Bilingual Financial Counselor I to provide comprehensive financial counseling. This role focuses on empowering clients to achieve financial goals while supporting underserved communities. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, relevant certifications, and bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, alongside strong analytical and customer relations skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of experience in credit or financial counseling.
• Must obtain HUD housing counselor certification within six months.
• Ability to prioritize workload and work independently.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-on-one financial counseling to customers.
• Analyze and assess financial conditions of consumer customers.
• Develop new clients and partners through community outreach.

Skills

Fluent in English and Spanish

Analytical ability

Customer relations skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

HUD housing counselor certification

Accredited Financial Counseling certification

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

CRM systems

Job description

Bilingual Financial Counselor I

Southern Bancorp is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a special certification designated for institutions that serve predominantly underserved communities. Southern Bancorp combines traditional banking and lending services with financial development tools and public policy advocacy to help families and communities grow stronger. Inspired by the principle that building net worth drives economic opportunity, our mission is to be wealth builders for everyone in the communities we serve, with a focus on low‑wealth and unbanked populations, as well as an emphasis on Black and Brown individuals.

Job Summary

Work in SBCP’s Asset Development Department to provide comprehensive financial counseling, coaching, and education with a focus on consumer goals of increased savings, decreased debt, improved credit, and access to capital/credit. The financial counselor will assist in recruiting for and the facilitation of all SBCP’s Wealth Building programs. The financial counselor is a highly skilled financial services professional with national certification in complex financial counseling and is the crux of all of SBCP’s wealth building products and services.

Key Responsibilities

• Provides one‑on‑one financial counseling to customers that facilitates the identification and achievement of financial goals using both in‑person and digital tools.
• Provides all customers with prompt, efficient and friendly service, with an emphasis on problem‑solving and solution‑building.
• Analyzes and assesses current financial conditions of consumer customers and builds outcomes‑based action plans for customers and third‑parties to achieve the customer’s identified financial goals.
• Maintains significant product knowledge for both SBB and SBCP financial products.
• Assists customers in accessing SBCP and SBB financial products to further their identified financial goals.
• Provides group learning online and in‑person in areas of financial skills that empower customers to make positive financial decisions.
• Builds relationships with the community to ensure that SBCP is positioned in the market to attract targeted customers for SBCP services.
• Develops new clients and partners through active community outreach to build awareness for SBCP’s lending products and financial development services.
• Employs business development techniques to build a customer base for asset development services as well as lending products.
• Effectively executes a reciprocal referral network with SBCP and SBB lenders.
• Effectively uses digital platforms to collect and track data, key performance indicators, and report metrics for strategic decision‑making.
• Assists with and/or produces accurate grant and certifier reporting as needed.
• Completes all required training and continuing education for certifications.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned, including assisting with wealth building programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a minimum of five years of experience in credit or a financial counselor role or related field.
• HUD housing counselor certification required. Employees must obtain certification within six months of hire.
• Must have Accredited Financial Counseling certification through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education or begin coursework for certification within sixty days of start date.
• Ability to prioritize workload to meet deadlines and work independently.
• Requires great attention to detail, ability to recall and good organizational skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• High degree of analytical ability.
• Strong customer relations skills.
• Ability to anticipate problems and use sound judgment, resourcefulness to resolve.
• Must have the ability to travel within markets and must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and a vehicle with appropriate insurance coverage.
• Strong computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, project management digital tools, and CRM systems.
• Ability to speak fluently in English and Spanish.

Physical/Sensory Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

What we offer our employees

• 401(k)/Roth plan with immediate eligibility and employer match up to 6%.
• Employee stock ownership plan.
• Discounted rate on primary home mortgage.
• Credit and housing counseling as well as free financial education tools available to customers and employees.

Benefits to improve your health

• No deductible medical insurance plan.
• Dental and vision insurance.
• Employer paid life and long‑term disability insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.

The opportunity to nurture your well‑being

• Paid holidays and paid time off.
• Bonus plan.
• Opportunity for merit raises.
• Employee reward and recognition programs.
• Community service opportunities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Southern Bancorp is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Commitment to Diversity

As a Community Development Financial Institution, Southern Bancorp desires its workforce to reflect the diversity of the customers and communities that we serve. Racial and ethnic minorities, people from working‑class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people are often underrepresented in many financial service industry professions. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.