CRE, Structured Finance Lead Analyst

Asset Based Lending; Jersey City (NJ); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hard money lender based in Jersey City seeks a Senior Analyst for its CRE & Structured Finance Division. The role requires at least 3 years of experience in commercial real estate underwriting, overseeing junior analysts, and supporting a robust origination pipeline. Ideal candidates will be detail-oriented and have a strong understanding of real estate markets, coupled with exceptional communication skills. This position offers an opportunity for significant impact within a growing firm focused on advancing its lending operations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in Commercial Real Estate underwriting or valuations.
• Strong understanding of real estate markets and financial analysis.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite commercial real estate transactions for risk assessment.
• Manage and mentor a junior analyst within the team.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and influence strategic market analyses.

Skills

Commercial underwriting expertise

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Real estate market knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, or Economics

Tools

Underwriting software

Job description

Based in New Jersey and established in 2010, Asset Based Lending, LLC (“ABL”) is one of the nation’s leading Hard Money Lenders. We provide fast bridge financing to real estate investors for the purchase, renovation, or new construction of single family, multi-family and mixed-use properties as well as DSCR rental loans for long term investors. We have closed thousands of loans since we began lending fourteen years ago, producing more than $3B in originations. ABL was acquired by a private equity firm in 2021, and with a renewed focus on growth, we’ve set our sights on consistent evolution and cementing our place as the premier private lender in the country.

Our Mission is Simple:

• Make Good Loans
• Provide Exceptional Service, Every Time
• Protect The Firm
• Build The Future

ABL is seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Senior Analyst with a solid background in commercial real estate and lending to join our rapidly growing CRE & Structured Finance Division. This role will play a pivotal role in assessing and managing complex CRE Originations while also overseeing and guiding a Jr. Analyst. Your expertise in Originations, financial evaluation, and leadership will contribute to the continued success of our Structured Finance Department.

This role will collaborate with & report directly to our Head of CRE Originations to enhance internal processes, evaluate CRE Debt Inquiries, execute Debt Placement Offerings, and strategically manage a robust Originations Pipeline across various debt Facilities.As we continue to expand, we need a candidate with a strong commercial underwriting background who is enthusiastic about navigating the complexities of commercial real estate capital markets.

Job Responsibilities:

Drive Credit Underwriting with a Commercial Mindset

• Act as a trusted analytical partner to the Head of CRE Lending, underwriting sourced CRE transactions with an owner’s mentality and strong commercial judgment.
• Evaluate transaction viability by combining underwriting rigor with pragmatic deal sense, often under incomplete or evolving information.
• Build flexible, scalable financial models that support fast-moving deal decisions while maintaining disciplined risk analysis.
• Identify credit risks, structural inefficiencies, and misalignments early in the process; proactively propose solutions that enhance deal quality and execution certainty.
• Support credit committee discussions with clear, defensible viewpoints and a willingness to challenge assumptions constructively.

Operate with an Institutional approach

• Help bring consistency, repeatability, and institutional standards to a correspondent-driven, middle-market lending platform.
• Translate varied Correspondent credit criteria into standardized “Go-to-market” frameworks and decision-ready outputs.
• Develop and refine credit templates, underwriting models, and diligence checklists designed to scale as deal volume grows.
• Balance speed-to-decision with varied Sponsor and Project level inputs in a competitive middle-market.

Create High-Impact Credit & Offering Materials

• Produce concise, investor-quality debt offering memoranda that clearly articulate structure, risk, and value proposition.
• Distill complex transactions into clear narratives for internal stakeholders, investment committees, and capital partners.
• Elevate the quality and consistency of written materials to reflect a best-in-class, institutional lending platform.

Own and Optimize a growing Pipeline

• Take day-to-day ownership of the division Origination pipeline, from initial screening through closing or decline.
• Provide timely, actionable feedback to correspondents that strengthens relationships and positions the firm as a reliable capital partner.
• Track deal metrics, bottlenecks, and outcomes to inform strategic decisions around pricing, structure, and partner selection.
• Work closely with originators and leadership to prioritize opportunities that align with growth and risk objectives.

Build Infrastructure in a Growing Business Line

• Actively contribute to building the operational and analytical infrastructure of a rapidly scaling correspondent lending business within a mature firm.
• Identify gaps in systems, data, and workflows; propose and implement practical improvements that support growth without sacrificing credit quality.
• Help define “how we do deals” by embedding institutional best practices into a flexible, entrepreneurial platform.

Collaborate Across the Firm

• Serve as a connective tissue between origination and execution, ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Support senior leadership with strategic analyses related to market trends, and platform evolution.

Lead and Develop Junior Talent

• Manage and mentor a junior analyst, instilling institutional underwriting standards while encouraging commercial thinking.
• Delegate analytical responsibilities effectively, reviewing work product for accuracy, consistency, and insight.
• Create a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement within the analyst function.

Bring Market Perspective & Strategic Insight

• Stay actively engaged in middle-market CRE lending trends, borrower behavior, and competitive private credit dynamics.
• Provide forward-looking insights on how market conditions should influence underwriting standards, structures, and growth strategy.
• Help position the correspondent platform as a differentiated, institutional-quality group in a fragmented market.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or related field.- Minimum of [3] years of experience in Commercial Real Estate underwriting and/or valuations, with a demonstrated track record of supporting a debt origination pipeline.
• Strong understanding of real estate markets, property valuation, financial analysis, and industry regulations.
• Desire to build and iterate the infrastructure of a growing business line within a mature firm.
• Demonstrated success working within cross-functional teams in a high-paced commercial lending environment.
• Motivated to work within a team environment which will require cross collaboration and mentorship of more junior role(s).
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and conduct professional phone interactions.
• Detail-oriented mindset, with a strong analytical aptitude and the ability to make sound judgments based on limited information.
• Proficiency in relevant underwriting software and tools.