Director of CRA Finance & Community Development

BankUnited; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

BankUnited seeks a Director of CRA Finance & Community Development to serve as the subject-matter expert and strategic lead for community development finance and outreach. The role drives CRA performance through lending, investments, services, and partnerships, overseeing officers and external representation.

You will collaborate with CRA Officer, Chief Investment Office, Credit, and Lending teams to structure CRA-eligible transactions and ensure robust reporting and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• 4 - 6 years experience with LIHTC, HUD and affordable housing preferred.
• Strong understanding of Low Income Housing Tax credits and Affordable Housing.
• Knowledge of New Markets Credits, Solar, Historic.

Responsibilities

• Serves as SME for Community Development Finance, leading strategy and execution across CRA qualified lending, investments, and services.
• Leads CRA initiatives including affordable housing, CRA lending, and structured investments.
• Manages and develops Community Development Officers with emphasis on outreach and documentation of CRA hours.
• Partners with the CRA Officer to support CRA performance context, including development, documentation, and tracking of goals.
• Represents the Bank with nonprofit organizations, developers, and public sector partners to identify opportunities for deposit, lending, and investment relationships.
• Oversees the Bank's Community Development Outreach strategy, including grant lifecycle management.

Skills

LIHTC

Affordable housing

Strategic leadership

Community development

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

The Director of CRA Finance & Community Development serves as the Bank's subject matter expert and strategic lead for community development finance and outreach, with responsibility for advancing CRA performance through lending, investment, service, and community partnerships. This role oversees Community Development Officers, leads community development finance initiatives, and represents the Bank externally with nonprofit, government, and community partners. The director works closely with the CRA Officer, Chief Investment Office, Credit, Lending, and business lines to drive measurable CRA outcomes and ensure strong documentation and reporting.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Serves as the subject matter expert for Community Development Finance, leading strategy and execution across CRA qualified lending, investments, and services.


• Leads the Bank's Community Development Finance initiatives, including affordable housing, CRA lending, and structured investments.


• Manages and develops Community Development Officers, with emphasis on CRA service activities, outreach effectiveness, and documentation of CRA qualified hours.


• Partners closely with the CRA Officer to support CRA performance context, including development, documentation, and tracking of community development lending, investment, and service goals.


• Acts as a key partner to the Chief Investment Office, Credit, and Lending teams to identify, structure, and execute CRA eligible transactions and action plans.


• Leads and oversees the Bank's Community Development Outreach strategy, including nonprofit engagement, volunteer activity alignment, conference participation, and CRA grant lifecycle management.


• Represents the Bank in meetings with nonprofit organizations, community groups, developers, and public sector partners, proactively identifying opportunities to support deposit, lending, and investment relationships.


• Oversees the Bank's CRA grant program, including annual budgeting, application review, approval coordination, funding execution, and ongoing relationship management.


• Leads the affordable housing CRA strategy, including LIHTC equity investments and other community development structures; prospect new opportunities and maintain relationships with developers, syndicators, and financial institutions.


• Manages the LIHTC and EQ2 investment portfolios, including capital calls, investor consents, portfolio monitoring, internal return analysis, forecasting, and coordination with Tax, ALCO, and other internal stakeholders.


• Serves as a resource and advisor to business lines and relationship managers on CRA related prospecting and client engagement.


• Owns and leads preparation of the Bank's annual Social Impact Report, ensuring alignment with CRA performance, community strategy, and stakeholder expectations.


• Prepares and presents quarterly updates to internal stakeholders and committees, including CRA Committee and senior management, summarizing progress, performance, and emerging risks or opportunities.


• Maintains regular communication and reporting cadence with senior leaders, including biweekly and quarterly updates.


• Adheres to and complies with applicable, federal and state laws, regulations and guidance, including those related to anti-money laundering (i.e. Bank Secrecy Act, US PATRIOT Act, etc.).


• Adheres to Bank policies and procedures and completes required training.


• Identifies and reports suspicious activity.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree preferred.

Experience

• 4 - 6 years experience with LIHTC, HUD and affordable housing preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong understanding of Low Income Housing Tax credits and Affordable Housing.


• Have knowledge and/or interest in New Markets Credits, Solar, Historic.


• Ability to work independently; self-starter, pro-active.


• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects.

Additional Information

• Candidates residing in locations within BankUnited's footprint may be given preference.