Director, Senior Mortgage Producer

MetLife; Whippany (NJ); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive

Stock-based incentives

Health plan

401(k) with match

Job summary

MetLife Investment Management is seeking a senior Real Estate Debt professional to originate, analyze, and close CRE loan opportunities in the Northeastern US. You will cultivate external relationships and present investment cases to the Investment Committee while coordinating across a multi-disciplinary team.

The role requires 10+ years in CRE lending, strong credit and underwriting skills, and the ability to lead strategic initiatives with internal and external partners.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience originating commercial mortgage loan assets.
• Strong relationships with regional market participants: brokers, borrowers, bankers, developers and operators.
• Understanding of all major asset classes in commercial real estate.
• Strong credit skills and ability to price risk.
• Experience presenting to Investment Committee members.
• Ability to develop profitable investment strategies and lead collaborations.
• Proficient marketing and negotiation skills.
• Bachelor’s degree; MBA preferred.
• Familiarity with AI platforms to aid workflow.

Responsibilities

• Originate, close and manage new CRE loan investments in the Northeastern US.
• Expand external relationships with market participants beyond current MetLife ties.
• Explain MetLife’s lending parameters to clients and investors.
• Underwrite new CRE loan investments and assess risks and mitigations.
• Prepare memos and present to investment committees for approval.
• Oversee closing processes with cross-functional teams.
• Monitor portfolio performance and manage sub-performing loans.

Skills

Mortgage lending

Relationship building

Credit analysis

Executive presentation

Leadership

AI platforms

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Argus Enterprise

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

At MetLife Investment Management (MIM), the Real Estate and Agriculture team offers the opportunity to shape thriving markets and drive meaningful impact. With one of the world’s largest portfolios, spanning real estate debt and equity, and agricultural mortgages, you will collaborate with top professionals to invest across the risk spectrum, from core to opportunistic. Recognized as a 2025 Best Place to Work in Money Management by Pensions & Investments, MIM brings together collaboration, strategic insight, and real-world impact. If you’re ready to help build enduring value, this is where you belong.

The Opportunity

Real Estate Debt

MIM offers investors a Commercial Mortgage strategy that seeks to identify lower leveraged mortgages offering higher relative value and greater protection from default risk. Our commercial mortgage business is largely focused on primary markets with some select investments in defined secondary and tertiary markets. We focus on institutional-quality office buildings, retail centers, apartment complexes, industrial properties, and hotels. Professionals in MIM’s regional field office network solicit, underwrite, and process the loans and have in-depth real estate knowledge and longstanding industry relationships. Global Real Estate and Agricultural Investments sources and manages commercial real estate investments through seven regional field offices in the U.S. and International field offices in London, Tokyo, Mexico City and Santiago. The seven U.S. regions are headquartered in Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Whippany, NJ.

The Role

The successful candidate will source, identify, analyze, originate, close and manage commercial mortgage loan opportunities to fulfill the investment needs of MetLife Investment Management’s real estate lending platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Originate, close and manage new commercial real estate loan investments across multiple asset classes located in the Northeastern US.
• Develop, expand and maintain external relationships with key market participants, such as mortgage bankers, developers, consultants, and investors which extend beyond existing MetLife relationships.
• Solicit investment opportunities from market participants and communicate MetLife’s commercial real estate loan lending parameters and products.
• Evaluate new commercial real estate loan investment requests in view of MetLife investment criteria.
• Underwrite potential new commercial real estate loan investments, including evaluating the collateral, sponsorship, and structure; identify potential risks and propose appropriate mitigation structures.
• Prepare transaction memoranda and present to investment committees for approval.
• Manage the closing process for new transactions, including negotiating loan applications and loan documents, completing all due diligence, and coordinating a closing team that includes loan asset managers, analysts, attorneys, architects, appraisers and other third-party service providers.
• Participate in the management and administration of commercial real estate loan investments in the Regional Office portfolio, including annual mortgage ratings, collateral valuations, property inspections, lease approvals, and loan assumptions and modifications.
• Mentor and develop junior associates.
• Evaluate and monitor ongoing performance of commercial real estate loan portfolio in accordance with stated strategies. Develop strategies for sub-performing loans.
• Fulfill all loan portfolio reporting requests, as needed.
• Maintain a close relationship with Debt Strategies Group.
• Collaborate with Regional Office colleagues to drive increased production of debt transactions across the entire MetLife platform

Required Qualifications

Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills:

• Results-driven professional with 10+ years of experience originating commercial mortgage loan assets
• Expertise and strong relationships with key regional market participants, including brokers, borrowers, bankers, developers, and operators relevant to the commercial mortgage loan market
• Understanding of all major asset classes in commercial real estate
• Strong credit skills and demonstrated ability to analyze and appropriately price risk
• Comfort and credibility presenting accurate and compelling recommendations to executive Investment Committee members
• Demonstrated ability to develop and introduce profitable investment strategies and execute same through dynamic leadership, strategic planning, and collaboration with experienced internal and external partners
• Strong marketing and negotiation skills
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred
• Understand and use of AI platforms to assist and supplement workflow efficiencies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills with ability to thrive in a collaborative, matrixed team environment.
• Commitment to mentoring and developing junior associates.
• Demonstrated computer skills including proficiency with Argus Enterprise, Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• #MIM

Location Expectation: This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in office.

The expected salary range for this position is $165,000-$185,000. This role may also be eligible for annual short-term incentive compensation and stock-based long-term incentives. All incentives and benefits are subject to the applicable plan terms.

Benefits We Offer

Our U.S. benefits address holistic well-being with programs for physical and mental health, financial wellness, and support for families. We offer a comprehensive health plan that includes medical/prescription drug and vision, dental insurance, and no-cost short- and long-term disability. We also provide company-paid life insurance and legal services, a retirement pension funded entirely by MetLife and 401(k) with employer matching, group discounts on voluntary insurance products including auto and home, pet, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and accident insurance, as well as Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and digital mental health programs, parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, volunteer time off, tuition assistance and much more! For more information regarding MetLife’s U.S. benefits, please click here.

About MetLife

Recognized on Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies", Fortune World’s 25 Best Workplaces™, as well as the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®, MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positions in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

As part of our New Frontier strategy, MetLife is building an AI-enabled, people-centered future. We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, adaptability, and a growth mindset as we use AI to enhance how we serve customers, support communities, and evolve the way work gets done. At MetLife, AI is a responsible partner that supports human judgment, creativity, and continuous improvement while helping us build trust, inclusion, and long-term value.

Our purpose is simple - to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world at large create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by our core values - Win Together, Do the Right Thing, Deliver Impact Over Activity, and Think Ahead - we’re inspired to transform the next century in financial services. At MetLife, it’s #AllTogetherPossible. Join us!

MetLife is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are made without regards to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status (although applicants and employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States), uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law ("protected characteristics").

If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please email us at [e-mail]. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application process.

MetLife maintains a drug-free workplace.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liabilities.

This posting is for a current vacancy and is anticipated to remain open for at least 90 days from the listed posting date.