Lender Relations Manager

Arizona Commerce Authority; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A state economic development organization in Arizona is seeking a Lender Relations Manager to drive partnerships with banks for their loan guarantee program. The role involves developing outreach strategies, maintaining relationships, and collaborating with marketing for effective presentations. Ideal candidates will have a background in business development, finance-related sales experience, a bachelor’s degree, and proficiency in CRM tools. The position requires strong communication skills and the ability to work in a metrics-driven environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in finance-related sales or similar roles.
• Strong insight into how banks operate and make decisions.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with lenders.
• Familiarity with Salesforce/CRM, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Experience in metrics-driven, compliant environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a sales outreach strategy for lenders.
• Maintain relationships with lenders to encourage program usage.
• Identify and resolve any issues with enrolled lenders.
• Maintain ongoing relationships with enrolled lenders and assist with issue resolution.
• Strengthen ties with Arizona’s active small-business lenders, including rural lenders, and learn best practices from other states.
• Familiarize with SSBCI and SBA programs to understand how they complement Arizona’s program.

Skills

Business development

Client relationship management

Communication

Salesforce/CRM proficiency

CRM proficiency

Planning & execution

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, business or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

PowerPoint

PowerPoint

Job description

About The Role

The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona’s economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: recruit, grow, create – recruit out-of-state companies to expand their operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to grow their business in Arizona and beyond; and partner with entrepreneurs and companies large and small to create new jobs and businesses in targeted industries.

The ACA oversees the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a U.S. Treasury-funded effort that supports small businesses by providing technical assistance, venture investment, small business lending support, and other services. Among the SSBCI’s programs is a 50% first-loss loan guarantee program offered to banks and other lenders to encourage lending to small businesses that may pose higher risks as borrowers. The lender relations manager will be charged with recruiting banks and other lenders to participate in the loan guarantee program and working with participating lenders to ensure utilization of the program.

Primary Responsibilities

• In consultation with colleagues who are knowledgeable about the loan guarantee program but not focused on business development, develop and execute a sales outreach strategy including:
  • Developing and maintaining a deep understanding of the loan guarantee program and its requirements and rules.
  • Identifying lenders that would be appropriate for the loan guarantee program.
  • Recruiting those lenders to participate in the program, which includes:
    • Coordinating with ACA’s marketing unit to develop outreach materials.
    • Developing and delivering customized sales presentations to lenders and business-community leaders.
    • Self-directed follow-up efforts aimed at securing participation in the loan guarantee program.
• Maintaining ongoing relationships with enrolled lenders to encourage them to use the loan guarantee program and to identify and help resolve any issues.
• Maintaining strong relationships with Arizona’s most active small-business lenders, especially those that serve rural Arizona.
• Developing and maintaining familiarity with how other states operate their loan guarantee programs to ensure Arizona’s program is using best practices.
• Developing and maintaining familiarity with other programs that support small business lending, including those offered by the Small Business Administration, especially to understand how the SSBCI loan guarantee program may complement and/or compete with such programs.

Requirements

• Candidate must be a mission-driven business development professional, enthusiastic about supporting small-business lending and well connected to the target audience for this effort: banks and other lenders that serve Arizona’s small businesses.
• Previous experience should give the candidate strong insight into how banks operate and make decisions, particularly about small-business lending. Candidate should be familiar with common underwriting standards and practices and the typical hierarchy of authority within banks.
• Candidate should have earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field of study, with a minimum of three years of experience in finance-related sales or similar roles.
• Candidate must be experienced in building and managing client relationships, adept in identifying opportunities and selling a financial product.
• Candidate must be a clear, concise communicator, able to deliver distinct and compelling messages to lenders and credit officers.
• Candidate must be comfortable working in an ambitious, metrics-driven environment—recognizing that the team also must meet compliance obligations in accordance with federal program guidelines.
• Candidate must be a well-organized, focused, self-starter with sound planning and execution skills.
• Candidate must have proficiency in Salesforce/CRM applications, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Preferences

• Familiarity with federal efforts to support small business lending would be a plus. This includes SSBCI and SBA programs.
• Familiarity with the Community Reinvestment Act would be helpful.
• Affiliation with the Arizona Bankers Association or other industry groups a plus.

Seniority level

• Not Applicable

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Not specified

Industries

• Software Development