Senior Commercial Underwriter

Columbia Bank; Federal Way (WA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive healthcare coverage

401(k) retirement savings plan

Employee assistance program

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Tuition assistance

Mental health resources

Identity theft protection

Legal support

Auto and home insurance

Pet insurance

Online discount marketplace

Paid vacation, sick days, volunteer:1

Job summary

Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc. (a subsidiary of Columbia Bank) is seeking a Senior Underwriter to evaluate and structure Commercial & Industrial lease and loan transactions.

You will balance sound credit decisions with growth opportunities, partnering with Relationship Managers and other teams to deliver customized financing solutions for mid-market clients. The role requires 7–10 years of commercial credit underwriting experience in equipment finance, with CLFP preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7-10 years of commercial credit underwriting experience in a lease and loan environment required.
• Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) preferred.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Possess excellent written, verbal, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Advanced knowledge of credit policies, procedures, practices and documentation.
• Excellent ability to train and present to audiences.

Responsibilities

• Analyze business, industry, financial data and other supporting credit information.
• Identify key business and financial risks that may impact repayment prospects.
• Derive conclusions supporting the credit recommendation with documented facts.
• Prepare timely, concise and accurate credit recommendations with proper risk ratings.
• Monitor borrower financial performance in line with loan documents.
• Spread financial statements and ensure covenant calculations are accurate.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Written and verbal communication

Presentation skills

Credit underwriting

Financial statement spreading

Cash flow analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

CLFP certification preferred

Job description

Established in 1975, Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc. (a subsidiary of Columbia Bank), is a direct provider of small-ticket commercial equipment leases. FinPac originates business through partnering with vendors, third party originators and lessors nationwide. For over 50 years, these partners have relied on Financial Pacific to provide them with innovative financing solutions for their customers.

About The Role

Join a growing equipment finance team where you'll play a key role in supporting middle‑market and commercial clients through complex lending and leasing solutions. As a Senior Underwriter, you'll evaluate and structure Commercial & Industrial (C&I) lease and loan transactions, balancing sound credit decisions with strategic business growth opportunities. Experience underwriting commercial lease transactions within an equipment finance environment is required. In this highly visible role, you'll partner closely with Relationship Managers, Portfolio Managers, and Client Solutions teams to deliver customized financing solutions for businesses with revenues typically exceeding $5 million. This is an opportunity to leverage your credit expertise, influence key lending decisions, and contribute to a collaborative team focused on delivering exceptional client outcomes while effectively managing risk.

• Analyze business, industry, financial data and other supporting credit information concerning an applicant’s credit request
• Identifies key business and financial risks that may impact the repayment prospects by the borrower
• Derives conclusions supporting the credit recommendation based on documented facts and/or sound judgement
• Prepare timely, concise and accurate credit recommendations, with limited supervision or revision. Includes: (1) quantitative components within the underwriting narrative documenting the credit analysis; (2) accurate use of risk rating scoring models (aka Dual Risk Rating), both quantitative and qualitative rating elements, to ensure customers and loans are properly risk-rated; (3) accurate identification and mitigation of all exceptions to Bank tracked policies exceptions (TPE), tracked guidelines exceptions (TGE), procedures and compliance regulations; and (4) accurate loan coding consistent with nature of the borrowing relationship and terms of the credit(s)
• Monitor borrower financial performance in line with commercial and/or real estate loan documents
• Spreads financial statement and/or ensures required financial statements are spread in accordance with Bank Guidelines and resulting covenant calculations are accurate, complete and adhere to approval conditions and loan documentation
• Collaborate with team members to ensure borrower notifications are sent and approvals are obtained to resolve any violations in a timely manner
• Partners with team members to offer insights into customer financial needs, including opportunities identified using Line of Business-approved relationship expansion tools
• May also offer opinions related to a loan structure’s effectiveness to mitigate risks, appropriate to prevailing competitive market environment and Bank risk tolerances.
• Partners with team members in customer and prospect calls as appropriate
• May shadow manage a portfolio as part of training and development, with Underwriting Manager approval
• May oversee the work of other commercial underwriters or credit analysts, including the timely review of credit reports prepared by other underwriters to ensure a high level of report quality prior to submission for approval; findings to be captured via a standardized Quality Control (QC) Checklist and used to provide guidance and training to underwriters
• Demonstrates compliance with all bank regulations for assigned job function and applies to designated job responsibilities – knowledge may be gained through coursework and on-the-job training. Keeps up to date on regulation changes
• Follows all Bank policies and procedures, compliance regulations, and completes all required annual or job-specific training
• Maintain a working knowledge of Bank's written policies and procedures regarding Bank Secrecy Act, Regulation CC, Regulation E, Bank Security and other regulations as applicable to this job description
• May be asked to coach, mentor, or train others and teach coursework as subject matter expert
• Actively learns, demonstrates, and fosters the Columbia corporate culture in all actions and words
• Takes personal initiative and is a positive example for others to emulate
• Embraces our vision to become “Business Bank of Choice”
• May perform other duties as assigned

About You

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 7-10 years of commercial credit underwriting experience in a lease and loan environment required
• Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) preferred
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills
• Possess excellent written, verbal, interpersonal and presentation skills
• Advanced knowledge of credit policies, procedures, practices and documentation
• Advanced credit and credit quality skills including accounting, financial statement spreading, and cash flow analysis experience
• Ability to train and present to small and large audiences or has the interest in learning to train and present
• Demonstrated time management skills, reflecting the ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously while delivering work product on time
• Ability to work effectively with individuals and groups across the company to manage internal and external customer relationships

The pay range for this role is $95,000 - $130,000.

The pay rate for the selected candidate is dependent upon a variety of non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, education, and geographic location. The role may be eligible for performance-based incentive compensation, and those details will be provided during the recruitment process.

Primary Location

Ability to work fully onsite at posted location(s). 3455 South 344th Way Suite 300 Federal Way WA 98001

Our Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans).
• 401(k)-retirement savings plan with employer match for qualifying associate contributions.
• Employee assistance program.
• Life insurance.
• Disability insurance.
• Tuition assistance.
• Mental health resources.
• Identity theft protection.
• Legal support.
• Auto and home insurance.
• Pet insurance.
• Access to an online discount marketplace.
• Paid vacation, sick days, volunteer days, and holidays.

Our Commitment To Diversity

Columbia Bank is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to employing, engaging, and developing a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, protected veteran status, disability, or any other applicable protected status or characteristics. If you require an accommodation to complete the application or interview(s), please let us know by email: [e-mail].

To Staffing And Recruiting Agencies

Our posted job opportunities are only intended for individuals seeking employment at Columbia Bank. Columbia Bank does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies and Columbia Bank will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resume submissions. Staffing and recruiting agencies are not authorized to submit profiles, applications, or resumes to this site or to any Columbia Bank employee and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited unless requested directly by a member of the Talent Acquisition team.