Underwriter – Construction Loans (Residential)

NW Recruiting Partners; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

NW Recruiting Partners seeks an Underwriter for Construction Loans (Residential) to join a fast-growing private real estate lender in Seattle. The role focuses on evaluating loan applications, assessing borrower qualifications, and ensuring adherence to guidelines.

You will underwrite bridge and construction loans, analyze borrower finances, and collaborate with a five-person credit team to structure terms that balance risk and growth.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of mortgage/banking experience in construction, real estate or private equity.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Real Estate, Business, or related field.
• Solid understanding of income property analysis and loan structuring.
• Proficiency in Excel and familiarity with loan origination software.
• Ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite bridge and construction loans end-to-end, confirm inputs and prepare files for audit.
• Analyze borrower finances, project budgets, comps, and assumptions to assess repayment ability.
• Identify market, build, timeline and exit risks; shape terms to mitigate them.
• Prepare and present risk snapshots and memos to leadership/credit review.
• Ensure deals align with internal credit frameworks, investor parameters, and lending rules.
• Serve as the liaison between loan officers, borrowers, brokers and internal teams to maintain diligence.
• Support ad-hoc analyses and portfolio reviews for senior credit leadership.

Skills

Mortgage experience

Credit analysis

Independent & collaborative work style

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance / Real Estate / Business

Tools

Loan origination software

Excel

Job description

Underwriter - Construction Loans (Residential)

A rapidly growing private real estate lender is hiring an Underwriter to join their team. With $3B in loans funded, they continue to expand their footprint in residential lending.

In this role, you'll work closely with residential builders and developers to evaluate loan applications, assess borrower qualifications, and ensure alignment with company and investor guidelines. You'll collaborate with a credit team of five.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in credit analysis, risk assessment, and real estate development. You'll be responsible for structuring and underwriting complex construction and bridge loans-making sound credit decisions that support the firm's growth while managing risk effectively.

• Deal Vetting: Underwrite bridge and construction loans end-to-end, confirm inputs, and keep the file buttoned-up for audit.
• Borrower & Project Diagnostics: Dig into financials, credit profile, budgets, comps, and assumptions to gauge ability to execute and repay.
• Exposure Mapping & Mitigation: Pinpoint market, build, timeline, and exit risks; shape terms (reserves, covenants, collateral) to offset them.
• Committee Briefings: Produce tight decision memos and risk snapshots; present and shepherd packages through leadership/credit review.
• Controls & Requirements: Keep every deal aligned with internal credit frameworks, investor parameters, and applicable lending rules.
• Partner Interface: Serve as the go-to between loan officers, borrowers, brokers, and internal teams to keep diligence unblocked.
• C-Suite Initiatives: Support the Chief Credit Officer on ad-hoc analyses, portfolio looks, and priority special assignments.

Underwriter Qualifications:

• 2+ years of mortgage/banking experience and/or related industry experience in construction, real estate and/or private equity.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Real Estate, Business, or related field
• Solid understanding of income property analysis and loan structuring.
• Proficiency in Excel and familiarity with loan origination software.
• Ability to work independently and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.