COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Forbright is a nationwide full-service bank and commercial lender focused on helping to build a brighter future for our clients and the communities we serve. Forbright is committed to exceptional client service by providing seamless, innovative personal banking services to depositors and creative financing solutions to visionary middle market businesses and investors in healthcare, technology, financial services, real estate, and other industries.
COMPANY CULTURE: We are a dynamic, high energy, fun, and fast-paced organization that has an exciting growth trajectory, meaningful mission, and embedded responsible practices into our daily interactions. We offer our team members a culture of collaboration, inclusion, flexibility, recognition, and giving back. We look to hire individuals that are passionate about our mission, and who are motivated, customer and results-oriented, innovative, adaptable, and thoughtful.
COMPANY MISSION: We are a mission-driven institution. We operate a sound dynamic institution that is well capitalized, liquid, profitable and uses best practices to manage risk and assure compliance with laws and regulations. We use Forbright’s capital, capabilities, innovation, and expertise to help our clients succeed and contribute broadly to building a brighter future.
JOB SUMMARY: The Director is responsible for building, leading, and governing the credit function for Forbright Bank’s Equipment Finance platform. This role has full accountability for credit strategy, underwriting standards, risk governance, portfolio quality, and team leadership across the platform.
This executive partners closely with the President of Asset Finance, Credit, Portfolio Management, Risk, Finance, and management to ensure disciplined growth, strong asset quality, regulatory compliance, and attractive risk-adjusted returns. The role balances growth and risk by designing scalable credit processes, establishing risk appetite frameworks, and maintaining a high-performing underwriting organization capable of supporting a national equipment finance strategy.
The Director serves as the senior credit authority for the platform and is responsible for investment approvals within delegated authority and for presenting transactions to Credit Committee as required.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Credit Strategy & Risk Governance:
Develop and implement the overall credit philosophy, underwriting framework, and risk appetite for the Equipment Finance platform
Establish credit policies, underwriting guidelines, and approval authorities consistent with Forbright Bank’s enterprise risk framework
Ensure disciplined risk selection across equipment types, industries, obligor profiles, transaction structures, and sponsor relationships
Partner with executive leadership to define target markets, concentration limits, return thresholds, and portfolio construction strategy
Monitor macroeconomic trends, industry performance, collateral dynamics, and regulatory developments impacting equipment finance
Maintain strong alignment with regulatory expectations and internal audit standards
Underwriting Leadership & Transaction Oversight:
Oversee all underwriting activities including new originations, amendments, renewals, and refinancings
Provide final credit review and approval (within authority) on transactions including loans, leases, structured equipment financings, and asset-based structures
Review and challenge underwriting memos, financial models, risk ratings, and sensitivity analyses to ensure accuracy and completeness
Ensure appropriate diligence on obligors, sponsors, collateral, residual values, industry risks, and structural protections
Lead structuring discussions to optimize credit protection, documentation, pricing, and covenant packages
Present and advocate transactions to Credit Committee and senior management
Portfolio Quality & Performance Oversight:
Partner with Portfolio Management to monitor asset quality, trends, and early warning indicators
Oversee risk rating integrity and periodic credit reviews
Proactively identify emerging risks and develop mitigation strategies
Lead strategy discussions on amendments, restructurings, and potential workout situations
Ensure strong documentation standards and covenant compliance monitoring
Platform Build-Out & Process Development:
Design and implement scalable underwriting processes to support growth of the Equipment Finance platform
Drive efficiency through workflow optimization, credit systems enhancements, and reporting automation
Establish portfolio analytics, risk dashboards, and management reporting frameworks
Develop standard templates for credit memoranda, financial modeling, and approval documentation
Partner with Technology and Operations to enhance origination systems and data infrastructure
Cross-Functional & Executive Collaboration:
Serve as a strategic partner to the Managing Director in balancing growth objectives with prudent risk management
Collaborate on pricing strategy, funding considerations, and capital allocation
Engage with external stakeholders including sponsors, large borrowers, and syndication partners as needed
Participate in enterprise-wide risk discussions and contribute to broader credit policy initiatives at the Bank level
Perform other duties as assigned
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Directly supervise syndication, origination, and distribution personnel
Establish individual performance goals and KPIs aligned with desk production and profitability objectives
Organize and monitor workflow to ensure efficient deal execution
Recruit, onboard, and retain highest-caliber professionals
Manage employee performance through goal-setting, coaching, and formal evaluations
Foster a motivated results-driven and collaborative team environment
QUALIFICATIONS:
Associate’s Degree required; Bachelor’s Degree or other advanced degree preferred
Minimum of 8 years of commercial finance, equipment finance, structured lending, or asset-based lending experience required
Minimum of 1 year of manager experience preferred
Extensive experience in equipment leasing and lending structures across diverse asset classes
Demonstrated success leading senior underwriting or credit teams
Experience operating within a regulated banking environment is strongly preferred
Prior Credit Committee experience and delegated lending authority preferred
Deep expertise in: Equipment finance credit underwriting/ Collateral valuation and residual risk analysis/ Financial statement analysis and cash flow modeling /Structured transactions and sponsor-backed credits/ Risk rating frameworks and portfolio analytics
Strong knowledge of documentation standards, covenant structuring, and regulatory credit requirements
Advanced proficiency in financial modeling and credit analytics tools
Strategic thinker with the ability to balance growth and risk
Strong executive presence and ability to influence senior stakeholders
Independent judgment with disciplined decision-making under uncertainty
High integrity and commitment to credit culture excellence
Collaborative leader who thrives in a growth-oriented, entrepreneurial banking environment
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Outstanding problem-solving and time management skills
Self-motivated, self-directed, and results-oriented
Adaptable and able to multitask in a fast-paced environment
Can work independently and within a team; solution-oriented with a collaborative approach
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees are capable of performing their job position. Work is primarily conducted in an office setting while certain positions may allow for remote work through the use of technology at management discretion. The functions described below are representative of those to successfully perform duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees to perform the essential functions. While performing duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required for extended periods of time to:
• Remain in a stationary position
• Use hands and fingers
• Utilize a computer monitor with visual acuity
• Operate technology or other office machinery such as printers, scanners, etc.
• Communicate clearly verbally and/or in writing with others
ADDITIONAL DUTIES: For Forbright Bank to remain efficient and nimble as a growing organization, team members are expected to exhibit a high level of flexibility regarding any duties that may be situationally assigned outside of this job description.
PERKS/BENEFITS:
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• 4 weeks PTO
• 401k + company match
• Metro SmartTrip benefits ($50/mo)
• Remote or hybrid work schedules for most positions
• Incentives for purchasing solar panels, electric vehicles, biking to work, etc.
• Paid subscriptions to Veterans Compost, Capital Bikeshare, Imperfect Foods reimbursement, and more!
• Best Workplaces for Commuters 2023 & 2024 winner
• The Washington Post Top Workplaces 2023, 2024, and 2025 winner
• American Banker Best Banks to Work For 2023 winner
CORE PRINCIPLES:
• Excellence: Excellence is not a goal, but a standard, reflected in the precision of our work and the quality of our decisions. Excellence is a discipline that compounds over time and creates lasting value; it must be measured and managed.
• People: Our people are our greatest strength. We foster a culture of respect, inclusion, and ambition - where everyone matters. We celebrate collaboration and teamwork and prize loyalty - to one another, the company, our mission, and values.
• Innovation: We invest boldly in technology, harnessing innovation not for its own sake but to make banking and lending better, faster, and smarter for our clients, more efficient for our team, and more profitable for our shareholders. By combining human insight with technological excellence, we strengthen our ability to serve, to adapt, and to succeed in a changing world. Innovation is a continuous investment in new ideas.
• Sound Practices: Our foundation rests on prudence, care, integrity, and discipline. We manage credit and business risk with rigor and fundamentals-based judgment, act with transparency, and uphold the highest standards of corporate governance and regulatory compliance to ensure sustainable growth and enduring financial strength.
• Distinct Value: We focus our energy where we add value. We avoid the commoditized and the ordinary, choosing to compete through insight, specialization, technology and service. By concentrating on areas where expertise matters and relationships endure, we create differentiation that is defensible and lasting.
• Clients: We exist to advance our clients’ success and to help them grow. We listen deeply, think creatively, and deliver solutions that solve problems, drive impact and add value. Every client relationship is built on partnership, performance, and purpose.
• Shareholders: We are committed to creating exceptional value for our shareholders. We invest for the long term and view our shareholders as partners – not observers - in value creation. We allocate capital wisely, execute with precision, and continuously adapt our business model to pursue the most attractive, risk-adjusted returns. We work to make rational decisions, avoid unnecessary complexity, maintain strong liquidity and capital, and communicate with clarity and honesty. We measure success both by current performance and by the durability and quality of the long-term value we build.
• Communities and the Environment: We believe prosperity and responsibility go hand in hand. We invest in inclusive opportunity and environmental stewardship. Our goal is simple - to do our part build a brighter, more sustainable future for the communities we serve and the world we share.
It is the policy of Forbright Bank to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and to administer all aspects and conditions of pre-employment and employment without regard to protected characteristics.
Employment with Forbright Bank is at-will, which means that either you or the Company may terminate the relationship at any time.
