Director, Commercial Real Estate Origination

National Life Insurance•Addison, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Commercial Mortgage Originations is a senior originator responsible for leading the sourcing, structuring, and execution of commercial real estate debt investments. The role develops a consistent pipeline of institutional-quality opportunities and advances the firm’s credit strategy and portfolio objectives. It is relationship-driven and focuses on originating transactions across core property types, in close partnership with underwriting, asset management, and senior leadership through closing. The position is currently onsite four days per week, with core onsite days Monday through Thursday. The schedule and core days may change with advance notification and manager discretion. The role does not offer visa sponsorship. National Life Group describes its culture as collaborative, meritocratic, transparent, intellectually honest, performance-driven, and committed to continual learning and excellence. Applicants are expected to use approved AI tools appropriately, validate AI-generated content, maintain accountability for their work, and follow company policies on confidentiality, privacy, security, compliance, retention, and intellectual property.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Real Estate, or a related field.
Six to eight years of related experience.
At least six years of commercial real estate lending experience with a track record of originations.
Experience underwriting stabilized, transitional/bridge, and construction loans.
Strong knowledge of credit underwriting, real estate fundamentals, and loan structuring.
Established network of sponsors, brokers, and mortgage bankers.
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.
Experience using commercial real estate software for valuation and cash flow modeling.
Strong analytical, research, and communication skills.
High integrity, sound judgment, and a disciplined approach to risk.
Ability to travel to key markets for meetings, broker engagement, and site visits.
Ability to use approved AI tools appropriately, review and validate AI-generated content, and follow company AI and data-handling policies.

Nice To Haves

MBA with a concentration in Finance, Real Estate, or a related field.
At least eight years of progressive experience in commercial real estate lending and origination.
Experience with ARGUS CRE Valuation software.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain a pipeline of high-quality investment opportunities.
Develop and manage relationships with sponsors, brokers, and mortgage bankers.
Travel to key markets for client meetings, broker engagement, and site visits.
Represent NLG Capital through industry engagement and conferences.
Originate, structure, and close commercial mortgage loans, typically ranging from $15 million to $60 million.
Underwrite stabilized, transitional (bridge), and construction loans.
Assess business plans, lease-up risk, capital expenditures, and exit strategies.
Structure loans within credit parameters aligned with risk-return objectives.
Perform cash flow analysis, market evaluation, and sponsor credit review.
Prepare and present investment memoranda to internal credit committees.
Negotiate loan terms, pricing, covenants, and legal documentation.
Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders through closing.
Monitor market conditions and capital markets trends.
Partner with portfolio management on diversification across assets and geographies.
Collaborate with asset management to support portfolio performance and risk mitigation.
Perform other duties as assigned.