Director, Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management

Scotiabank•New York, NY

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management, is a senior leadership role within the Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) platform, responsible for the oversight of underwriting, structuring and portfolio management of CRE loans across Scotiabank’s balance sheet and CMBS lending platforms. The position will work closely with Originations, Capital Markets, Credit Risk Management, Loan Transaction Management, Securitization, Legal, and other internal stakeholders to deliver financing solutions while ensuring adherence to the Bank’s risk appetite, policies, and regulatory requirements. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in commercial real estate credit, structured finance, and CMBS markets and have a genuine excitement about playing a meaningful and strategic role in the continued growth and success of Scotiabank’s CREF platform.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Real Estate, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field required.
10-15+ years of commercial real estate lending, CMBS, structured finance, or related experience.
Meaningful experience underwriting and structuring commercial real estate transactions across multiple execution channels, including balance sheet bridge lending, warehouse finance and CMBS.
Advanced financial modeling, cash flow analysis, and commercial real estate credit underwriting skills
Working knowledge of ARGUS DCF and other real estate lending financial tools
Demonstrated leadership experience managing deal teams and mentoring junior professionals.
Proven ability to manage multiple complex transactions in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Strong project management, organizational, and analytical capabilities.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present complex credit matters to senior stakeholders.
Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive consensus across multiple business functions.
Strong relationship management skills with both internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Lead the underwriting and structuring process for commercial real estate transactions across a broad range of property types and markets throughout the United States and select North American markets, providing expert judgment on credit risk factors and structuring recommendations.
Conduct thorough credit risk assessments, including the evaluation of borrower creditworthiness, property value, cash flow projections, business plans, and market conditions.
Oversee due diligence efforts, including appraisal, engineering, environmental, insurance, legal, and market reviews, both internally and with third-party vendor support relationships.
Enforce credit risk policies and procedures specific to commercial real estate, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and best practices.
Work closely with Originations, Capital Markets, Credit Risk Management, Transaction Management, Securitization, Legal and senior management to ensure that credit and execution considerations are appropriately incorporated into business decisions.
Monitor commercial real estate market trends, economic conditions, capital market activity, and property performance to identify risks and opportunities across the portfolio.
Oversee portfolio monitoring and asset surveillance activities, including the identification and escalation of emerging risks, portfolio trends, and concentration exposures.
Oversee and manage a portfolio of commercial real estate loans, ensuring that risk exposure remains consistent with approved risk appetite and portfolio objectives.
Monitor active pipeline activity, closing forecasts, and transaction metrics to support business planning, resource allocation, and production goals.
Mentor, train and develop underwriting and portfolio management professionals.
Contribute to the development and enhancement of underwriting standards, execution processes and portfolio management and risk management practices.