Managing Director, Lender Finance Underwriting

Synovus

About The Position

Pinnacle Financial Partners is seeking a Managing Director, Lender Finance Underwriting to serve as a senior credit leader and underwriter for lender finance and specialty finance credit facilities ranging from $10MM to $150MM. This role is responsible for end-to-end credit underwriting, structuring, and approval of complex specialty finance transactions and sits at the center of a relationship-driven, credit-focused platform. The Managing Director will partner closely with originations to deliver tailored financing solutions to non-bank lenders, specialty finance companies, and asset-based lenders, while ensuring disciplined risk management aligned with growth objectives. In addition, this individual will oversee underwriting standards, mentor junior professionals, and play a central role in credit committee presentations and approvals.

Requirements

10–15+ years in Asset-based finance, Lender finance / specialty finance, and/ or Structured or private credit.
Deep experience underwriting and structuring collateral-based credit facilities in the $10MM–$100MM+ range.
Proven experience presenting to and interacting with senior leadership and credit committees.
Expertise in collateral-based lending, borrowing base mechanics, and advance rate analysis.
Strong financial modeling, structuring and risk assessment capabilities.
Deep understanding of legal documentation and intercreditor dynamics.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to balance risk discipline with commercial pragmatism.
Strong judgment in complex and ambiguous situations.
Comfortable operating on a lean, high-accountability team.
High ownership mindset with end-to-end accountability.

Nice To Haves

Experience in lender finance, fund finance, or structured finance platforms.
Background working with non-bank lenders, fintechs, or specialty finance companies.
Prior experience building or scaling an underwriting function.

Responsibilities

Underwriting of lender finance facilities, including warehouse facilities (consumer, commercial, fintech assets), asset-backed revolvers and other structured credit solutions.
Perform detailed analysis of: Borrower financial performance and liquidity; Collateral quality, dilution, and performance trends; Advance rates, borrowing base mechanics, eligibility criteria, and concentration limits.
Structure credit facilities to optimize risk-adjusted returns, including covenants, reporting requirements, and control mechanisms.
Own preparation of clear, decision-oriented credit memos and present transactions to credit committee in partnership with the originations team.
Act as a strategic credit partner to deal teams (not a gatekeeper).
Engage early in deal screening, structuring, and term sheet development.
Provide pragmatic solutions to support execution within defined risk tolerance.
Interface directly with clients, sponsors, management teams and intermediaries as a senior credit representative.
Ensure alignment with firm-wide credit culture, policies and risk appetite.
Identify and mitigate key risks, including collateral volatility, concentration exposure, operational risk, and counterparty risk.
Partner with portfolio management to ensure effective transition from underwriting to ongoing monitoring.
Maintain high-quality underwriting standards across the platform.
Serve as a senior voice in credit committee discussions and decisions.
Collaborate closely with originations, legal, portfolio management, and operations to execute transactions efficiently.
Support negotiation of loan documentation and closing conditions.
Provide structuring guidance throughout transaction lifecycle, from deal screening to term sheet development and through closing.
Help build and scale Pinnacle’s lender finance platform, including credit frameworks, underwriting guidelines, and product capabilities.
Contribute to portfolio construction strategy, including industry focus and concentration limits.
Provide market insights on specialty finance trends, structures, and competitive dynamics.
Assist with hiring, development and mentoring of junior underwriters and analysts.
Deliver training on structuring, collateral analysis, and credit judgment and promote best practices in credit writing and presentation.
Foster a high-performance, collaborative underwriting culture while supporting scalable growth.