Senior Lending Specialist

Valley Bank•Paramus, NJ

About The Position

The Senior Lending Specialist supports lending operations from approval through closing and throughout the life of a loan. The role serves as a primary liaison for internal and external customers and stakeholders, coordinates deal flow with Relationship Managers and downstream teams, and reviews documentation and transaction details to support due diligence, processing, compliance, and timely closings. The position also assists with training and mentoring junior Lending Specialists and helps ensure loans and ongoing loan activity are properly processed and booked.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum of 5 years of Lending Assistant or Loan Processor experience and supervisory experience.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
Confidence enforcing policies, procedures, and processes when challenged.
Strong PC skills, including Microsoft Office applications, the Bank's core system, and nCino software.
High proficiency in customer service, organization, data input, time management, and handling multiple tasks simultaneously in a high-volume, strict-deadline work environment.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Commercial Real Estate, C&I, or Specialized loan documentation.

Responsibilities

Assist the Team Lead by training and mentoring new or junior Lending Specialists to ensure consistency with workflows and processes.
Serve as liaison and primary point of contact for internal and external customers and stakeholders from approval through deal closing and for questions and requests during loan monitoring and servicing.
Manage the deal-flow pipeline with Relationship Managers and lead interactions with internal downstream stakeholders to support timely closings.
Coordinate and review closing documentation and information with counsel, internal document preparation, and relevant stakeholders for due diligence, application processing, insurance, operational feasibility, execution mechanics, and regulatory requirements.
Assist with transaction execution and process flow, escalate issues, and design solutions that provide adequate risk controls and protections.
Order items needed to complete files and prepare supplemental documentation when required.
Partner with closing and servicing operations teams to support proper booking, accrual reconciliations, and daily cash positions.
Ensure initial loan funding, when applicable, and ongoing loan activity—including payments, draws, and payoffs—are properly processed and booked with downstream stakeholders.
Review loan documents for accuracy before closing and close loans when necessary.
Communicate issues that arise before closing to Lenders.