Chief Investment Officer

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Chief Investment Officer will have the rare opportunity to help build Maryland’s long-term community development finance infrastructure from the ground up. Over the next five years, this leader will help establish new lending funds, position MCIC for future NMTC allocation, shape the organization’s capitalization strategy, and build the investment platform that will define MCIC for decades.
Because MCIC remains a start-up organization, the ideal candidate will also bring flexibility, curiosity, humility, and a healthy sense of humor. As new lending initiatives are launched, the CIO will help shape the investment team, refine organizational processes, and contribute to a culture where innovation and collaboration thrive.
This role offers a unique opportunity for an emerging executive ready for their first C-suite position or an experienced investment leader seeking to apply their expertise to building an innovative new institution. MCIC draws inspiration from both Collective Action for Just Finance and the Opportunity Finance Network. We believe rigorous underwriting and bold community partnership are not competing values; they are mutually reinforcing. Therefore, the ideal candidate will ensure that equitable lending practices remain at the center of every investment.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Chief Investment Officer serves as MCIC’s senior lending executive and is responsible for developing and executing the organization’s investment strategy while ensuring prudent portfolio management and exceptional borrower service.

The CIO oversees underwriting, due diligence, portfolio performance, loan servicing strategy, investment committee operations, business development, and new lending initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Investment Leadership
 Lead all underwriting, due diligence, and investment analysis for MCIC lending activities.
 Recommend credit decisions to executive leadership and the Board.
 Plan, facilitate, and staff Investment Committee meetings.
 Develop and continuously improve underwriting standards, lending policies, and credit procedures.

Portfolio Management
 Oversee ongoing portfolio monitoring and periodic portfolio reviews.
 Lead loan modifications, restructurings, and workouts when necessary while balancing prudent risk management with mission objectives.
 Monitor portfolio performance, asset quality, covenant compliance, and organizational risk.
 Ensure accurate investment reporting for executive leadership, the Board, auditors, and funding partners.

Business Development
 Cultivate a statewide pipeline of community development lending opportunities.
 Conduct outreach with nonprofit developers, local governments, community development corporations, financial institutions, and state agencies.
 Conduct regular site visits with borrowers and prospective partners throughout Maryland.
 Represent MCIC at conferences, community meetings, and industry events.

New Investment Initiatives
 Partner with the CEO and COO to identify emerging market opportunities, new lending products, and innovative capital sources.
 Lead or support the design and implementation of future lending initiatives, including the Rural and Small Cities Predevelopment Loan Fund.
 Explore opportunities to braid state, federal, philanthropic, and private capital in support of equitable community development.

 Contribute to the organization’s evolving New Markets Tax Credit strategy and long-term capitalization efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will likely bring many of the following experiences:
 Eight to ten years of progressively responsible experience in commercial lending, community development finance, real estate finance, or impact investing.
 At least four years of supervisory experience involving policy development, strategic planning, and management of professional staff.
 Experience underwriting complex real estate or community development transactions.
 Demonstrated success managing lending portfolios and borrower relationships.
 Working knowledge of one or more of the following:
o New Markets Tax Credit
o Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
o Historic Tax Credits
o Public finance
o State and federal economic development programs
o Community development lending
 Relationships with Maryland’s finance, government, philanthropic, or real estate communities are highly desirable.

SOFT SKILLS
The Chief Investment Officer will be:
 A collaborative team builder who enjoys developing people.
 An accomplished relationship builder with strong business development instincts.
 A patient educator capable of translating New Markets Tax Credits into language that borrowers, elected officials, and community members can understand.
 Intellectually curious and willing to develop expertise in the complex, evolving NMTC landscape.
 Flexible enough to thrive in a growing organization where priorities evolve and new opportunities emerge.
 Comfortable traveling throughout Maryland, from the Eastern Shore to Western Maryland, to cultivate partnerships and support borrowers.
 Motivated by the belief that community development finance should create opportunity for residents as well as financial returns.

Interested candidates may submit a resume to info@mdcommunityinvestment.com. Cover letters are not required. Please send any questions on this position summary to info@mdcommunityinvestment.com.

Message from Allocator Jobs: To help prepare you for this role, take a look at the Institutional Allocator (IA) program from our partnership organization, the Allocator Training Institute. The IA program curriculum gives you a solid foundation of investing from the allocator’s perspective. You’ll learn how to evaluate investment managers, create an ‘endowment-model’ multi-asset class portfolio, and the quantitative tools necessary to succeed in the role. The three-part program can be completed in less than one year and exams are available every quarter-end month. This is the program that will help you start and then accelerate your allocator career. Reach out if you have any questions.