Loan Operations & Administration Manager

About Steward

Steward is a mission-driven private lender financing the growth of regenerative agriculture. We partner with the farms and food businesses that are rebuilding local food systems and taking responsibility for the health of their soil and communities. Whether it's ground-up construction of a new food processing facility, the purchase of land and equipment for farm expansion, or inventory financing for responsible CPG brands, we provide the capital that helps these businesses grow. Steward is a Certified B Corporation.

About the Role

We're hiring a Loan Operations & Administration Manager to own the closing and post-closing process. This role splits its time roughly evenly between two connected functions:

Loan Operations: You'll quarterback the closing process, coordinating borrowers, title companies, and outside counsel to get loans documented, secured, and funded correctly. For our construction loans, you'll coordinate with our third-party construction management firm and manage the movement of funds from draw approval through disbursement.

Loan Administration and Servicing: Once loans are on the books, you'll help manage the health of the portfolio: monitoring covenant compliance, collecting and tracking quarterly borrower financial reporting, tracking recurring collateral and insurance requirements, and serving as the first point of contact when payments are late, including keeping our workout process on track when extended delinquencies occur.

This is a high-ownership role at a growing company, and we're looking for a builder. You'll own these functions end to end, strengthen the procedures and internal controls behind them, and help build the systems that scale with our portfolio, including our growing USDA-guaranteed lending program. You'll work directly with our lending, finance, and legal partners, and your work will directly support the businesses rebuilding local and regional food systems.

What You'll Do

Loan Closing & Operations

• Manage the end-to-end closing process for approved loans

• Ensure borrowers and loans are properly entered in our digital loan management system and maintain complete, accurate loan files

• Prepare settlement statements and coordinate the flow of funds at closing

• Work with title companies and outside counsel to execute loan agreements and perfect our collateral position, including liens, mortgages, deeds of trust, and UCC filings

• Ensure all conditions precedent are met at closing

• Strengthen, document, and improve loan operations procedures and internal controls as our portfolio and product mix grow

Construction Lending

• Serve as the primary point of contact with our third-party construction management firm, coordinating the review of draw requests through our internal approval process

• Manage the movement of construction funds once draws are approved, both internally across Steward entities and externally to borrowers and vendors

Portfolio Monitoring & Reporting

• Monitor borrower compliance with loan covenants throughout the life of each loan

• Collect and track quarterly borrower financial reporting, perform an initial review for completeness, and route materials to the lending team for evaluation

• Track recurring portfolio requirements, including insurance renewals, UCC continuations, and financial reporting deadlines

• Maintain portfolio tracking systems and exception reports, including tracking of all recurring deadlines and expirations

• Support portfolio-level reporting to leadership

• Support review of covenant waiver and loan modification requests

• Support annual audits and investor reporting, including preparation of loan files and portfolio data

Servicing & Delinquency Management

• Serve as the first point of contact for late payments, reaching borrowers promptly, professionally, and in keeping with our relationship-first approach

• Manage our loan servicing and workout process for extended delinquencies, keeping the process on track and coordinating the leadership and counsel who make workout decisions

• Process payoffs, lien releases, and post-closing loan changes

• Resolve documentation exceptions identified after closing

What We're Looking For

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in commercial loan operations, loan closing, loan administration, or commercial loan servicing

• Bachelor's degree

• Working knowledge of secured lending documentation and collateral perfection (mortgages, deeds of trust, UCC filings, title work)

• Experience coordinating with third parties (title companies, attorneys, insurers) to hit closing deadlines

• General understanding of business financial statements

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel

• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced, fully remote environment

• Exceptional organization and attention to detail; you catch the missing signature and the expired insurance certificate

• Strong, empathetic communicator who is comfortable making a difficult phone call to a borrower while preserving the relationship and protecting the lender

• Proficiency with loan management systems and comfort learning new software

Strongly Preferred:

• Experience with USDA-guaranteed lending programs (or other government-guaranteed programs such as SBA), including their documentation, servicing, and reporting requirements

Nice to Have:

• Construction lending or construction draw administration experience

• Project finance, commercial real estate, or equipment finance experience

• Experience at a small or growing lender where you wore multiple hats

• Familiarity with loan workouts, forbearance, or special assets

• Passion for regenerative agriculture and local food systems

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $85,000 to $105,000, depending on experience

• Fully remote company; work from anywhere in the US

• Paid time off: Four (4) weeks per year, plus federal holidays

• Employer-sponsored health coverage (medical, dental, vision)

• Employer-sponsored retirement savings plan with 401(k) matching

• Annual, in-person team retreat

Steward values a diverse workplace and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous and people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, people with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented communities to apply.