Real Estate Finance & Investment Specialist - Underwriting & Transaction Management

About Us:

The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) believes stable and sustainable affordable housing is the foundation of strong communities, and we strive to contribute to comprehensive neighborhood revitalization through our lending and partnerships. A nationally recognized leader in affordable housing finance, CPC has provided a consistent source of capital to underserved housing markets throughout New York State since our inception in 1974.

Today, CPC stands as the largest CDFI solely committed to investing in multifamily housing, having invested more than $15 billion to finance the creation and preservation of more than 230,000 units of quality housing in neighborhoods across New York State and beyond. CPC has a robust construction lending platform, a mortgage bank, and equity and impact investment platforms that focus on our three goals: Expanding Affordable Housing, Closing the Racial Wealth Gap and Investing in the Green Economy.

As a member of our team, you'll have the opportunity to work on impactful projects that make a real difference in people's lives. We're looking for talented individuals who are passionate about our mission and share our values of commitment, respect, excellence, accountability, and collaboration.

Role Summary:

Join CPC’s newly established Building Innovation team and help shape the future of affordable and workforce housing finance through innovative lending and investment strategies that advance high-performance multifamily housing. Working closely with the Senior Director, Strategy & Credit Risk, this position will play a key role in launching CPC’s High-Performance Housing Fund and a new predevelopment lending program supporting affordable housing projects that incorporate natural hazard resilience and utility efficiency improvements.

In this role, you will combine real estate underwriting and financial analysis with transaction and pipeline management, asset management, and cross-functional program support. The role will independently manage multiple workstreams and help move transactions from initial evaluation through underwriting, due diligence, closing, and ongoing monitoring. You will be responsible for performing the initial evaluation of proposed predevelopment and subordinate loans as well as preferred equity transactions for the credit review process by working with CPC’s Chief Risk Officer and/or CPC Credit and Investment Committees. The role offers a unique opportunity to help develop new financing solutions, build market knowledge, and expand the affordable housing industry’s capacity to finance high-performance housing investments.

What You’ll Do:

• Coordinate predevelopment financing applications, working with consultants, borrowers, and CPC staff to assemble required financial, technical, and program documentation.

• Manage assigned transactions and workstreams, including screening applications, conducting eligibility and financial-feasibility analyses, coordinating stakeholders, tracking deliverables, and advancing required next steps.

• Structure and evaluate financing approaches that enable energy efficiency, utility efficiency, and natural hazard resilience improvements.

• Manage the underwriting and due diligence process of predevelopment and subordinate loans from origination through closing, coordinating internal CPC teams, borrowers, legal counsel, consultants, and third-party vendors.

• Analyze historical operations, rent rolls, market conditions, development budgets, and financing assumptions to assess cash flow, debt capacity, transaction feasibility, and credit risk.

• Underwrite preferred equity investments, evaluating capital structure, distribution waterfalls, sponsor economics, projected returns, exit and refinancing assumptions, and downside protection.

• Develop and review Excel-based financial models, including operating projections, debt sizing, sources and uses, investment returns, and sensitivity and downside analyses.

• Conduct site inspections and review third-party reports, including appraisal, engineering, environmental, zoning, flood, title, and insurance, to identify property-level risks.

• Assess borrower and sponsor creditworthiness through analysis of financial statements, liquidity, credit history, organizational structure, experience, and real estate holdings.

• Prepare underwriting and investment memoranda and present findings, material risks, and recommendations to CPC Credit and Investment Committees.

• Proactively identify and communicate material credit, execution, and closing risks and recommend appropriate solutions.

• Maintain due diligence checklists and application schedules, monitor deliverables, resolve information gaps, and ensure complete and timely submissions.

• Maintain visibility into the Climate Lending & Investing transaction pipeline and help advance opportunities through screening, evaluation, underwriting, approval, documentation, legal review, and closing.

• Review borrower reporting and other portfolio information, identify emerging issues, and coordinate appropriate follow-up or escalation with internal and external stakeholders

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Urban Planning, Real Estate or other related field preferred.

• Five years of experience in multifamily real estate underwriting, equity investment analysis, or structured finance preferred.

• Proactive self-starter who takes initiative, anticipates needs, identifies opportunities, and advances work independently, rather than requiring constant direction or oversight.

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability, with a demonstrated ability to drive projects forward and deliver results.

• Collaborative and relationship-driven, with a willingness to engage colleagues and external partners directly, initiate conversations, and work across teams to resolve issues and achieve shared goals.

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, exercising sound judgement, establishing priorities, and taking action even when information or direction may be incomplete.

• Exceptional analytical, problem solving and organizational skills required.

• An expertise in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe products and understanding of how to effectively deploy AI platforms and tools.

• Strong Excel-based financial modeling skills, including experience developing and analyzing real estate cash flow models, debt sizing, investment returns, and sensitivity analyses preferred.

• Knowledge of preferred equity and subordinate capital structures, with the ability to evaluate investment returns, distribution waterfalls, sponsor economics, refinance and exit assumptions, and downside risk preferred.

• Knowledge of HUD multifamily programs and/or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan products is recommended.

• Familiarity with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and natural hazard resilience building measures preferred.

• Effective written and oral communication skills.

What We Offer:

• Competitive compensation

• 401(k) retirement plans with employer match

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and their dependents

• Commuter benefits

• PTO for vacation, personal days, sick leave, holidays, jury duty, bereavement, parental leave, and disability

• Tuition assistance program

• Two “work from anywhere” weeks per year

• Summer Fridays

• Collaborative working spaces

• Service days to support our communities

• Employee development and engagement events

• More about our offerings and culture here

This is a remote role available in Washington DC; MD; and PA and hybrid in New York City. Periodic travel to our Manhattan or Chappaqua, NY office may be required if remote. The salary range is $90,000 – $110,000, dependent on experience and market factors.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The Community Preservation Corporation does not provide employment sponsorship of any kind. Candidates are responsible for ensuring they meet all minimum qualifications for the position at the time of application.

The Community Preservation Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all employment-related decisions including recruitment, selection, evaluation, promotion, compensation, training and termination are made without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, status as a veteran, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other protected status.