Senior Agriculture Underwriter

Location: Remote flexibility available; candidates with experience in Western U.S. agricultural markets are especially relevant.

Opportunity Overview

A growing, community-focused financial institution is seeking an experienced Senior Agriculture Underwriter to play a key role in the continued expansion of its agricultural lending platform.

Agriculture is a strategic growth area for the organization, and this individual will serve as a dedicated credit resource supporting an established agricultural lending team. The role is designed for someone who understands the nuances of production agriculture and can independently evaluate agricultural borrowers, structure sound credits, and communicate risk clearly.

This is not a production or relationship-management position. The focus is credit.

For the right agricultural credit professional, the opportunity offers something increasingly difficult to find at larger institutions: the ability to have a meaningful voice in how a growing lending platform develops.

What Makes This Opportunity Different

• Strategic growth initiative within the organization

• Dedicated focus on agricultural underwriting

• Remote flexibility for the right candidate

• Opportunity to influence credit processes as the platform grows

• Direct access to commercial lending leadership

• Community-focused organization without traditional shareholder pressure

• Collaborative environment where experienced professionals are encouraged to contribute ideas

• Exposure to production agriculture and agricultural real estate

• Farmer Mac-related lending exposure

• Potential to grow with the agricultural lending group as additional resources are added

Responsibilities

• Independently underwrite agricultural credit requests and prepare comprehensive credit memoranda

• Analyze borrower and guarantor financial statements, tax returns, operating information, and historical performance

• Perform cash-to-accrual analysis and adjustments when evaluating agricultural borrowers

• Evaluate operating lines, agricultural real estate transactions, and other agriculture-related credit facilities

• Analyze crop reports, crop position information, production cycles, and borrower liquidity

• Evaluate commodity pricing exposure, contracted production, open-market exposure, and other forward-looking risks

• Assess collateral, leverage, repayment capacity, guarantor support, and overall credit structure

• Identify key credit risks, mitigating factors, policy exceptions, and appropriate covenants

• Partner with agricultural relationship management and commercial credit leadership

• Support the review of externally prepared underwriting when appropriate

• Maintain strong credit quality while supporting the continued growth of the agricultural portfolio

• Contribute ideas and expertise as the agricultural lending platform continues to evolve

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Meaningful agricultural underwriting or agricultural credit analysis experience

• Strong understanding of production agriculture and agricultural financial statements

• Demonstrated ability to perform cash-to-accrual conversions and analysis

• Experience underwriting seasonal operating lines and/or agricultural real estate

• Understanding of commodity markets and their impact on agricultural borrowers

• Strong credit memo writing and financial analysis skills

• Ability to independently identify and communicate credit risks and mitigants

• Experience working directly with agricultural lenders or relationship managers

• Sound credit judgment and ability to operate with limited supervision

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Farmer Mac experience is highly desirable but not required

Preferred Agricultural Experience

Experience with one or more of the following is particularly relevant:

• Row crops

• Vegetable crops

• Hay and alfalfa

• Cattle or livestock

• Seasonal production agriculture

• Agricultural operating lines

• Agricultural real estate

• Farmer Mac lending programs

Exact commodity experience is less important than a strong understanding of how agricultural operations, production cycles, commodity pricing, and cash flow interact.

Not a Fit If You

• Have primarily general commercial underwriting experience with little true agricultural credit exposure

• Are unfamiliar with cash-to-accrual analysis

• Prefer business development and production over credit underwriting

• Need highly standardized credit situations and significant day-to-day supervision

• Are uncomfortable analyzing commodity and production risk

• Want a role where established processes leave little room for professional input

• Are looking primarily for incentive compensation tied to loan production

Compensation

The anticipated base compensation range depends on experience, technical depth, agricultural credit expertise, and overall fit.

The organization also maintains a discretionary enterprise-wide incentive program. This position is not structured around individual loan-production incentives.

Exceptional candidates may be considered based on the overall value and expertise they bring to the agricultural lending platform.

Confidential Closing

This is a confidential opportunity for an agricultural credit professional who wants to do more than process transactions.

The organization is building for continued growth and is looking for someone who can bring strong agricultural credit judgment, contribute ideas, and become an important voice in the development of the platform.

Confidential inquiries are welcome.