Start or grow a meaningful career at Pursuit
Who We Are
Pursuit is a community-focused lender that provides small businesses with affordable loans and resources so that they can reach higher, transform and grow. That transformation may start with an individual borrower, but ultimately extends into the broader community, taking shape as new employment opportunities, economic development and positive change.
What We Do
For more than 65 years, we have been 100% invested in the success of our clients. Pursuit offers a suite of innovative financing products designed to expand access to capital for small businesses. Our range of loans and lines of credit range from $10,000 to $5.5 million for businesses ready to make their next big investment. We have designed our application processes and loan terms with more flexibility than traditional banks. Our signature loan programs include commercial real estate financing, general business funding, and fast business funding through a digital platform. We leverage deep, long-term relationships with banks and community partners to serve clients in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
What We Offer
A collaborative environment of mission-focused professionals dedicated to helping communities and economies grow through business lending. We seek individuals who want to blend a career in financial services with a career serving others. Pursuit extends its employees competitive salaries and a range of benefits including, including but not limited to:
- Health Insurance, generous employer premium contribution
- Fully paid Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
- Generous 401(k) match
- Flexible spending account
- Holiday and Paid Time Off
- Volunteer Time Off
- Paid Parental Leave
- Referral Program Bonus
- Educational assistance after two years of employment
- Mentorship Program
- Summer work hours
How We Help
We believe that when local businesses thrive, they provide good, stable jobs, recycling the money they spend back into the community to help it grow. Our loans are offered with affordable rates to ensure that our clients can continue growing and positively impacting their neighborhoods. While compelling founders’ stories are what drive us every day, we are proud to work with small businesses at scale:
- $4+ billion lent, $1.2 billion in the last 5 years
- $2 billion portfolio of small business loans
- 70,000+ jobs created
- 10,000+ loans to small businesses
- 10,000+ hours of advisory and educational services
Learn more about Pursuit’s mission and core values
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws regarding nondiscrimination.
To apply for an open role, please email a resume and cover letter to [email protected]. For general employment inquiries please contact Toniann Datello, human resources director, at [email protected].
If you would like to apply, please click on the link below to complete our Employment Application.
Openings
Location: Chicago
Job Title: AVP Business Development and Advisory Services
Job Type: Employee – Full Time
About the Job:
The Business Development Officer position reports through the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) division of Pursuit. The qualified candidate will be responsible for working directly with banks, business service organizations, associations, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, professional service firms, lending organizations or marketplaces, and others to secure client referrals and acquire loan customers. In addition to client acquisition, the candidate will be responsible for providing Business Advisory Services (BAS) to our clients, including overcoming obstacles to financing, loan packaging assistance including advising on financial statements and credit issues. The client will also be responsible for matching outside consultants to loan clients to assist them in strategic planning, financial management, marketing, and other areas.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Maintain expert familiarity with Pursuit Community Finance products and those of its affiliates.
- Maintain a network of bankers, and referral partners, and secure new channels for client acquisition.
- Educate bankers, lenders, and other strategic partners on Pursuit’s offerings by consistently setting appointments to give presentations to this target audience.
- Engage in strategic networking to develop new partners and clients.
- Quickly understand business conditions, conduct business assessments and be able to provide feedback and guidance to potential clients on the appropriateness of various products.
- Nurture and advise clients to help resolve access to capital barriers, with a focus on loan readiness, loan packaging, and addressing challenges to accessing capital.
- Create partnerships and be able to identify business consultants to be added to our existing external consulting corps team, and match consultants with loan clients as appropriate and monitor those engagements.
- Identify prospective customers from an existing pipeline and proactively reach out to and maintain close contact with small business clients, understanding their business needs and ensuring they are connecting with a variety of valuable resources.
- Be able to provide knowledge and guidance on different strategies for business clients when faced with challenges or growth opportunities.
- Review business plans, credit reports, and other information as appropriate to determine business.
- Analyze financial statements to identify any trends in the financial operations to identify weakness & strengths and determines growth opportunities.
- Conduct follow-up assessments and check-ins with clients.
- Coordinate with partners such as banks, accountants, and other small business service providers.
- Develop manuals, processes, and procedures; establish benchmarks and track progress against goals. Manage reports and IT systems related to tracking and reporting on business development.
- Support efforts related to new grant proposals and reporting to funders, including monitoring and measuring program outcomes as needed.
- Additional position related duties and responsibilities as assigned by manager.
Position Specifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, or related field preferred.
- Experience in banking; specifically sourcing and closing small business loans ranging from $10,000 to $500,000.
- Demonstrated deal production and contacts of bankers and centers of influence.
- Familiarity with underwriting, credit, credit terminology like DSCR, and small business lending decision process.
- Ability to perform basic credit analysis. Finding where gross/net income figures are located on tax returns, understanding of cash flow, credit scores, etc.
- Clear communication, sales, presentation & interpersonal skills.
- Familiarity with CDFI (Community Development Financial Institutions)
- Strategic & organizational competence – i.e., exercising leadership to improve business development strategy, the ability to set and manage timelines, commitments, and deadlines with ease
- Final candidates must be able to pass all pre-employment screenings, including a background, criminal and credit check, and drug testing.
Essential Functions:
- Ability to communicate effectively.
- Ability to travel throughout assigned territory.
- Experience and comfort with public speaking.
- Ability to succeed in a remote work setting.
We will give consideration to and provide training for veterans interested in a career in finance/ banking provided that the applicant has completed at least two years of college with an accredited institution.
Based on our compensation benchmarking survey, the estimated salary range for this position is $59,500 – 85,000 and is commensurate with education and experience.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding nondiscrimination.
Location: Pittsburgh/ Western, PA
Job Type: Employee – Full Time
About the Job:
The SBA 504 Program is one of the best financing products available for small businesses and Pursuit is the #1 504 lender in Pennsylvania. Our loan volume is growing, and we need help in keeping up with demand. This niche product provides a unique opportunity for a seasoned lender looking for an opportunity to be challenged while being a part of a growing company with a long tenured staff and rewarding mission.
The ideal candidate will be an aggressive business developer to market our programs to potential referral organizations and have a solid credit background necessary to process loan applications. Referral organizations include commercial lenders at area banks and credit unions, accountants, attorneys, economic developers, commercial real estate brokers and the business community. The position will report to the Pursuit – CDC Market Manager.
Position Specifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- A minimum of three (3) years’ experience in commercial lending.
- Superior technical writing skills
- Clear communication & strong interpersonal skills required.
- Strategic & organizational competence – i.e., the ability to set and manage timelines, commitments, and deadlines with ease.
- Completion of a formal credit training program is considered highly beneficial.
- Excellent presentation skills are critical.
- Must be a self- starter.
- Candidates should have knowledge and past commercial lending & SBA experience, preferred.
- Territory includes Western Pennsylvania.
- The job requires extensive business travel throughout the territory. Travel and entertainment expenses are paid by Pursuit.
- This position is fully remote. Business equipment is provided.
- Final candidates must be able to pass all pre-employment screenings, including a background, criminal and credit check, and drug testing.
- Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We do not provide sponsorships for those who require a sponsorship in order to work in the U.S.
We will give consideration to and provide training for veterans interested in a career in finance/ banking provided that the applicant has completed at least two years of college with an accredited institution.
Competitive salary commensurate with commercial lending experience.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws regarding nondiscrimination. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local law.