Location: Chicago, IL
Type: Full-Time Position
Category: Community/Economic Development, Development Finance, Economics/Finance Research
Experience: 1 - 3 years
SB Friedman is seeking an early career professional to work within our growing Community Development Finance team in Chicago. Our ideal candidates are creative, detail-oriented and analytical, and are seeking to make positive impacts on communities and the built environment across the country.
OUR FIRM
The Community Development Finance team at SB Friedman brings to fruition real estate projects that support vital social and economic infrastructure, including access to healthcare, education, healthy foods, quality employment and affordable housing. We work with a range of nonprofits, developers, mission-based companies and community development financing partners to facilitate impactful development in low-income communities across the United States. We work in a highly collaborative environment, and fund and provide time for training and professional development activities.
Our Community Development Finance team works exclusively on projects in economically distressed areas and strives to hire individuals who are committed to understanding the complex challenges facing these communities.
THE ROLE
The ideal candidate for this position is a curious, critical thinker who enjoys analyzing and synthesizing both quantitative and qualitative data. The successful applicant will be resourceful, comfortable working in unstructured environments, detail oriented, and a strong communicator. We understand most candidates will not have experience in each of the responsibilities listed below. If you are intellectually curious and committed to creating positive change, please apply.
The day-to-day work includes:
- Measuring and synthesizing community impact and socioeconomic data from disparate sources
- Using Excel and other analytical software to present community impacts in internal and external work products
- Translating quantitative and qualitative data into clear, compelling reports, decks and narratives to communicate community, social and economic impacts to stakeholders
- Assisting with the assessment, documentation, analysis and community impact reporting tasks related to New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) transactions
- Drafting competitive NMTC applications for submittal to US Treasury and conducting targeted data collection and research to support the same
- Underwriting anticipated community impacts of proposed investments and summarizing for use in transaction approval memos and loan documentation
- Supporting efficient NMTC closings through coordination with internal and external parties
- Developing and improving systems and processes to increase efficiency and quality
QUALIFICATIONS
We are looking for candidates that:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public policy or a related field in the social sciences, business administration or communications with coursework and/or applied experience relevant to community development
- Have 1-3 years relevant experience (including internships and analogous work experience)
- Demonstrate an interest in equitable community and economic development or related topics
- Demonstrate strong quantitative analysis skills, particularly using Microsoft Excel
- Demonstrate attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to meet deadlines
- Demonstrate strong written and oral communication
OTHER DETAILS
We are focused on the professional success of our employees and offer the following:
- Expected base salary for this position ranges from $65,000 to $75,000. Actual salaries may vary based on several factors, such as a candidate’s qualifications, skills and experience.
- Performance-based bonus compensation
- Generous benefits package, including: 100% company-paid health and dental insurance premiums, 401(k) with employer contribution, flexible spending programs for health and childcare expenses, pre-tax transit benefits, employer-sponsored bikeshare membership, free membership to onsite building gym, paid vacation time, paid sick time, paid parental leave, 11 paid holidays with the ability to float holidays, and paid time off (office closure) between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
- Hybrid in-office/remote work policy
- Paid membership in a professional organization (or other professional development)
- Firm-wide volunteering events in metro Chicago
- Regular peer-delivered "brown bag" sessions on topics of professional interest
- Monthly happy hours and staff get-togethers
All applicants will be afforded equal opportunity without discrimination because of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, height, weight, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, pregnancy, marital status, familial status or responsibilities, parental status, cultural differences, physical appearance, arrest or conviction record, political beliefs, partisan considerations, military status, matriculation, credit information, or any other protected classification under federal, state or local law. To view our firm's Civil Rights Compliance and Affirmative Action Plan, please contact us at info@sbfriedman.com.
TO APPLY
Please email the following to Jenny Kleiman Dowd, Administrative Director at jobs@sbfriedman.com with “Associate – Community Development Impact” in the subject line.
- Cover letter outlining your interest, qualifications for this role as well as your experience working with underserved communities
- Resume
References may be requested as part of the hiring process.