Director, Commercial Real Estate Origination

About Us

Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep its promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Role Summary

The Director, Commercial Real Estate Origination is a senior originator to lead the sourcing, structuring, and execution of commercial real estate debt investments. This role is responsible for developing a consistent pipeline of institutional-quality opportunities and advancing the firm’s credit strategy and portfolio objectives. The position is relationship-driven, focused on originating transactions across core property types while partnering closely with underwriting, asset management, and senior leadership through closing.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a pipeline of high-quality investment opportunities.
• Develop and manage relationships with sponsors, brokers, and mortgage bankers.
• Travel to key markets for client meetings, broker engagement, and site visits.
• Represent NLG Capital through industry engagement and conferences.
• Originate, structure, and close commercial mortgage loans (typically $15M–$60M).
• Underwrite stabilized, transitional (bridge), and construction loans.
• Assess business plans, lease-up risk, capital expenditures, and exit strategies.
• Structure loans within credit parameters aligned with risk-return objectives.
• Perform cash flow analysis, market evaluation, and sponsor credit review.
• Prepare and present investment memoranda to internal credit committees.
• Negotiate loan terms, pricing, covenants, and legal documentation.
• Cook up with internal and external stakeholders through closing.
• Monitor market conditions and capital markets trends.
• Partner with portfolio management on diversification across assets and geographies.
• Collaborate with asset management to support portfolio performance and risk mitigation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Real Estate, or related field and 6 - 8 years of related experience.
• 6 or more years of commercial real estate lending experience with a track record of originations.
• Experience underwriting stabilized, transitional/bridge, and construction loans.
• Strong knowledge of credit underwriting, real estate fundamentals, and loan structuring.
• Established network of sponsors, brokers, and mortgage bankers.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Experience using commercial real estate (CRE) software used for valuation and cash flow modeling.
• Strong analytical, research, and communication skills.
• High integrity, sound judgment, and disciplined risk approach.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA with concentration in Finance, Real Estate, or related field.
• At least 8 years progressive experience commercial real estate lending and origination.
• Experience with ARGUS CRE Valuation software.

Benefits

The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life’s discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an "at-will position" and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Base Pay Range. The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job-related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors. The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances.

Salary Pay Range $108,750 - $159,500 USD National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT – founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX – chartered in 1955, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser affiliate of National Life Insurance Company. All other entities are independent of the companies of National Life Group.