Head of LIHTC Originations

Location: Chicago, IL
Employment Type: Full-time

About The Employer

National Equity Fund, Inc. (NEF) is a leading non-profit, multi-family, affordable real estate investment manager with a mission to create and deliver innovative, collaborative financial solutions to expand the creation and preservation of affordable housing. Through its Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) syndication platform and its lending and investing platforms, NEF generates opportunities rooted in its vision that increased access to affordable housing empowers every individual and family to reach their full potential. Founded in 1987, NEF has invested nearly $30 billion, representing approximately 275,000 new or preserved affordable homes across the country, and has donated more than $280 million in grants to support its affiliate LISC's nationwide community development work.

About the Role

The Head of LIHTC Originations is responsible for the overall leadership, strategy, and performance of NEF's national LIHTC originations platform. This role oversees regional and specialty LIHTC originations teams, drives national developer relationship strategy, and ensures alignment between production goals, investor needs, and organizational priorities. The Head of LIHTC Originations sets origination policy, ensures consistent execution across markets, and represents NEF as a senior leader within the LIHTC industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and mentor a national team of originators across regional and specialty product teams
• Develop and implement national and regional originations strategies aligned with NEF's production goals, investor demand, and market conditions
• Oversee creation of annual business plans for each region, incorporating LIHTC, state credit, agency, and other relevant capital products
• Partner with the Chief Production Officer to align originations strategy with NEF's broader organizational objectives and annual production targets
• Establish and maintain NEF's origination policies, procedures, and performance standards
• Drive national developer relationship strategy, ensuring NEF maintains and grows relationships with top developers and identifies emerging partners
• Provide strategic guidance on deal structuring, pricing, and competitive positioning to maximize NEF's ability to win and execute transactions
• Support expansion into new markets, product types, and financing structures where appropriate
• Serve as a senior decisionmaker on project selection, pipeline prioritization, and new business opportunities
• Oversee the NeighborWorks origination function and ensure alignment with NEF's broader production strategy
• Partner with Structured Finance, Capital Markets, Investor Relations, Underwriting, Asset Management, and Legal to align relationship strategies and ensure smooth deal execution
• Oversee NEF's national marketing strategy for originations, ensuring regional input and consistent messaging
• Represent NEF externally at national and state housing conferences, industry events, and key stakeholder meetings, and serve as a senior spokesperson for NEF within the LIHTC industry
• Prepare materials and present regularly at NEF Board meetings and investor meetings
• Monitor and report on originations performance, pipeline health, market trends, and competitive dynamics
• Ensure compliance with internal controls, risk management policies, and regulatory requirements

Requirements

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in business, finance, economics, real estate, urban planning, or a related field
• Minimum 10-15+ years of experience underwriting, structuring, or originating real estate transactions; LIHTC experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing teams and developing talent
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant financial applications
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex concepts clearly
• Ability to explain complex financing structures to developers, investors, and other stakeholders
• Deep understanding of structuring complex real estate transactions and navigating multilayered capital stacks
• Proven ability to build and grow business relationships and drive production results
• Strong strategic thinking skills and the ability to anticipate market trends and organizational needs

Benefits

Competitive salary along with a comprehensive benefits package.