VICE PRESIDENT, AGRIBUSINESS UNDERWRITING

Are you ready to help shape the future of agribusiness lending? We’re seeking a dynamic and experienced underwriter to join our team as VP, Agribusiness Underwriting. This is more than a credit role; it’s a chance to influence the financial success of rural America’s most innovative agricultural enterprises.

About Us: At FCS Financial, we are dedicated to positively impacting our customers and communities. As a member of the Farm Credit System, we offer a supportive work environment where your contributions truly matter.

The Role: As a key member of our Underwriting Team, you’ll be at the forefront of underwriting complex agribusiness accounts and multi-lender transactions. You’ll collaborate with relationship managers, legal counsel, and senior leadership to structure smart, risk-mitigated credit solutions that fuel growth across all agricultural industry service-related sectors.

Key Responsibilities:

Analyze complex agribusiness loan requests and develop financial projections.
Assess borrower creditworthiness using industry benchmarks and core lending standards.
Structure credit facilities to mitigate risk and ensure sound financial outcomes.
Prepare detailed credit narratives and recommend loan classifications and conditions
Monitor borrower compliance with financial covenants and initiate corrective actions
Participate in customer meetings to communicate lending requirements and gather operational insights.
Support internal committees with credit recommendations and documentation reviews.
Works closely with Relationship Managers/Financial Officers to assist balancing credit risk with loan growth.
Identifies, communicates, and assists in the collection of financial information required to process lending and servicing requests.

What We Offer:

Competitive Salary: Based on experience $79,000 - $140,000.
Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy a highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
Growth Opportunities: We are committed to your personal and professional development.
Flexible Work Environment: Preferred locations would be Jefferson City, O’Fallon, Harrisonville, St. Joseph, or Springfield, but other FCS Financial locations will be considered for the right candidate. Hybrid work environment and Flexwork schedule will be considered for any of our FCS Financial Branches!

What You Need:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics or related field
Experience: 5+ year’s experience in agribusiness lending or underwriting
Skills: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills.

This position is open until filled.

This position is located in Jefferson City, O’Fallon, Harrisonville, St. Joseph, or Springfield, but other FCS Financial locations will be considered.

This position is classified as Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Department: Credit

Reports To: Vice President Diversified Markets

Job Functions*

Percentage

Job Functions

50%

Loan Request Analysis

Assesses creditworthiness of agribusiness borrowers by:
- Develop and evaluate long and/or short-term financial projections based on customer financial data
- Analyzes capital, capacity, collateral, character, conditions and management ability of the borrower
- Compares the borrowers overall financial position to industry and core lending standards and enterprise guidelines
- Identifies potential risks of the proposed loan and contingencies and develops loan structure that mitigates risk.
Writes credit narratives interpreting and supporting results of credit and management assessment
Determines loan classification, probability of default and loss given default ratings.
Approves, modifies and/or denies credit applications and servicing actions within delegated credit authority and as Credit Loan Committee and Executive Loan Committee member. Recommends approval or denial of loans above delegated credit authority
Determines or recommends the structure and loan conditions to support approvals/recommendations of approval
Engages Internal and 3rd party legal counsel to develop, obtain, and review the appropriate loan documentation as needed.
Prepare, review, approval, servicing actions.

10%

Credit Loan Committee

Serves on the Credit Loan Committee in the third position
Conditionally approves loan requests and forwards to the first position on the Credit Loan Committee
Communicates with senior Credit staff, Credit Loan Committee and Executive Loan Committee for loan approval

10%

Agricultural Enterprise Expertise

Researches, evaluates trends, and quantifies risk profiles for the enterprises including, swine, poultry, crops, cattle, dairy and service related companies
Shares industry knowledge with association Credit and market facing staff
Reviews front-end guidance and lending procedures to improve processes and outcomes
Represents Association at lending meetings and industry symposiums.

20%

Account Monitoring and Covenant Compliance Reporting

Determines borrower compliance with financial and loan covenants
Recommends covenant enforcement, waiver or nonmonetary loan default.
Writes narrative reports to Senior and Executive Management on the effectiveness of account monitoring identifying deficiencies effecting credit administration and lending risk.
Initiates actions to address non-compliance.
Conducts perpetual evaluations and assessment of risk

10%

Relationship Management

Participates in customer meetings to negotiate, communicate and educate customers on lending requirements and reporting expectations.
Provides trend data on customer balance sheet, earnings, and repayment capacity quantifying the impact of business operations.
Observe and review inspections when requested by relationship managers.
Engage customers on site to observe and obtain knowledge of their operations.

n/a

Other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the organization.

Essential Functions for this position consist of all items listed under any category that make up 5% or more of the job duties. This job description is subject to change without notice.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field
5 years related experience
Or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the essential functions of the job

Required Knowledge and Skills

Expert knowledge of the agriculture industry and the impact of current events on agricultural operations and credit
Expert knowledge of financial ratios
Expert knowledge of Association lending procedures and policies
Skill in developing loan covenants
Expertise in loan structuring and negotiating loan terms and conditions
Expertise in reading and interpreting tax returns, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cash flows and similar financial documents
Expertise in understanding relationship between financial statements and operations
Expertise in listening and conveying awareness of a customer's problem or issue to find resolution
Working knowledge of hedging and risk management techniques
Oral and written communication skills, sufficient to exchange information effectively with peers, supervisors, senior management, industry leaders and customers
Skill in negotiating agreements to achieve the best outcome for the organization
Skill in processing complex, detailed forms, and documents in an accurate and thorough manner
Skill in applying processes and procedures to factual data to come to a logical decision
Skill in utilizing Word, Excel, and Outlook to increase efficiency and/or effectiveness
Responsible to appropriately protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the Association’s systems and data and clients’ data

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please click here.

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Vice President, Agribusiness Underwriting