VICE PRESIDENT, AGRIBUSINESS UNDERWRITINGAre 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 the Role: As a key member of our credit team, the VP, Agribusiness Underwriting will lead the analysis and structuring of
complex agribusiness and commercial lending opportunities, including multi-lender transactions.
This is more than a traditional underwriting role-you will collaborate closely with relationship managers, legal counsel, and senior leadership to deliver
strategic, risk-mitigated credit solutions that drive responsible growth across diverse agricultural sectors.
What We Offer:- Competitive Salary: Based on experience $79,000 - $140,000 with outstanding incentive opportunities linked to Association performance.
- Growth Opportunities: We are committed to your personal and professional development.
- Comprehensive Benefits: A highly competitive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and work-life balance.
- Flexible Work Environment: FCS Financial preferred locations include Jefferson City, O'Fallon, Harrisonville, Macon, Columbia, Hannibal or Springfield. There is opportunity for a Hybrid or Flex Work Schedule after an initial training period. Note that all FCS Financial locations with available space will be considered, the ones mentioned above are preferred.
- Collaborative Culture:Work alongside a supportive, experienced team committed to your success.
What You'll Do:- Analyze complex agribusiness loan requests and develop detailed financial forecasts
- Assess borrower creditworthiness using industry benchmarks and sound lending principles
- Structure credit facilities that effectively balance risk and growth
- Prepare comprehensive credit narratives, including loan recommendations, conditions, and classifications
- Monitor borrower performance and compliance with financial covenants; recommend corrective actions as needed
- Participate in customer meetings to gather operational insights and communicate lending requirements
- Partner with relationship managers to align credit decisions with portfolio growth objectives
- Support internal credit committees with recommendations and documentation reviews
- Identify and collect required financial information to support loan origination and servicing
What You Bring:- 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 classified as Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Department: Credit
Reports To: Vice President Team Leader Credit; Commercial & Agribusiness Lending
Supervises: None
Job Functions*
Percentage
Job Functions
50%
Loan Request Analysis
- Assesses creditworthiness of agribusiness borrowers by:
- Develops and evaluates 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 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, approve servicing actions
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 affecting credit administration and lending risk.
- Initiates actions to address non-compliance
Conducts perpetual evaluations and assessment of risk
10%
Credit Loan Committee
- Serves on the Credit Loan Committee
- Conditionally approves loan requests and forwards to remaining Committee members
- 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 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
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
