Business Development Officer

First Merchants Corporation

SBL Business Development Officer originating and managing a quality portfolio of SBA loans for First Merchants Bank. Cultivating relationships and ensuring compliance with credit policies for loan transactions.

Posted 4/24/2026full-timeRemote • Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Identify and cultivate relationships with external referral sources to maintain a consistent pipeline of high-quality new SBA loan transactions.
Tell the SBL story while highlighting competitive advantages in the marketplace.
Actively manage pipeline, following up on new leads in a timely manner and providing detailed feedback to prospective borrowers.
Update pipeline tracker weekly to provide management with activity data.
Understand and have working knowledge of FMB-SBL credit guidance.
Source new loans that match SBL's credit parameters and enhance SBL's loan portfolio.
Assemble standard loan packages; prepare income-statement-only spread and brief credit memo for each loan to ensure alignment with credit policy and eligibility requirements prior to submission to Underwriting.
Work with prospective borrowers to collect required documents; organize and save documents per team protocols ensuring proper security measures of any sensitive or personally identifiable information.
Work with borrowers to address any character issues by obtaining written explanations and any additional documentation required by the SOP.
Participate in initial “kick-off” call with borrower and Underwriter for each loan.
Assist Underwriters and Closers, as necessary, to gather required documentation and ensure borrower cooperation.
Maintain positive, productive relationships with clients, external referral sources, SBL team members, and other internal stakeholders.
Responsible for being compliant with all regulations and compliance requirements pertaining to job function.
Carry out such other duties as may be assigned or requested.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting or relevant field, or equivalent related experience
Five or more (5+) years successfully originating SBA loans required
Excellent sales acumen / ability to market and network
Understanding of SBA SOP and loan eligibility requirements
Ability to spread loans, appropriate credit underwriting knowledge
Strong communication skills, and client service orientation.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Base Pay PLUS Bonuses
Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
401k
Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
Vacation/Sick Time
Paid Holidays
Paid Parental Leave
Tuition Reimbursement
Additional Benefits

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

SBA loan originationcredit underwritingloan packagingincome statement analysiscredit policy compliancepipeline managementdocument organizationcredit memo preparationloan eligibility assessmentSBA SOP understanding

Soft Skills

sales acumennetworkingcommunicationclient service orientationrelationship managementteam collaborationproblem-solvingattention to detailtime managementfeedback provision