Senior Portfolio Manager – Special Assets (Leveraged & Corporate Finance)

Location: Atlanta, GA

Category: Risk Management / Corporate Finance

Employment Type: Full-Time, Regular

Salary: $75,000-$145,000

Role Overview

We are seeking a seasoned Senior Portfolio Manager to join our Special Assets Group. In this critical role, you will be responsible for the underwriting and strategic management of complex credit requests within specialized portfolios. You will serve as a key decision-maker, recommending credit structures that balance risk appetite with profitability.

The ideal candidate is an expert at navigating intricate financial structures, analyzing diverse credit scenarios, and ensuring all lending activities align with institutional risk philosophy and regulatory standards. You will build high-impact relationships with internal Risk Management teams and external stakeholders to protect the firm’s capital and optimize portfolio performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Portfolio Management: Independently manage a classified loan portfolio featuring complex credit structures, including syndicated corporate, leveraged finance, and middle-market exposures with elevated risk profiles.
• Advanced Modeling: Develop and challenge sophisticated analytical financial models, including discounted cash flow (DCF), enterprise valuation, and multi-scenario projections to support restructuring strategies.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Act as the primary point of contact for complex credit resolutions, collaborating with legal counsel, financial advisors, investment bankers, and external restructuring professionals.
• Risk Mitigation: Assign and document risk grades in strict accordance with institutional policy and regulatory expectations, ensuring all actions are audit-ready and defensible.
• Reporting & Compliance: Lead the preparation of impairment analyses, accrual status justifications, and criticized asset reporting for executive management and regulatory bodies.
• Underwriting Excellence: Oversee the underwriting process for large-scale wholesale lending and specialty lines of business, ensuring credit packages are complete, accurate, and strategically sound.
• Credit Authority: Exercise prudent credit judgment through individual loan authority (as applicable) and articulate exceptions to policy when supported by sound business rationale.
• Mentorship: Drive the professional development of junior portfolio managers through coaching on underwriting techniques, risk identification, and credit structuring.

Qualifications

Required Experience:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years of heavy experience in commercial lending, special assets, or credit risk management.
• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of financial and cost accounting principles, commercial underwriting, and the current regulatory landscape.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional problem-solving abilities and strong interpersonal communication skills for negotiating with external partners and internal executives.

Preferred Experience:

• Advanced Degree: MBA or master’s in quantitative financial discipline.
• Certification: RMA-Credit Risk Certification (CRC) or similar industry designation.
• Systems: Proficiency in enterprise-level commercial lending platforms and advanced Microsoft Office applications.

Benefits & Culture

Our client is a leading financial institution offering a comprehensive benefits package to regular employees (20+ hours/week). Benefits include:

• Health & Wellness: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability coverage.
• Financial Security: 401(k) plan with matching and potential eligibility for a defined benefit pension plan or restricted stock units (RSUs).
• Work-Life Balance: Minimum of 10 days’ vacation, 10 sick days, and paid holidays.

Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains a Drug-Free Workplace.