Associate

Job Description

About The Company

Job Description

The Associate will be part of a small, focused team and will be involved in nearly all aspects of a given transaction from origination to closing - in a fast paced and stimulating environment. 

Responsibilities

• Work within a small intimate team in a fast-paced environment to help secure financing and equity mandates and participate across the entire arc of the deal winning process including client identification, outreach, underwriting, analytics, presentation materials, relationship building and winning.
• Conduct preliminary underwriting analysis and pre-screening of transactions
• Prepare debt offering memorandums for commercial real estate transactions, including research, financial modeling, and composition of executive summaries.
• Responsible for financial modeling of commercial real estate transactions and utilize market data / comps to underwrite a transaction.
• Participate in term sheet and loan documentation negotiations. Must understand and review real estate documents (leases, loan documents, appraisals, etc.) to determine if any issues exist and identify potential concerns and solutions.
• Manage the due diligence process and be the driving force in working through the marketing and closing processes of each transaction, and be in constant communication with the team, the capital markets, and the client. Develop and recommend financing alternatives to present to the team. The Associate will serve as an advisor by helping clients make informed decisions related to their business plan and capital structure.
• Responsible for the placement process where he/she will communicate and help maximize the capital stack by interfacing with various constituents in the debt capital markets, such as life companies, CMBS, alternative capital sources in the US and Europe. 
• Must be technically proficient in use of databases and be able to effectively identify what data from this system will be useful to determine trends and for preparation for pitches and meetings. 
• Begin to build client network within the industry through meetings, events and involvement in real estate trade organizations.
• Participate in weekly office meetings to discuss deal flow, deal status, market conditions and review new client leads.
• Participate in business building ventures such as formation of Lotus’ merchant banking business (to be launched in 2019), correspondent lending partnerships and the integration of other boutique firms and teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or MBA with a concentration in real estate is preferred but not required.
• 3+ years of experience in the CRE debt and equity marketplace, preferably at an investment bank, buyside firm, or advisory firm.
• Strong real estate, Microsoft Excel underwriting/financial modeling skills with a focus on transitional real estate transactions, and valuation experience of all major asset classes.
• Strong writing skills with the ability to communicate analytical and marketing data effectively in addition to complex real estate concepts and transactions.
• Strong research, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information.
• Excellent Microsoft Word and PowerPoint skills with the ability to create sophisticated comprehensive offering memorandums with limited supervision and guidance. The offering memorandums will need to be well laid out and help promote the transaction to potential lenders.
• Effectively break-down complex topics in presentations to a wide audience with no supervision or guidance.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Self-motivated, team oriented, and strong time management skills to manage multiple projects and prioritize deadlines.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, quantitative, writing and communication skills, and ability to interface with clients including their top-level executives.
• Existing relationships with lenders and equity sources (an advantage but not a must).

Benefits

• Competitive structure
• Healthcare / Benefits (401K, medical, dental, vision, amongst others)

Lotus provides equal employment opportunity to all persons. No employee or applicant for employment will be discriminated against because of race, creed, origin, marital status, sexual orientation, age, otherwise qualified disabled or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.