Forward Financing needs to generate proactive insights into the US economy and specific small business sectors to guide corporate financing activities, inform financial projections, and set industry-specific risk limits, enabling the executive team to proactively manage and adjust the company's overall credit risk appetite and capital deployment.
Requirements
- Advanced financial modeling (Excel), proficiency in data querying (e.g., SQL), and experience with research databases (e.g., Bloomberg, FactSet).
- Proven ability to synthesize vast amounts of quantitative and qualitative data to form a strategic thesis and a clear recommendation.
- Experience applying a macroeconomic lens to small and middle-market credit risk.
- Be a hands-on analyst comfortable navigating modern research tools (e.g., Bloomberg, AI-enabled platforms) to execute research and analysis without dedicated junior staff.
Responsibilities
- Conduct in-depth research on macroeconomic variables, industry trends, and regulatory changes (e.g., fuel prices, consumer spending, tariffs) to predict their future impact on the profitability and stability of small businesses.
- Provide clear, data-driven recommendations to Senior Leadership (SLT) on where the company should increase, limit, or pull back exposure across industries and various portfolio dimensions (deal size, new vs. renewal).
- Partner with the Analytics team to define variables and subject matter expertise for developing forward-looking risk assessment models and scorecards tailored to specific industries.
- Own the development and regular delivery (monthly minimum) of a structured top-down view of portfolio exposure, highlighting growth, underperformance, and overall risk trajectory across all key segments.
- Help design and maintain an internal G/Y/R (Green/Yellow/Red) framework or similar tool to rapidly communicate the risk status and trajectory of our largest industries to stakeholders.
- Actively track industry news, emerging risks, and competitive shifts, providing timely, high-impact updates to underwriting and risk teams.
- Translate complex analytical findings into simple, coherent, and decisive presentations and reports for the SLT, ensuring they have a clear view for making critical capital allocation decisions.
Other
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting strategic recommendations to senior management or investment committees.
- Collaborate across the organization (Underwriting, Analytics, Finance, Strategy) to embed economic and industry insights into credit policy, financial forecasting, and corporate strategy discussions.
- A track record of making or influencing investment/credit decisions based on industry and economic outlook.
- Mission driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options.
- Flexibility is a top priority: Our employees are empowered to choose where they want to work (whether that’s from home, in the office, or a combination of both) with flexible hours.
