Commercial Real Estate Debt Origination Associate
Location: NYC or LA
Experience: 2-4 years
Position Type: Full‑time
We are working with a leading institutional investment platform to hire a Commercial Real Estate Debt Origination Associate to support the sourcing, underwriting, and execution of bridge and transitional real estate loans across major U.S. markets.
This is a front‑office, credit‑focused role for candidates who want to deepen their experience on the principal side and gain direct exposure to loan origination and execution, working closely with senior originators and credit leadership.
Role Overview
The Associate will participate in the full lifecycle of real estate debt investments, including deal sourcing, underwriting, structuring, due diligence, and closing. The strategy focuses on floating‑rate, short‑ to medium‑term loans secured by value‑add or transitional commercial properties, where business plans may include lease‑up, repositioning, or recapitalization.
Asset classes may include multifamily, industrial, office, student housing, hospitality, and select specialty assets.
Key Responsibilities
- Support origination and execution of senior secured bridge and transitional loans
- Underwrite new investment opportunities, including:
- Cash flow modeling and sensitivity analysis
- Evaluation of sponsor experience and capitalization
- Market, asset, and exit analysis
- Prepare investment committee materials, credit memos, and internal underwriting presentations
- Assist in structuring loan terms, including leverage, pricing, reserves, covenants, and credit enhancements
- Coordinate third‑party diligence (appraisals, engineering, environmental, market studies)
- Work cross‑functionally with legal, asset management, and portfolio management teams through closing
- Maintain relationships with borrowers, intermediaries, and counterparties as part of deal execution
Required Background
- 2-4 years of experience in commercial real estate lending, credit investing, or real estate banking
- Experience underwriting or executing bridge loans, transitional loans, value‑add financings, or construction / bridge‑to‑perm loans
- Backgrounds may include:
- Real estate debt funds or private credit platforms
- Bank CRE origination or real estate banking groups
- Real estate investment banking groups with significant debt execution exposure
- Strong working knowledge of:
- Loan sizing, leverage, and security structures
- Credit metrics (DSCR, debt yield, LTV, exit analysis)
- Commercial real estate cash flow underwriting
- Advanced Excel modeling skills; ARGUS experience preferred
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience across multiple commercial property types
- Prior exposure to investment committee or credit committee processes
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Interest in long‑term growth on the credit / lending side, rather than advisory
