Job Title: Business Development Officer
Salary: $50,000 per annum, paid twice a month
Benefits: 14 paid holidays, 23 PTO days, paid family and medical leave, deeply subsidized team member and dependent health insurance coverage, short- and long-term disability, up to 8% retirement match 401k, cell phone, downpayment assistance, and opportunities for professional development and certification
Application Deadline: Monday, March 2, 2026 by 5:00 PM
Start Date: Immediately
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, subject to change
Application Instructions: To apply for this position, please email a cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to hr@newtownmacon.com before the application deadline listed above.
About NewTown Macon
NewTown Macon, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is the driving force behind revitalization in downtown Macon. NewTown is one of the most dynamic, comprehensive, and innovative revitalization nonprofits in the country. Formed in 1996, NewTown has leveraged more than $950 million of investment in the urban core during its existence, culminating in the 2024 Great American Main Street Award. NewTown’s mission is to “invest time, resources, and money into local people and businesses to revitalize downtown Macon.”
To fulfill our mission, NewTown Macon provides lending and training programs for local entrepreneurs and developers as central Georgia’s first Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), NewTown Loans, LLC, designated by the United States Treasury. We currently manage a $23 million loan portfolio, including commercial real estate and small business loans. NewTown is poised to significantly grow our lending activity over the next five years by serving residents of low-income investment areas in Macon-Bibb County through education, coaching, and financial resources.
To learn more about NewTown Macon and the loan program, visit www.newtownmacon.com.
Job Description
The Business Development Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing a pipeline development strategy, screening loan applicant leads, confirming eligibility, meeting prospective clients to describe loan products, provide individual business coaching to support application preparation, package loan applications in cloud-based origination platform, SPARK, input data into Streak CRM, review and prepare application files for underwriting, coordinate annual training academies and occasional workshops, support data collection and maintenance and providing additional support needs when necessary.
The essential responsibilities of the Business Development Officer include:
- Serve as first point of contact for all interested loan applicants
- Screen interested applicants for eligibility and loan-readiness
- Develop and implement a pipeline development plan to meet annual loan deployment goals
- Represent NewTown Macon at community events, building and maintaining relationships with prospective clients and referral partners
- Share information on loan products and requirements
- Conduct initial review of business plans and financial projections
- Provide support to loan applicants completing applications and uploading documents
- Package and review loan applications in cloud-based loan origination software, SPARK, and follow up with applicants for additional information in preparation for underwriting
- Provide technical assistance/business advising efforts with individual coaching and/or facilitate referral of prospective borrower to partner resources
- Set up loan applicants and borrowers in the digital technical assistance platform, Initiate, to deliver self-paced business coaching, as needed
- Coordinate Entrepreneur’s Academy, DDI, and Developer’s Academy logistics; including reviewing applications with set selection criteria, communicating with participants, and facilitating breakout discussions
- Collect and maintain impact data on loan clients, borrowers, and academy graduates.
- Prepare and present monthly business development report
This employee works primarily with the three other full-time employees dedicated to the CDFI. They will collaborate with the entire NewTown Macon staff to ensure that both NewTown Macon and the CDFI accomplish shared strategic planning priorities. The employee will enjoy a collaborative office with access to the tools and resources to complete the job successfully.
The employee must be a self-motivated problem-solver with strong communication skills. All staff are expected to join NewTown Macon’s culture of collaboration, lending their skills and abilities to bolster their colleagues in ensuring the organization’s success and accomplishing strategic planning goals. NewTown Macon’s staff is small, creating the need for each employee to approach their job responsibilities with flexibility to maximize the team's effectiveness in meeting new challenges and opportunities. This role reports to the Vice President for Community Development.
Required Qualifications:
- Training, certificate, degree, or commensurate experience in banking, community development, CDFI industry, business, entrepreneurship, lending, and/or other closely related fields
- Commitment to the mission of community development and downtown revitalization
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite
- Superior analytical and organizational skills with attention to detail
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including experience sharing feedback and managing conflict resolution
- Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, or a closely related field or commensurate work experience
- Customer service experience
- Project management experience
- Experience in working in a team environment where collaboration is essential to fulfilling short-term and long-term strategic plan goals
- Experience in business advising or familiarity with small businesses, such as business models and operations
- Proficiency or experience with CRM platforms, the SPARK platform, and/or comparable loan origination software
Performance Measures:
The role is designed with the following time allocation per area of responsibility. The employee’s job performance will be evaluated through an annual performance review and performance management check-ins with the employee’s direct supervisor:
- Screen loan application leads to confirm eligibility and prepare for submitting an application, including meeting with prospective applicants to review business plan, loan products, requirements, and provide feedback and technical assistance recommendations – 30% of job
- Develop and implement annual pipeline development plan and strategies to build referral partner network and outreach opportunities to meet loan deployment goals – 20% of job
- Package loan applications in cloud-based SPARK loan origination software; communicate with clients for additional application materials to prepare for underwriting – 20% of job
- Coordinate and manage training academy and workshop logistics including delivery of business-related content – 15% of job
- Collect and maintain client-level data, including borrowers and participants in coaching and academies – 5% of job
- Represent NewTown Macon at community and networking events – 5% of job
- General administrative tasks and other duties - 5% of job
About Macon
Located in the heart of Georgia, Macon (pop. 160,000) combines a deep history with a dynamic business environment. Despite being one of CNN’s best places to visit, Macon remains one of the most affordable cities in America to buy a house. Learn more about Macon at https://choosemacon.com/.
Application instructions:
To apply for this position, please email a cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to hr@newtownmacon.com before the application deadline listed above.