Account Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY:

Provide relationship support for all core products. Responsible for sales pipeline activities; including mining the portfolio and identifying prospects, coordinating pre-application and sales activities, and working with the sales team to coordinate customer events. Accountable for application processing and coordination after an application is submitted up to the point of closing preparation. Establish, develop, and maintain strong customer relationships by providing a consistent quality level of service that is timely, thorough, and responsive to the needs of the customer. This may include gathering financials, entering applications, addressing initial inquiries, and loan servicing actions through face-to-face interactions, telephone communication, written correspondence, and electronic communication. Educate customers on core products and digital tools. Work in a team environment to accomplish goals.

Relationship Support is defined as activities focused on regional sales success, customer retention, and sales team efficiency.

EMPLOYEES SUPERVISED:

None

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Essential functions of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Sales Pipeline Activities:

  • Core Product Sales Support: Participate in sales meetings as needed. Partner with Financial Officer and Territory Manager to gather and organize customer information for pre-call planning. Assist in development of sales presentations. As needed, participate in sales calls and cross-selling. Promote core products with customers and prospects. Discuss general loan related questions, loan terms and interest rates with customers utilizing established company guidelines in coordination with Financial Officers.

  • Mining the portfolio and identifying prospects: Utilize information from internal and external databases to identify sales opportunities for all core products and digital tools, cross-selling when applicable. Assist the financial officers with maintaining their top prospect lists. Create scenarios in collateral hub to ensure sales opportunities.

  • Grade 16: Proactively utilize internal and external databases to independently identify sales opportunities for all core products. Demonstrate strong customer relationship process and business development skills.

  • Grade 17: Consistently mine internal and external databases to identify sales opportunities for all core products. Consistently cross-sell and promote core products. Display working knowledge of credit risk and ability to appropriately identify rate and terms based on that risk. As necessary, participate in sales meetings and activities. Demonstrate exemplary customer relationship process and business development skills.

• Loan Application and Letter of Credit Processing & Coordination:

  • Coordinate new loan application needs from application submittal through decision, identifying priorities and processes appropriately. Enter applications when appropriate to enhance the customer experience and improve efficiency. Monitor relationship channels for new loan requests submitted by Financial Officers. Work with Financial Officer and customer to gather necessary financial documentation. As necessary, collect legal documents for legal entity review. Work with Financial Officer to provide necessary documentation for AgStart approvals. Ensure timely gathering, scanning and submittal of any required document. Order real estate and chattel appraisals with assistance from Financial Officer. Facilitate new loan administration from queue entry through verification. Monitor system queues to address timeliness and ensure adherence to service standards and regulations. Participate in peer reviews to achieve sound credit administration. With all loan processing, owner of PCA collateral hub.

  • Loan Renewal Processing and Coordination: Renewal administration may include requesting financial information from customers, meeting with customers to update balance sheets, and inputting balance sheets into the system. Facilitate renewal administration from queue entry through verification, ensuring strict adherence to renewal timeline. Provide support to Financial Officers in preparing for customer renewal visits. Track and ensure timely processing of renewal extensions. Contact customers regarding status of renewal to keep customer in the loop as needed.

  • Grade 16: Consistent and accurate level of coordination and prioritization in managing the application process. High-level of direct contact and involvement with customers throughout the process. Process loan in entirety, including, but not limited to entering moderately complex applications and ordering appraisals with assistance from financial officer as needed.

  • Grade 17: Consistently initiate direct contact with customer to collect financials and other necessary documentation. Independently and frequently process loan in entirety, including, but not limited to updating balance sheets, entering complex applications, and ordering appraisals. Consistently handle complex customer accounts.

• Customer Servicing, Training and Education:

  • Monitor the shared channel for new loan servicing requests needed to alter existing terms of original loan. Facilitate information gathering and processing needs. Coordinate action with underwriting team when credit risk analysis is needed. Coordinate and complete loan servicing actions involving other job families as needed. Coordinate and assist in monitoring ongoing loan conditions such as servicing plans and borrowing bases with direction from the Financial Officer. Monitor commitment expirations, loan classification changes, and loan re-pricing actions and consult with Financial Officer for appropriate action. Provide back-up for operations teammates to provide an exemplary customer experience. Facilitate internal account re-assignments. At the direction of Territory Manager, collect necessary documentation from customers. Provide training and education to customers on core products and digital tools. Conduct follow-up with customers that have not signed onto the system or who have low usage of offered products.

  • Provide training and education to customers on core products and digital tools. At the direction of Territory Manager, gather documentation with gathering documentation

    • Grade 16: At the direction of the Financial Officer or directly from the customer, take loan servicing requests that alter existing terms of original loan and meet information gathering/processing needs. Exhibit exemplary level of teamwork when coordinating loan serving activities with other job families. Consistent level of direct contact and involvement with customers throughout the process. Demonstrate ability to accurately analyze collateral scenarios in regard to loan servicing actions.

    • Grade 17: Consistently take loan servicing requests directly from the customer that alter existing terms of original loan and meet information gathering/processing needs of that request. High-level of direct contact and involvement with customers throughout the process. Consistently handle large and complicated loan servicing actions with a high level of accuracy and detail. Consistently identify and initiate loan servicing actions as needed when working with existing customers.

Additional functions of the position may include:

• Serve as a team Champion as these opportunities arise. A Champion is a person who voluntarily takes extraordinary interest in the adoption, implementation, and success of a cause, policy program, project, or product. Champions act as a point person and disseminate information, act as a resource, and advocate for the team.

• Provide support to company initiatives, digital tools, and cross-functional workgroups as needed.

  • Grade 17: Consistently contributes to implementation of company initiatives and changes. Display willingness to participate in cross-functional workgroups. Clearly demonstrates leadership among Account Specialists peers and other team members by encouraging others to quickly adapt to company initiatives.

• May mentor other Account Specialists.

  • Grade 17: Consistently mentor, train and/or coach Account Specialists or other team members. Demonstrate willingness to serve as an official representative in new employee training programs, learning communities, and other activities that promote the success of other Account Specialists.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

Grade 15: High school education or equivalent required. A minimum of one to three years related education and/or experience required. Two or four-year college degree or specialized training preferred. Fundamental understanding of credit analysis and lending preferred.

Grade 16: High school education or equivalent required. A minimum of three to five years of related experience and/or education required. Four-year degree and/or specialized training preferred. Solid understanding of credit analysis and lending required.

Grade 17: Must meet all specifications and consistently perform all duties as outlined for Levels 1,2, and 3. A minimum of five years of related experience and/or education required. Demonstrated specialized job knowledge in addition to exemplary team skills. Demonstrated thorough understanding and working knowledge of credit extension and administration processes.

Duties require:

• A broad working knowledge of Farm Credit Services of America/Frontier processes.

• Fundamental understanding and working knowledge of credit extension and administration processes.

• Solid understanding of FCSAmerica/Frontier products and services.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and direction.

• Basic knowledge of financial principles and their application to credit delivery.

• Ability to appropriately handle highly confidential materials.

• Demonstrated effective problem-solving skills.

• Very high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

• Strong human relations, written and oral skills.

• Ability to initiate, organize and prioritize work.

• Knowledge of Association credit policies, procedures, standards and guidelines required.

• Ability to use loan origination system, loan accounting system, internal and external databases, computer systems and software applications.

• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and effectively demonstrate team building attitude and skills. Effective conflict resolution skills.

• Proficient in Windows environment using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer.

• Effective presentation development skills.

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CONTACTS:

Extensive internal contact with regional teams. Regular contact with Retail Credit Underwriting and other Omaha teams.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to operate a telephone; scanner, fax machine, calculator and a computer proficiently.

• Ability to hear telephone conversation and face-to-face conversation to serve customers and to give and receive information from staff, vendors, outside consultants and the public.

• Provides sound technical advice to clients and potential clients in the subject field(s) related to this position.

• Understands and explains various subject matter and consulting concepts, programs, terminology, and methods.

• Ability to reason, judge, compare, calculate, evaluate, decide, and critique such information as written material, numerical data, respond to customer needs and/or other related work activities.

• Ability to complete work in acceptable timeframe and manage a variety of detailed tasks and responsibilities simultaneously and with accuracy to meet deadlines, goals, and objectives and satisfy internal and external customer needs related to the job.

• Ability to use computer. This involves reading the screen and keying/typing information.

• Ability to work some irregular hours.

Requirements of the job include the ability to do the work, with or without reasonable accommodations. It is the Association's policy to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Leadership retains the right to add, subtract or change duties of the position at any time.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than "at will" employment relationship.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.