Job Description

Head of Legal | Sr. Commercial Finance Counsel | Advancing Equitable Access to Capital - OR & WA

Craft3 | Remote/Hybrid within Oregon or Washington

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer | FLSA: Exempt | Compensation: Up to $240,000

"One of the highlights of working at Craft3 was helping fund a $10 million onion processing plant in a rural community I knew well, creating hundreds of jobs."

"I am really proud of the work we do in helping support caregivers and families by funding programs that allow parents to work full time and not break the bank trying to fund preschool, leading to better outcomes socially and economically for our children and our community."

Help deploy capital where it matters most. Craft3 seeks a senior attorney to lead legal strategy for one of the Pacific Northwest's largest and most innovative mission-driven lenders. Up to $240K + exceptional benefits + remote OR/WA.

About Craft3

Acumen is proud to again be partnering with Craft3 -- a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that uses capital, relationships, and voice to build a thriving, just, and empowered Pacific Northwest.

Across Oregon and Washington, Craft3 expands access to responsible financing and support for entrepreneurs, homeowners, nonprofits, and communities often overlooked by traditional finance. Its financial strength, impact, and potential have attracted significant philanthropic investment, including transformative unrestricted support from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott.

Craft3 has grown into one of the Pacific Northwest's leading community lenders, with approximately $237 million in assets, a strong balance sheet, and lending activity across Oregon and Washington.

Their work is rooted in systems of change and focused on challenges including systemic racism, the climate crisis, and rural and Tribal economic development. Craft3 puts capital to work where it can make a meaningful difference: helping rural businesses expand and create jobs, supporting childcare providers as communities increase access to early childhood education, investing in climate resilience, and helping borrowers who have historically faced barriers within traditional financial systems.

Craft3 is remote-first, with welcoming office spaces in Portland, Seattle, and Astoria. Candidates may work from anywhere in Oregon or Washington, with proximity to a Craft3 office preferred and occasional travel for team gatherings, branch visits, and organizational events.

The Opportunity

Craft3 is seeking an accomplished, pragmatic, and business-minded Head of Legal to serve as the organization's senior internal legal counsel and advisor. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this leader will provide trusted counsel to Craft3’s CEO, Board of Directors, senior leaders, lending and credit teams, and colleagues throughout the organization.

This is an unusually broad and interesting legal role at the intersection of commercial finance, community development, organizational governance, marketing/public affairs compliance, and social impact. Commercial lending will be at the center of the position, including complex transactions, nonstandard loan documentation, distressed assets, restructures, workouts, collections, creditor remedies, contracts, and intellectual property matters. The role will also touch capital raising, governance, regulatory requirements, new financial products, emerging financing structures, digital privacy, public affairs/lobbying compliance, federal program agreements, and reputational or crisis communication issues.

Craft3 is looking for a lawyer who understands that excellent legal counsel enables mission. The successful candidate will distinguish material legal risk from manageable business risk, establish practical guardrails, and help colleagues move important work forward with clarity, judgment, and respect.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as Craft3’s senior internal legal advisor to the CEO, CFO, Board, senior leadership, and staff.
• Provide practical legal counsel throughout Craft3’s commercial and consumer lending lifecycle, with particular emphasis on large, complex, or nonstandard transactions.
• Review and negotiate loan documents, intercreditor and partner agreements, collateral arrangements, guarantees, lender agreements, investment documents, and other financing documents.
• Partner closely with the Chief Credit Officer and lending teams on troubled credits, distressed assets, restructures, workouts, collections, defaults, collateral, and creditor remedies.
• Review and negotiate significant third-party agreements, including leases, vendor and professional services contracts, memoranda of understanding, and agreements related to marketing, technology, data, and intellectual property.
• Advise Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs colleagues on legal issues related to copyright, creative content, claims and messaging compliance, website and email compliance, digital privacy and tracking, federal program agreements, engaging outside counsel or other experts where specialized guidance is needed.
• Advise the Board and management regarding corporate governance, organizational structure, bylaws, resolutions, policies, subsidiaries, licensing requirements, and corporate reporting obligations.
• Advise on capital-raising activities and negotiate loans, grants, and other sources of capital supporting Craft3's lending and operations.
• Advise Development, Finance, and lending leadership on capital sources, federal program agreements, financial covenants, reporting obligations, and potential challenge areas, helping Craft3 assess organizational risk tolerance and structure practical paths forward.
• Identify emerging legal and regulatory developments and translate them into practical recommendations for Craft3's products, policies, contracts, and business practices.
• Select, engage, and manage specialized outside counsel in areas such as bankruptcy and litigation, securities, tax matters, New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, environmental law, Tribal/Indian law, and Sharia-compliant or Islamic financing structures, partnering with internal and external experts as needed.
• Develop scalable legal processes, templates, contract standards, and intake practices that protect Craft3 while enabling teams to operate efficiently.
• Support Craft3’s enterprise risk management framework by identifying material legal and regulatory risks, contributing legal perspective to risk assessments, and advising leadership on mitigation strategies.
• Build trusted relationships throughout the organization so colleagues experience Legal as accessible, thoughtful, responsive, and solutions-oriented.

Ideal Background and Experience

Craft3 is looking for an attorney who combines strong commercial finance expertise with broad legal judgment, intellectual curiosity, cultural awareness, and a highly collaborative operating style. The successful candidate will know how to quickly understand unfamiliar issues, identify material risks, determine what can appropriately be handled internally, and recognize when specialized outside counsel is needed.

• Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the Oregon and/or Washington State Bar.
• Approximately 7-10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience, with flexibility for candidates whose experience demonstrates the required depth and judgment.
• Meaningful experience with commercial lending and finance, including loan documentation, collateral, guarantees, distressed assets, workouts, restructures, collections, and remedies under the Uniform Commercial Code.
• Experience within a bank, credit union, CDFI, or other financial institution, or significant experience representing financial institutions, strongly preferred.
• Working familiarity with corporate governance, commercial contracts, intellectual property matters, and legal and regulatory issues relevant to financial-services organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to advise executives, directors, and business leaders regarding complex or sensitive matters using clear, practical language.
• Experience managing outside counsel and the judgment to distinguish matters that can efficiently be handled internally from those requiring specialized expertise.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and an ability to work effectively with people and communities representing different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• A genuine connection to Craft3’s mission of expanding access to capital and economic opportunity throughout Oregon and Washington.

Helpful but Not Required
The Head of Legal will be expected to partner effectively with internal teams and outside counsel on these matters.

• Exposure to community-development finance, New Markets Tax Credits, consumer finance, Tribal finance, innovative financing models, or Sharia-compliant/Islamic financing structures.
• Familiarity with marketing, communications, public affairs, copyright, digital privacy, website/email compliance, federal program agreements.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Craft3 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Craft3 complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and makes hiring and employment decisions based on individual qualifications and merit. Candidates with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences are encouraged to apply.

What Craft3 Offers

• Compensation up to $240,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications, plus potential bonus based on organizational and individual performance.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with Craft3 sharing the cost of medical premiums.
• Employer-paid life and AD&D insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability, with additional voluntary coverage options.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match and access to a 457(b) plan for eligible roles.
• Tuition support/tuition reimbursement for ongoing professional development.
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays, including 4 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks dedicated paid rest time.
• Paid volunteer time off to support community engagement.
• Paid parental leave to support important family milestones.
• Wellness reimbursement to encourage holistic health.
• Sabbaticals for all employees after seven years of service.
• Remote-first/hybrid work environment with office spaces in Portland, Seattle, and Astoria.

About Acumen Executive Search

Established in 2007, Acumen Executive Search is a three-time recipient of the Portland Business Journal's "Most Admired" award and is recognized as a leading certified woman-owned executive search partner in the Pacific Northwest with a global clientele. We deliver high-impact results and more than double the national average retention rates while nurturing genuine long-term relationships. Acumen works shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients to provide customized, meaningful, and proven leadership solutions that empower organizational success.

How to Apply

To apply or see other available positions, please go to Acumen Executive Search to submit a resume and brief cover letter indicating your interest in the opportunity. If our current open positions are not the right fit for you and you would like us to share relevant opportunities, please send your resume and a brief cover letter to Info@AcumenESearch.com.

Keywords

Head of Legal, Senior Commercial Finance Counsel, In-House Counsel, Senior Counsel, Legal Counsel, General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, Commercial Lending Counsel, Financial Services Attorney, Banking Attorney, CDFI, Community Development Finance, Commercial Finance, Loan Documentation, Loan Agreements, Collateral, Guarantees, Intercreditor Agreements, UCC, Uniform Commercial Code, Distressed Assets, Workouts, Restructures, Creditor Remedies, Troubled Credits, Special Assets, Contracts, Contract Negotiation, Intellectual Property, IP Law, Copyright, Communications Compliance, Claims Review, Federal Program Agreements, Corporate Governance, Board Governance, Nonprofit Governance, Enterprise Risk Management, ERM, Regulatory Compliance, Capital Raising, Grants, Investments, New Markets Tax Credits, NMTC, Tribal Finance, Sharia-Compliant Financing, Islamic Financing, Consumer Lending, Mission-Driven Lending, Impact Lending, Access to Capital, Economic Opportunity, Cultural Responsiveness, Diversity, Equity, Underrepresented Communities, Oregon, Washington, Remote, Hybrid