Senior Research Analyst, US Small Business Portfolio Strategy

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work®, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way.

The Senior Research Analyst, US Small Business, is a senior individual contributor. This analyst will conduct deep-dive research into the broader US economy and the specific sectors occupied by our small business customers. This role is highly visible and directly responsible for generating proactive insights—not just reporting past performance—to guide corporate financing activities, inform financial projections, and set industry-specific risk limits. The ideal candidate possesses the strategic rigor of an equity research analyst combined with the economic forecasting skill of an economist.

The mission of Senior Research Analyst is to serve as the independent, forward-looking economic and industry expert responsible for transforming complex US economic, industry, and market data into actionable strategic recommendations. The mission is to enable the executive team to proactively manage and adjust the company's overall credit risk appetite and capital deployment in a responsible and sustainable manner.

In this role you will:

• Generate Actionable Insights: 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.

• Help Set Portfolio Risk Appetite: 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).

• Develop Proactive Risk Methodologies: 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.

• Create Top-Down Portfolio View: 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.

• Scorecard Development: 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.

• Continuous Monitoring: Actively track industry news, emerging risks, and competitive shifts, providing timely, high-impact updates to underwriting and risk teams.

• Executive Communication: 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.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Collaborate across the organization (Underwriting, Analytics, Finance, Strategy) to embed economic and industry insights into credit policy, financial forecasting, and corporate strategy discussions.

• Independent Research: 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.

Why you should apply:

• Mission driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options. When you join the team, you will help ensure all small businesses have access to the financial support they need to succeed.

• 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.

Role Requirements:

• Proven ability to synthesize vast amounts of quantitative and qualitative data to form a strategic thesis and a clear recommendation.

• Advanced financial modeling (Excel), proficiency in data querying (e.g., SQL), and experience with research databases (e.g., Bloomberg, FactSet).

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting strategic recommendations to senior management or investment committees.

• Bachelor's degre