Lending Operations Manager, Commercial and Mortgage

Reports to: SVP, Commercial and Lending Operations

Supervises: 0 (directly) 0 (indirectly) 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

•  Coordinate and oversee new product implementations and current system improvements that support the overall operation of the mortgage or commercial lending teams with a potential to provide back -up support for the consumer lending teams; implements changes as needed to ensure member satisfaction and credit union efficiency.
• Understands lending team needs and strategic initiatives. Communicates needs effectively to vendor partners and system admin team, as needed to accomplish desired results and support business continuity.
• Process improvement leader. Masters the capabilities of our lending systems and core platform and optimizes our ability to deliver “wow”/“amazon easy” member service and maximizes our internal efficiency.
• Research potential products that may be viable to the credit union, conduct demos, gather product requirements, put together a financial analysis and a return on investment of the product; make recommendations/ proposals to Senior Management and Executives; present research and findings.
• Work closely with mortgage and commercial production, operations, and servicing teams to identify and solve lending-related product, process, or system issues.
• Directly and independently identifies, coordinates, and manages mortgage or commercial lending-related projects. Oversees lending-related projects for accurate and timely completion, coordinates project teams from across all lending lines as relevant to a given initiative. Serves as the vendor coordinator when outside vendors are involved or serves as a subject matter expert for internal projects. Administer and assist with product, process, or release testing, including defining testing requirements and measuring testing quality prior to production moves.
• Collaborate with branch operations, the contact center, member experience, marketing, card services, and IT to improve the members’ lending experience
• Partner with project management team to assist with and monitor project progress and handle any issues that arise, ensures the lending teams’ tasks are met as projects/products evolve. Update lending team on project/product status regularly.
• Maintains a positive work relationship and effective communication with key partners (vendors, lending staff, project management, retail team, etc.)
• Provides support for audit research and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with all credit union policies and procedures. Plans, organizes, communicates, directs, and participates in the activities of testing efforts and results.
• Prepares and maintains internal documentation related to lending operations policies and/or procedures. Distributes documentation and trains personnel on tasks, products, and/or processes as needed.
• Responsible for system compliance in regard to regulatory changes and supporting the lending area with reporting from lending-related systems. Ensure policies, procedures, forms, and instructions are in alignment with system functionality and are up to date. Suggest or coordinate changes as appropriate.
• Oversee help desk ticket resolution for existing products and systems.
• Document and follow up on important actions and decisions from meetings.
• Provide administrative support and undertake project tasks as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

 EDUCATION/ EXPERIENCE

• Equivalent to a college degree (BS or BA in a relevant field) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Three to five years-experience in field directly related to lending operations, loan servicing, and/or process/system management specific to commercial and mortgage lending.

 OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge and experience working with lending processes, systems integration/performance and third-party vendors.
• Must have in-depth understanding of and ability to interpret laws affecting lending programs within credit union including NCUA and Federal Regulations.
• Must have strong communication and leadership skills.
• Must have working knowledge of spreadsheets using Excel, word processing software, commercial and mortgage loan origination systems, Encompass, Docusign, LaserPro, Document Management Systems, project management systems, loan administration within core platforms like Symitar or similar, and other lending origination and servicing systems and technologies.
• Ability to independently prioritize work to meet strategic initiatives while maintaining existing operational efficiency.
• Prior experience in residential and commercial lending operations required. Consumer Lending is a plus but not required.
• A significant level of trust and diplomacy is required, in addition to normal courtesy and tact.
• Work involves extensive personal contact with others and is usually of a personal or sensitive nature. Work may involve motivating, influencing or training others.
• Outside contacts become important and fostering sound relationships with other entities (companies and/or individuals) becomes necessary and often requires the ability to influence and/or sell ideas or services to others.

 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS:

• To ensure that all approved and denied loans comply with established policies and regulations.
• To produce the department's budgeted loan volume.
• To ensure department maintains a delinquency rate at or below standard.
• To ensure department maintains a charge-off rate at or below standard.
• To direct and develop a qualified and motivated staff sufficient to meet the needs of members.
• To develop recommendations for cost efficiencies and enhancements to products, processes and services by monitoring trends.

SERVICE STANDARDS: 

• Own the Issue

o    Build confidence that you will help through your words and actions. 

o    Minimize the team/member’s effort. 

• Personalize the Experience

o    Show that you care about the person and the issue. 

o   Adapt to the team/member’s pace, style, and emotional tone. 

• Be Authentic

o    Be genuine. 

o    Be present in the conversation to avoid sounding mechanical. 

• Understand, then Solve

o    Aim for one-call resolution. 

o    Address the underlying issue vs. just the request. 

o    Be crystal clear on next steps. 

• Be Curious to Exceed Expectations

o    Pick up on cues and clues indicating other needs. 

o    Engage in conversation to discuss broader needs. 

o    Help the member access additional resources, products, and services to gain more value.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and sit. This position requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move items over 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

 WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Typical office – no hazardous or unpleasant conditions. The position may be hybrid or primarily remote. 

We are an EEO Employer 

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included.  Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded.  Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions.  In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive.  Supervisors as deemed appropriate may assign additional functions and requirements.  

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals.  However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization. 

Job descriptions are not intended and do not create employment contracts.  The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer.  Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.