Job Summary

The Mortgage Loan Operations Manager manages and oversees all activities of the Mortgage Loan Underwriting and Construction Lending departments. This position ensures lending compliance and quality assurance, and is a results-oriented, analytical, and strategic problem-solver, embodying Member advocacy. This position supports Mortgage leadership in helping to recruit and hire new operations staff, and is responsible for ongoing training, support, and problem solving, while upholding the credit union’s purpose, values, and aspiration.

The Mortgage Loan Operations Manager reports to the Chief Lending Officer.

Essential Functions

Team Leadership

• Manage and oversee mortgage underwriting and construction lending departments, lending compliance, quality assurance, and adherence to policies and procedures.

• Engage, develop, and manage team members on job results, with an emphasis on coaching and developing employees to achieve career and performance goals.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

• Build a successful team to operate according to The UFCU Way, providing guidance and resources as needed.
• Serve as a role model of UFCU’s culture in transparent communication, two-way dialogue, and proactive communication.

• Continually seek opportunities for ongoing professional growth and learning for themselves as well as their team.
• Utilize leadership and motivational techniques to create and maintain a positive work environment and a high-performing, cohesive team.
• Contribute to the evolvement of UFCU’s culture and strategic vision as well as the achievement of organizational and team goals.

Project Management Leadership

• Demonstrate daily problem solving, to include how to properly research guidelines
• Stay current on guidelines, industry standards, laws, regulations and compliance.
• Expertly demonstrate knowledge of aspects within the underwriting and construction functions, and effectively provide direction in those activities in support of lending operations.
• Manage the scenario desk and ensure that timely responses are provided to the loan officer team.
• Review new construction projects and vendors for approval.
• Maintain and build positive relationships with key vendors and other internal and external partners, including the lending management team.

Pipeline Management

• Manage the underwriting queues and ensure that loans are decisioned within the published SLA.
• Provide oversight over the construction-lending pipeline. Ensure that construction projects are advancing according to schedule. Ensure that proper steps are taken when construction projects go stale.
• Hold team accountable for effectively supporting the loan officer and loan operations teams.
• Manage the distribution and balance of the workload including reassignments amongst the teams to provide a consistent member experience.

• Ensure future salability and quality control of residential mortgage loans and refinances by adhering to all lender underwriting guidelines and federal and state regulation
• Work with Mortgage Operations Leader to establish team and individual goals.

Staffing and Training

• Support Mortgage leadership in recruiting and hiring new staff.
• Oversee scheduling and time card management. Work with the team to manage the schedule to ensure adequate coverage to provide consistent Member experience.
• Provide ongoing training and support of mortgage underwriting and construction lending staff, to include continuous process management and improvement and working with Site Leadership and QC to discover trends and opportunities for training.
• Provide onboarding and training of underwriters and construction lending staff.

Other

• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Adhere to all company policies, procedures and business ethics codes.
• Complete required regulatory Training as assigned.
• Maintain strict adherence and compliance to all laws, rules, regulations and internal controls specific to the role, including but not limited to Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering, USA Patriot Act, OFAC and Fair Lending regulations.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of the mortgage process, documentation, requirements; governmental and agency requirements, and terminology.
• Strong knowledge of all aspects of the federal and state regulations dealing with Mortgage and Home Equity lending.
• Strong knowledge of current mortgage lending laws and regulations, understanding of documentation relating to residential real estate lending and conventional financing.
• Strong knowledge of mortgage lending file organization and the related documentation associated with mortgage files.

Skills

• Combination of strong technical knowledge, business acumen, and leadership skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, listening, collaborative, verbal, and written communication skills
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead a team and prioritize multiple initiatives

• Superior customer service skills

Abilities

• Well-developed ability to manage multiple tasks/projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to manage individual and team loan quality for process and productivity improvements
• Ability to consistently and effectively make evaluative judgments

• Demonstrated strategic, innovative, and creative problem-solving ability

• Ability to adapt to change with agility as the needs/direction of the business change
• Ability to empower, motivate, and develop employees
• Ability to build teams, balance team and individual responsibilities, and achieve goals
• Results-oriented mindset with the drive to deliver exceptional services and experiences
• Seek to understand business needs, and work to anticipate, identify, and meet Member needs
• Ability to effectively develop and execute initiatives

Competencies

• Delivering Member Obsession
• Delivering Innovation
• Delivering Performance Excellence
• Delivering Empowered Leadership

Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree. Four (4) years of relevant experience may be substituted for degree.
• Minimum of five (5) years of working experience in a mortgage lending function.
• Minimum of three (3) years of mortgage underwriting.
• Minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated management and supervisory leadership experience developing and leading teams with direct reporting relationships.
• Must be bondable.

Preferred Requirements

• Master’s degree in relevant field.

• Experience working in a credit union and/or within the financial services industry.
• Familiarity with credit union philosophies and practices regarding mortgage lending and residential real estate lending.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee, with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Frequent

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• Extensive use of the computer, requiring specific vision abilities including close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Employee will make extensive use of the telephone and virtual communications platforms requiring the ability to effectively and accurately explain complex information.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

• This position is required to frequently work at UFCU Plaza in Austin, Texas.
• This position may involve periodic stressful conditions.
• May occasionally require an adjusted work schedule, overtime, and evening/weekend hours.
• May occasionally move from one work location/branch to another.
• Public contact position, requiring appropriate professional appearance.
• Frequent computer use at a workstation of up to two hours at a time.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

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