Underwriting Manager

Position Overview

Reporting to the Underwriting Leadership Team, this position leads a team of Underwriters and Underwriting Team Leads responsible for assessing loans that transition residential properties from construction or rehabilitation to permanent financing. This role is responsible for optimizing workflow efficiency, ensuring alignment with service level agreements and fostering collaboration across internal teams to support business objectives.

This position oversees policy and procedure development, drives system and technology advancements, and manages complex loan scenarios to maintain underwriting integrity. Additionally, this role ensures all underwriting decisions align with risk management strategies while maintaining compliance with company guidelines, investor requirements and regulatory standards.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing team of Underwriting professionals to ensure efficiency and accuracy in the loan approval process. Manage performance, foster development and provide mentoring to employees.
• Manage and optimize a dynamic loan pipeline, reallocating resources as needed and providing data-driven recommendations in collaboration with peers and executive leadership.
• Oversee the underwriting of complex residential and commercial loan applications, ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations.
• Review and approve loans that exceed the authority limits of individual underwriters.
• Audit and develop strategies to increase and develop the knowledge base of the underwriting team.
• Implement underwriting policies and procedures that comply with regulatory requirements, risk assessments, executive leadership direction and align with industry best practices.
• Regularly review and suggest underwriting guidelines based on market conditions and loan performance.
• Audit and provide feedback to the underwriting team on loan quality and adherence to internal, external and compliance requirements.
• Ensure that all loans are underwritten to minimize risk and maximize profitability.
• Collaborate with other department managers to ensure a cohesive approach to customer service, loan processing and risk management.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business or related field (or equivalent combination of years of experience with High School Diploma/GED)
• 7+ years' experience in residential and commercial lending with significant exposure to RTL and/or DSCR underwriting
• 3+ years' experience managing people and leading teams
• In-depth understanding of mortgage underwriting processes and the associated regulatory requirements
• Proficient with loan origination systems, preferably with Encompass
• Strong skills and experience in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Professional certifications related to mortgage underwriting or financial analysis (e.g., Certified Residential Underwriter)
• Prior experience managing transitional loans from construction to permanent financing

Skills and Abilities

• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships across the organization
• Collaborative and consultative work style; high team-orientation
• Effective management skills to include talent selection, training, coaching and performance management
• Demonstrated ability to foster an environment of positive engagement and trust
• Open to change; agile; high learning agility
• Strong analytical skills coupled with sound judgement
• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Ability to analyze and interpret data to identify opportunities and propose solutions
• Demonstrated ability to establish credibility for recognizing and supporting the organization's culture, values and priorities
• Strong attention to detail; strong quality and compliance orientation
• Ability to effectively prioritize under tight deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; effective time management
• Self-directed; ability to proactively ask questions and surface issues/concerns
• Professional maturity, integrity, ability to maintain confidential data and information
• Strong business acumen; strong fiscal and technical aptitude

Compensation and Benefits

Hiring Range: $110K-$135K

Compensation within this range may vary based on each candidate's job-related expertise, skills, and experience. Final offers are determined individually, reflecting the unique qualifications of each candidate.

Benefits Include:

• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Floating Holiday
• Paid Parental Leave
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life & Disability
• FSA/HSA
• Fidelity 401(k) with employer match