SUMMARY
Responsible for providing strategic leadership oversight and prudent management of the credit unions mortgage lending operations and mortgage loan portfolio. This role evaluates and responds to changes in regulatory market and competitive conditions. Plans, organizes, and directs the mortgage departments activities to drive sustainable loan growth, operational efficiency, compliance, and exceptional member experience. Provides prompt, professional, and courteous support and assistance to internal departments, retail branches, and members.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provides strategic leadership for the mortgage lending function, including portfolio composition, product channels, delivery models, and growth objectives aligned with the credit unions overall strategic plan. • Identifies, evaluates, and secures additional mortgage origination channels, branch digital referral, correspondent, or other, to increase loan opportunities and support balances growth. • Develops and executes short- and long-term mortgage lending strategies, including annual production goals, profitability targets, staffing plans, and operational benchmarks. • Assists in developing mortgage lending policies, procedures, and underwriting guidelines, ensuring compliance with federal, state, investor, and regulatory requirements. • Conducts periodic reviews of systems, workflows, and vendor relationships to ensure efficiency, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory compliance, initiating process improvements as needed. • Monitors production pipeline, turn times, quality control, and funding volumes using data and reporting to improve performance. • Directs and manages mortgage department staff, including hiring, training, performance management, coaching, and succession planning, ensuring appropriate coverage during employee absences. • Maintains a working knowledge of all mortgage products and the end-to-end mortgage process, applying policy and underwriting standards consistently and prudently. • Coordinates staffing levels and workload distribution to ensure service standards are met while controlling operating costs and member experience expectations. • Partners with retail branches, lending teams, and member-facing staff to support referral activity, training, and mortgage product education. • Ensures accurate processing, underwriting, closing, and documentation of real estate loans in accordance with policy and regulatory requirements. • Provides guidance and escalation support for complex loan scenarios, exceptions, and member inquiries, approving loans within delegated authority and submitting others to the SVPCLO as required. • Promotes a culture of service accountability and ethical lending, ensuring members are treated fairly and consistently, while identifying opportunities to deepen member relationships. • Performs essential administrative and leadership functions necessary for effective mortgage department operations, including back-up support for originating, underwriting, and/or processing loans, and other duties as assigned by senior leadership. • Supports secondary market or portfolio mortgage strategies, including pricing, investor requirements, servicing considerations, and risk management, as applicable. • Evaluates and maintains functional knowledge of all mortgage lending systems, performance workflows, report capabilities, testing, training, and enhancements. • Supports enterprise projects and cross-departmental initiatives. • Assists with regulatory examinations, including coordinating examination requests, directing staff preparation activities, and ensuring timely and accurate responses.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Directly supervises employees in the mortgage loan department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organizations policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees, planning, assigning, and directing work, appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees, addressing complaints, and resolving problems. Indirectly oversees the mortgage branch staff.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Accuracy in documentation (¾ from application taking to submitting to closing agent) and following established policies, practices, and procedures for lending. Ability to process loans in a timely manner.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Maintains a positive attitude with employees and members and remains flexible while focused on accepted practices, policy, productivity, and effectiveness. Promotes awareness of the credit unions mission and brand statement to the credit union membership. Abides by the Service Standards established by the credit union. Strong knowledge of financial products and services. Regular and predictable attendance. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to communicate professionally. Maintains a professional appearance in accordance with established dress code policy. Technological skills and knowledge, including computer literacy.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
Bachelors degree from a four-year college or university in a related field and/or training in real estate lending. At least two years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical procedures or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, the Board of Directors, and individual members. Occasionally may need to make formal presentations on credit to groups outside of the credit union.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to calculate figures and amounts, such as interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to solve practical problems. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written and oral form.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
Registration with the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) is required. May require a Notary Public certificate to execute documents on behalf of members and the credit union.
OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES
Must be able to use the credit unions computer system for transactions, including but not limited to:
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. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
MENTAL DEMANDS
The mental characteristics necessary to competently perform this job include the need to use creative and imaginative thinking, reading and writing ability continuously, need to be alert, precise, the frequent need to be persuasive and resourceful in negotiating and problem-solving, patient and analytical in resolving complex situations, frequently use basic numeric calculations, memory, concentration, and exercise sound judgment.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Thank you for your interest in joining UT Federal Credit Union. As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe and secure work environment, all offers of employment at UT Federal Credit Union are contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background check. The background check may include but is not limited to checks of your criminal record, employment history, educational credentials, credit history, motor vehicle record, and references. You may be required to provide additional information and complete further documentation to facilitate these checks. By proceeding with this application, you hereby authorize UT Federal Credit Union and its designated agents and representatives to conduct such investigations and request such information as is necessary to evaluate your suitability for employment. In the event that information from a consumer report obtained about you from a consumer reporting agency is used in whole or in part in making an adverse decision with regard to employment, you will be provided with a copy of the consumer report and a description in writing of your rights under the law. Should there be any discrepancies or disputes regarding the information obtained during the background check or should you otherwise wish to discuss the reports contents with us, you will have an opportunity to discuss and/or dispute the content with us before a final employment decision is made. All information received during the background check process will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and sensitivity in accordance with the law. It will be used solely for the purpose of evaluating your potential employment at UT Federal Credit Union. Please complete the application if you understand and agree to the above-mentioned conditions. In doing so, you acknowledge that you have carefully read and understand this Disclosure and Authorization and authorize UT Federal Credit Union to obtain and/or its agent to obtain and furnish to the Credit Union information related to your background to be used for employment purposes.