Director of Mortgage Operations - UW Credit Union

Are you a seasoned leader with a passion for driving operational excellence and ensuring compliance in mortgage lending? UW Credit Union is seeking a Director of Mortgage Operations to join our dynamic team in Madison, WI. Reporting to the VP of Mortgage Lending, you will oversee the day-to-day operations of first mortgage processing, underwriting, closing, post-closing, shipping, and funding functions. Your primary focus will be on providing strong leadership and coaching to our operations staff, ensuring daily volume and quality standards are met, and recommending new methods and procedures to enhance efficiency and support our financial and member service objectives. In addition, you will also be responsible for building strong cross-functional partnerships within the Mortgage division and strong business partnerships with other areas of the organization. If you are a strategic thinker with exceptional leadership and compliance skills, we invite you to apply and make a meaningful impact at UW Credit Union. 

As the Director of Mortgage Operations, you will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our mortgage lending operations. You will lead by example, coaching and developing staff through effective leadership practices guided by the UWCU Performance Management Philosophy. With a commitment to upholding our core values and promoting a positive work culture, you will drive continuous improvement and innovation, keeping informed on industry trends, best practices, and vendor relationships. Join us in making a difference in the lives of our members and communities while advancing your career in a collaborative and supportive environment at UW Credit Union. 

From our award-winning culture to intuitive, easy to use systems, we have grown to become one of Wisconsin’s top financial institutions with nearly 350,000 members and $5.3 billion in assets. UW Credit Union is a federally insured, member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution committed to the financial well-being of our members.  

Manage Mortgage Loan Operations – 45%  

• Establish work priorities to facilitate achievement of UW Credit Union mortgage loan volume goals. 
• Responsible for meeting daily volume and quality standards for each position set by management. 
• Maintain established department service levels for turn time for underwriting, closing packages, funding and shipping of files. 
• Maintain the Credit Union’s eligibility as a seller in the secondary mortgage market as well as approving loans, which the credit union should keep in house. 
• Assist the VP of Mortgage Lending in assessing the risk associated with the activity of nonconforming loans and the impact of the Credit Union. 
• Review and approve loans of underwriters based on lending authorities and nonconforming loans. 
• Analyze underwriting trends and statistics to improve effectiveness of practices. 
• Responsible for keeping informed on industry trends, best practices, and interacting with vendors. 
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of mortgage loan origination systems and identify opportunities for improving system efficiencies. 
• Responsible for managing the mortgage loan servicing partnership to ensure service levels are being met, business, and member issues resolved in a timely manner.  

• Resolve member and fellow employee complaints involving errors on loans and renegotiate appropriately. 
• Assist with training programs to all levels of mortgage loan originators and support staff with product knowledge, systems and compliance. 
• Participate in goal setting, product development and other mortgage loan planning activities. 
• Maintain relationship with branch operations area to ensure a cohesive team approach. 

Leadership Expectations – 20%  

• Personal Responsibility and Accountability – Build trust with the team inspiring growth and development while striving to make a positive impact on the business. 
• Effective Communication – Communicate inclusively and transparently, aligning work in a manner that reinforces UWCU’s vision, mission, core values and goals. Uses social and emotional intelligence to navigate conflict, strengthen relationships and solve complex problems. 
• Focus on Teamwork – Encourage others to authentically bring their true self and skills to work, aligning them with the strategic goals of the team and organization. Recognize and reward individual and team efforts reinforcing the positive impacts to the team and organization. 
• High-Performance Mindset – Committed to operational excellence and improvement in the areas of compliance, organizational processes, and employee experience. Consistently meets or exceeds milestones and deadlines. 
• Business Acumen – Is a student of our business by understanding emerging industry trends competitor knowledge and how own functional area contributes to the organization. Uses strategic plan, critical measures, and data to recommend change and to execute plans to achieve organization effectiveness and strategic priorities. 
• Inclusive Excellence – Foster a collaborative and innovative team. Set the tone and model behaviors that create an environment where others feel valued, respected, a sense of belonging, and the ability to positively contribute. Creates equitable access to development and career growth. 
• Recruitment and Retention – Recruit and retain top talent. Develop diverse talent pipelines, aligning with UWCU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy. Consistently utilizes coaching and development as an engagement, retention, and inclusion strategy. 
• Change Leadership – Views change as a necessary constant and positions it in a way that creates engagement and capitalizes on opportunities for individual and team growth and development. 
• Coach Approach – approaches people leadership from a place of curiosity and growth mindset, providing continuous feedback focused on employee development. Invites feedback from all directions; recognizing growth and development are a daily process. 

Manage Program Policies & Procedures – 15%  

• Responsible for keeping abreast of all applicable state laws and regulations, investor guidelines and changes (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHLB, GNMA, Third Party) to assure UWCU is in compliance 
• Periodically review, evaluate and update operating guidelines by specific investors, regulations, policies and procedures for mortgage loan support 
• Asses departmental processes (including data processing systems effectiveness) on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations 
• Interpret loan policies and procedures. Provide guidance and direction 
• Assist as necessary in the annual regulatory examination and independent audit process 

• Assign and/or assume responsibility for ensuring adherence to federal and state regulations in all areas of responsibility 
• Provide feedback and recommendations on lending methods to improve lending practices.

Vendor Relations – 10%  

• Manage relationship with various third party business partners, and perform periodic due diligence.  
• Understand vendor landscape including market shareholders, innovators and pioneers. 
• Utilize knowledge of industry trends, organizational needs and vendor offerings to negotiate and make critical business decisions on vendor selection, contract agreements and contract term, including service level expectations. 
• Guide the future delivery of vendor enhancements through the vendor relationship and participation in user group meetings and advisory councils. 

Other Duties & Responsibilities – 10%  

• Identify business product needs and present them to management. 
• Serve as a member of any committee or team as directed.  
• Work with Leadership Team to ensure alignment, consistency and prioritization of business priorities and resource requirements. 
• Assist in any other area as directed by the VP of Mortgage Lending.  

• 10+ years’ experience in Mortgage Lending required.  
• 5+ years’ experience in Leadership positions of increasing responsibility required.  
• Bachelor’s degree required.  
• Demonstrateinclusiveleadershipandtheabilitytoinspireandmotivateadiverseworkforce. 
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of effective mortgage lending.  
• Responsible for staying abreast of all applicable state laws and regulations, investor guidelines and changes (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHLB, GNMA, Third Party) to assure UWCU is in compliance. 
• Abilitytodevelopstrongproductivepartnershipswithmanagement,employees,corporatestaff,andexternalbusinesspartners. 

• Projectmanagementskillsandtheabilitytoexecuteconsistentlyandwithinbudget. 
• Demonstratedcommitmenttocontinuousimprovementandexperienceusingdataandanalyticstooptimizebusinessunitperformance. 
• Strongvendorrelationshipmanagementandcontractnegotiationskills 
• Abilitytoremaincurrentwithindustryandconsumermarketplacetrends. 
• Experienceworkingwithinafinancialservicesregulatoryenvironment. 
• Excellentwrittenandverbalcommunicationskillsasdemonstratedbytheabilitytowriteclear,concisedocumentation,memos,andemail,and facilitate staff meetings and give presentations. 

Benefits 

Join one of Wisconsin’s premier financial institutions, a National Top Workplace and multi-year recipient of Madison Magazine’s Best Places to Work, Wisconsin State Journal’s Top Workplaces, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Top Workplaces to receive: 

• 2 weeks paid caregiver leave 
• 2 weeks paid new child parental leave 
• 2 days paid volunteer time 
• 10 paid holidays (includesyour birthday!) 
• Ample paid time off 
• 401k company match of up to 5%, plus approximately 4% discretionary match 
• 457 deferred-compensation plan 
• Generous variable reward bonus  
• Free bus pass and discountedBCyclemembership 

• Competitive health plan options, including domestic partner eligibility 
• And more!  

Application and Referrals 

Applicants are highly encouraged to include a cover letter with their resume. For more information about the position or the organization, visit us at uwcu.org/careers. For additional questions, inquiries, or referral information contact Fisnik Lumani, Director of Talent at flumani@uwcu.org, 608-400-8662, LinkedIn Profile 

UW Credit Union is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity(EEO) to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination of any type without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, disability status, pregnancy, religion, religion creed, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, citizenship status, national origin, political belief, ancestry, military status, protected veteran status, arrest or conviction record or any other characteristics protected by federal, state or local laws.