Head of Lending Operations

Constantinople; Sydney; On-site; AUD 220,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

Constantinople, Sydney, seeks a Head of Lending to own end-to-end lending operations across mortgages, vehicle loans and business lending for client banks. You will manage the operating model, AI/automation roadmap, and control framework, ensuring regulatory obligations and audit readiness while driving efficiency and accuracy.

You will lead a team of four direct reports and 30-45 staff, coordinating with product, engineering, and client executives to deliver reliable lending services and

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Australian lending operations, with 5+ years in leading multi-team functions.
• Deep knowledge of residential mortgage lifecycle from origination to post-settlement.
• First-line accountability for lending control environment, with NCCP/RG 209, APS 220, AML/CTF and privacy in practice.
• Track record of leading operational transformation, AI adoption, or platform migration with measurable outcomes.
• Comfortable with executives and regulated-entity stakeholders.
• Experience managing major third-party relationships and SLA remediation.
• Experience in BaaS or outsourced servicing is a plus.
• Exposure to non-standard lending products (reverse mortgage, business lending) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end lending operating model across origination, variations, and post-settlement across multiple channels.
• Set service levels for turnaround times, first-time-right rates, queue aging, and report to client committees.
• Manage capacity and workforce planning against pipeline forecasts and seasonal volume.
• Drive cost-to-process down through AI and straight-through processing without weakening controls.
• Own AI and automation roadmap for lending operations and evidence uplift in turnaround, accuracy, and experience.
• Own lending control framework as first-line risk owner for processes, verification, fraud, delegated authority, and audit trails.
• Ensure compliance with NCCP, RG 209, APS 220, AML/CTF and privacy requirements.
• Own incidents and breaches end-to-end: containment, root cause, remediation, and reporting.
• Approve SOPs, delegated authority, and process changes; maintain audit-ready documentation.
• Act as relationship owner for client banks and translate policy into executable processes.
• Partner with Product and Engineering on roadmap, prioritising AI capabilities to reduce manual effort.
• Lead operational readiness for new client go-lives and migrations.
• Oversee vendor portfolio and governance with performance, SLAs, fee reconciliation, and APRA obligations.
• Lead, coach, and develop four direct reports and a 30-45 person team; build bench strength.
• Set a performance and quality culture with early issue surfacing and accountability.

Skills

Lending ops leadership

Team leadership

NCCP compliance

AI automation

Vendor management

Mortgage lifecycle

Data-driven decisions

Regulated entities

Job description

Constantinople delivers a new era of AI-native banking. Constantinople provides banks with a fully-managed software and AI operational platform, which brings together customer experience, product, data, operations, compliance and infrastructure in a single platform.

Constantinople’s AI-native platform eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure, and replaces manual operational and compliance processes with AI at scale. By removing the operational complexity of banking, Constantinople enables our client banks to focus on their customers and thebusinessof banking.

The Role

Constantinople is looking for a Head of Lending to own end-to-end lending operations across every product and channel we run on behalf of our client banks residential mortgages, reverse mortgages, consumer vehicle loans, and business lending, originated via broker, customer-direct, and Flexible Lending Experiences (FLEX) workflows. This is an accountable-executive role, not a coordination role: you'll own the operating model, the control environment, the service levels we commit to clients, the unit economics of every loan we process, and the AI and automation agenda that makes lending faster and simpler for customers and clients alike.

Because Constantinople delivers lending operations as a service on behalf of ADIs, your team's performance is directly visible to our clients, their customers, their brokers, and ultimately their board and regulators you are the single point of accountability for lending operations in front of client executives, and the internal owner of the lending process and control framework that Risk, Compliance, and Internal Audit assess against.

What You'll Do

• Own the end-to-end lending operating model across origination, variations, and post-settlement, including the baseline process set, FLEX-driven deviations, and the split of work between Constantinople Lending Operations, client DCAs, and third-party providers
• Set and hold service levels for every client and product turnaround times, first-time-right rates, queue ageing, and escalation thresholds and report performance to client operating committees
• Manage capacity and workforce planning against pipeline forecasts, client onboarding waves, and seasonal volume, balancing permanent headcount, cross-skilling, and surge capacity
• Drive cost-to-process down through AI, automation, and straight-through processing, without weakening the control environment
• Own the AI and automation agenda for lending operations identify, business-case, and land improvements across the platform (document and income verification, decisioning support, quality assurance, and customer/broker communications), and evidence the resulting uplift in turnaround, accuracy, and experience
• Own the lending control framework as first-line risk owner credit process controls, document verification, fraud referral, delegated approval authorities, segregation of duties, and audit trail integrity
• Ensure lending operations discharge obligations under NCCP and RG 209 responsible lending, APRA APS 220 credit risk management, AML/CTF, and privacy requirements, and evidence that discharge to Risk, Compliance, and Internal Audit
• Own lending operational incidents and breaches end to end: containment, root cause, remediation, customer remediation where warranted, and reportable-matter escalation
• Approve lending SOPs, delegated authority schedules, and process changes, and maintain the documentation set to an audit-ready standard
• Act as the senior lending operations relationship owner for client banks running operating rhythm forums, resolving escalations, and translating client credit policy into executable process
• Partner with Product and Engineering as the operational voice on the lending roadmap, prioritising the AI and automation capability that removes the most manual effort and risk
• Lead lending operational readiness for new client go-lives and migrations, including process design, training, cutover, and hypercare
• Own the lending third-party vendor portfolio at a governance level valuation providers and the valuer panel, legal and settlement providers, title, credit bureau, LMI, and settlement platforms - holding accountability for vendor performance, contracted service levels, fee reconciliation, and APRA CPS 230 vendor risk obligations
• Lead, coach, and develop four direct reports and an indirect team of 30-45, building genuine bench strength and succession for each leadership seat
• Set a performance and quality culture where issues surface early, and where operators understand the credit and customer consequences of their decisions

Who You Are

• 10+ years in Australian lending operations, credit operations, or mortgage servicing, including 5+ years leading multi-team functions
• Deep working knowledge of the residential mortgage lifecycle end to end application capture, verification, serviceability, credit assessment, settlement, and post-settlement variations and discharges
• Demonstrated first-line accountability for a lending control environment, with direct experience of NCCP/RG 209, APS 220, AML/CTF, and privacy obligations in practice
• A proven record of leading operational transformation process redesign, AI and automation adoption, or platform migration with measurable turnaround and cost outcomes
• Credible with executives and regulated-entity stakeholders
• Experience owning material third-party relationships, including contracted service levels and performance remediation
• Experience in a BaaS, outsourced servicing, or multi-client environment where lending operations are delivered on behalf of another regulated entity is a strong plus
• Exposure to non-standard lending products reverse mortgage, business lending, asset and vehicle finance — is a plus
• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or credit accreditation is a plus
• You own the outcome you take accountability rather than distributing it
• You operate comfortably between the detail of a single lending file and the design of the operating model
• Numerate and evidence-led you manage by data rather than anecdote
• Calm under escalation

Inclusion

To build technology and products that are used and loved by people and solve real‑world problems, we need to build a team with many different perspectives and experiences. We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Applicants in need of special assistance or accommodation during the interview process or in accessing our website may contact us. We will treat your request as confidentially as possible. In your email, please include your name and preferred method of contact, and we will respond as soon as possible.