Credit Manager, Residential Underwriting – Aspire

Strivecapital; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the mortgage industry is seeking a Credit Manager to oversee day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in alternative lending and a strong ability to lead teams. This role involves collaborating with senior management and ensuring compliance with guidelines while fostering a positive work environment. Strive offers competitive pay, benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Competitive base salary and discretionary incentive pay

Vacation, Paid time off, and holidays

Competitive benefits package that starts immediately

A fun and welcoming learning environment

Training and development catered to your career needs

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years of mortgage experience in the broker channel.
• Minimum 5+ years of Alternative mortgage underwriting experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Underwriters and Fulfillment Specialists.
• Monitor productivity and workflow to ensure efficiency.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational Skills

Decision-Making

Education

Post Secondary Degree or Diploma

Job description

Strive is focused on providing brokers with the best experience when it comes to funding their mortgage files. A focus on relationship building, best in market tech, and an all-star team to take the file from start to finish and beyond.

In 2023, we launched our Aspire brand, an alternative mortgage program for customers who may have challenges qualifying under traditional prime lending guidelines.

To succeed at Strive, you must embrace the fact that Strive is a start-up, has a very entrepreneurial culture and mindset and is committed to building a team-focused organization with bold goals and objectives to grow our company and reward staff excellence.

Purpose of Role:

Reporting to the Vice President – Credit Operations, this role is perfect for an outcome-focused people leader, who is seeking to join a team of driven and entrepreneurial professionals in the mortgage industry, wants to work closely with senior management, and further expand their expertise.

As we continue to grow our Aspire brand, we are looking for an individual to lead the Aspire day-to-day operations with direct oversight of both mortgage underwriters and fulfillment specialists. This role is ideal for someone with a strong Alternative lending background and experience with building teams. Previous experience in identifying opportunities to help streamline process, increase productivity, and create an exciting and positive environment for the team to work in is critical.

In this role, the Credit Manager must be highly knowledgeable about Strive products and policies and procedures. This position requires strong decision-making skills as the company is constantly growing and changing. Sound judgement and the ability to pivot and adapt are key skills for success.

If you have a strong desire to learn, grow, and contribute to Strive’s goal of providing “A Better Lending Experience” , we invite you to apply!

Responsibilities:

• Deliver an exceptional customer service experience in every interaction
• Assist in development and maintenance of disciplined process and policy guidelines
• Assist in development of robust training for new onboarding and ongoing employee performance
• Lead and develop a team of Underwriters and Fulfillment Specialists in managing the adjudication and fulfillment functions
• Monitor productivity and workflow to ensure efficiency in achieving assigned objectives
• Responsible for compiling team performance results, with a specific focus on compliance with internal and external partner guidelines
• Identify opportunities for process improvement
• Collaborate effectively with other business units, working together to deploy new product or technology initiatives
• Work with the underwriting team to identify potential exceptions to Investor policy
• Evaluate, package, and submit exception requests to Investors where required
• Develop a solid understanding of our Underwriting platform and third-party technology solutions
• Work closely and collaborate with Senior Management as well as Treasury, Risk and IT in regard to systemic system issues that may increase operational risk
• Provide guidance, recommendations, reporting and training to QA and Credit teams in regard to Investor audits, trends and changes
• Gather any necessary information required to coordinate and analyze exceptions and ensure consistent, objective, and sound decisions in ahigh-volumeenvironment
• Ensure the attainment of service standards for processing applications in accordance with company policies and procedures
• Resolve any escalated credit issues, replyto internal and external client queries, and communicate credit decisions
• Keep up to date on applicable legislation, as well as on the company’s policies, programs, procedures, and mortgage insurer policies
• Continuously learn, adapt, engage, and grow in your role and as an integral part of the organization
• Ensure you complete training and comply with confidentiality and regulatory requirements
• Actat all timesin accordance withStrive’srisk appetite as defined by theRMUP
• Maintain employee, customer and partner confidentiality as described byStrive’sEmployee Handbook

Regulatory:
Complete all mandatory training, specifically:

• Regulatory
• Privacy
• Compliance and risk management
• AML/ATF
• Quality Assurance
• Act at all times in accordance with Strive’s risk appetite as defined by the RMUP

Confidentiality:
Maintain employee, customer and partner confidentiality as described by Strive’s Employee Handbook.

• Minimum 7+ years of mortgage experience in the broker channel
• Minimum 5+ years of Alternative mortgage underwriting experience
• Post Secondary degree or diploma required
• Strong leadership and coaching skills
• Established and meticulous organizational skills
• Sound multi-tasking skills and excellent attention to detail
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills
• Extensive knowledge of alternative residential lending practices and products, with an emphasis on broker originations
• Sound underwriting of Governance and enterprise risk management, as well as real estate markets nationally
• Demonstrated ability toflourishin ahigh-volumeenvironment
• An ability to quickly assess and make accurate decisions
• Commitment to grow as an individual by constantly learning and staying on top of industrychanges
• Positive attitude and commitment to drive company growth with exceptional customer service,strongteamcollaborationand sound credit decisioning

Employment Type:

Full time with regular working hours (currently remote and in-person hybrid working environment).

About Strive:

Strive was founded in 2020 and has since grown to a team of 100+ industry leaders with many years of experience. We are located in the heart of Toronto, at 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1704, Toronto ON M5C 1T4 . At Strive, all our team members exhibit excellent accountability, collaboration, clear communication,and take a hands-on approach of support and respect at every level of the organization. At the same time, we empower all our employees by providing an environment, resources, and tools to solve problems, be challenged, and ultimately grow their career.

For our customers, we aspire to always exceed their expectations – this is infused in our mission to provide “A Better Lending Experience” .

At Strive, we offer competitive pay and perks, that include, but are not limited to:

• Competitive base salary and discretionary incentive pay
• Vacation, Paid time off, and holidays
• Competitive benefits package that starts immediately
• A fun and welcoming learning environment to help you grow
• Working 1-1 with senior management and industry leaders
• Training and development catered to your career development needs

Additional Information:

Strive is an equal opportunity employer and we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and barrier-free work environment for all employees and candidates. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply and if accommodation is required during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact any member of the Management team. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.