Head of Underwriting

MERJE; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

MERJE is seeking a senior mortgage operations leader to oversee underwriting, processing and portfolio management teams. The hybrid role requires two days in the office each week and targets delivering outstanding service to customers and brokers while meeting SLA and performance goals.

You will own the lending policy, ensure regulatory compliance (MCOB), manage MI reporting and supplier relationships, and drive improvements to handle peak volumes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Mortgage Underwriting, Processing and Portfolio Management teams across multiple disciplines.
• Deliver the strategy for the operational teams while meeting SLA and performance targets.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, including MCOB, and maintain high-quality lending.

Job description

Hybrid - 2 day/week in office

• Leading the multiple Mortgage Underwriting, Processing and Portfolio Management teams across multi-discipline areas and engaging them to deliver the highest levels of service for our customers and brokers.
• Achieve this by delivering the strategy for the operational teams, managing resources to produce productivity levels that hit challenging SLA’s and performance targets. Managing the quality of outputs and instil and maintain a customer focussed culture achieving a right first-time approach.
• First line accountability for the Society’s lending policy and criteria, ensuring that we lend responsibly and within our approved credit risk appetite
• Ensure necessary legal and regulatory obligations are met across all disciplines and manage the quality of lending (thus reducing risk) through the development and monitoring of our credit lending policy.
• Lead teams across the mortgage underwriting function to deliver against challenging service and productivity targets. This includes creating a broker/ customer focused culture where agreed SLAs and NPS targets are met, and teams are motivated to succeed.
• Support in building an operation that can deal with a flow and the peaks/ troughs of acquisition mortgage lending that increases in size with inbuilt flexibility.
• Build an underwriting team that can deal with process enhancements for existing and new mortgage types. Ensure that there is appropriate succession planning in place for the longevity of the function
• Responsible for the accurate and timely reporting and analysis of MI
• Responsible for regulatory compliance specifically MCOB
• Day to day Account Management for key 3rd party suppliers, closely working with Supplier Management
• Ensure robust controls are in place to ensure lending mandates are exercised individually and collectively in such a way as to maintain a high-quality mortgage book.
• Monitor adherence to lending policy, own the procedures and controls to meet and reflect technical, product and legislative requirements.
• Participate in projects and initiatives to ensure an effective implementation for the Mortgage function.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with both internal and external customers (Intermediary Sales, Brokers, Valuation Panel Managers and Solicitors etc.)
• Lead and performance manage all direct reports, conducting monthly 1:1 reviews, observations and holding team meetings to share best practice across the area.
• Working closely with the Mortgage Risk manager to ensure robust controls are in place to mitigate against all first line mortgage risks in line with the Society’s Risk Framework.
• Annual reviews are performed and reported to appropriate risk committee
• Manage the delivery of the Important Business Service ensuring resilience and continuity in line with set impact tolerances.
• Ensures mortgage release process complies with all regulatory requirements and internal policies so service meets the performance thresholds
• Ensures operational efficiency by Identifying critical processes, monitoring vulnerabilities and implementing controls to maintain service availability during disruptions.
• Ensures that the Mortgage Processing team have sufficient resources to maintain service quality to prevent any disruptions and addresses any issues, disruptions or incidents that may affect service.