AVP Mortgage Lending Operations

Default Brand; Neenah (WI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CFCU is seeking an AVP Mortgage Lending Operations to lead the end-to-end mortgage lifecycle—from processing through servicing—while ensuring regulatory and investor compliance and delivering a superior member experience.

In this role, you will coach a high-performing team, collaborate with Mortgage Origination and other departments, manage key vendor relationships, and drive process improvements and automation to shorten cycle times and improve quality.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive mortgage lending operations experience.
• 5+ years of people management experience, including managing managers.
• Experience in a credit union or financial institution of significant size preferred.
• Deep knowledge of the mortgage lifecycle and of conventional, government, and portfolio loan products.
• Strong understanding of mortgage regulations, investor guidelines, and QC/audit practices.
• Working knowledge of loan origination and servicing systems and workflow/automation tools.
• Proven ability to coach, develop, and motivate teams and to lead through change.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to member service and the credit union philosophy of

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the mortgage operations team with coaching and clear performance expectations.
• Ensure seamless member experience by coordinating with originations and third parties.
• Drive loan production and closing by monitoring pipelines, turn times, and capacity.
• Safeguard underwriting and credit quality with policy and regulator alignment.
• Oversee servicing and escrow administration including tax and insurance payments.
• Support audit readiness and regulatory compliance across TRID/RESPA/TILA rules.
• Lead process improvement and automation with IT and vendors.
• Build strong partner relationships with vendors, APPraisers, title and closing partners.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance

Tools

Mortgage systems (LOS)

Job description

As the AVP Mortgage Lending Operations, you will lead the end-to-end operational execution of the Credit Union's mortgage portfolio, with oversight of mortgage processing, underwriting, closing, and servicing. You will ensure loans move efficiently from application through closing and servicing while meeting regulatory, investor, and policy requirements, and you will be accountable for service quality, timeliness, accuracy, and a seamless member experience.

This role blends hands-on leadership with strategic operational oversight — coaching and developing your team, collaborating with Mortgage Origination and other departments, managing key vendor and closing partner relationships alongside the VP Mortgage Operations, and leading process improvement and automation efforts that make the mortgage experience faster and better for members.

As the AVP Mortgage Lending Operations with CFCU, you will:

• Lead and develop your team. Provide daily coaching, direction, and hands-on assistance to the mortgage operations team, set clear performance expectations, oversee onboarding and cross-training, and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Deliver a seamless member experience. Collaborate with Mortgage Origination and other teams, serve as an escalation point for complex files, member concerns, and partner issues, and communicate clearly with members, real estate partners, title companies, and other third parties.
• Drive loan production and closing. Ensure loans meet commitments, rate lock expirations, and scheduled closing dates by monitoring pipeline status, turn times, and capacity, and overseeing closing and funding processes from document preparation through post-closing delivery.
• Safeguard underwriting and credit quality. Support the review of exceptions and complex credit decisions, monitor underwriting quality, consistency, and turn times, and ensure decisions comply with credit policy, investor and agency guidelines, and applicable regulations.
• Oversee servicing and escrow administration. Oversee payment processing, escrow management, investor reporting, and member inquiries, ensuring escrow, taxes, and insurance premiums are accurately calculated, analyzed, and paid on time, and that servicing transfers and investor relationships are managed compliantly.
• Champion compliance and audit readiness. Participate in audit and examination preparation and response, ensure adherence to regulations including TRID, RESPA, ECOA, HMDA, TILA, Reg Z, SAFE Act, and fair lending requirements, and keep procedures, desk guides, and controls current.
• Lead process improvement and automation. Evaluate and optimize workflows to reduce cycle times and eliminate rework, partner with IT and vendors on automation opportunities, and report on key performance indicators such as turn times, pull-through, cost per loan, quality scores, and member satisfaction to senior leadership.
• Build strong partner relationships. In conjunction with the VP Mortgage Operations, manage relationships with vendors, appraisal management companies, title and closing partners, flood and tax service providers, and servicing and technology providers.

We are looking for a combination of:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive mortgage lending operations experience, including processing, underwriting, closing, or servicing.
• 5+ years of people management experience, including managing managers.
• Experience in a credit union or financial institution of significant size strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of the mortgage lifecycle, from application through servicing, and of conventional, government, and portfolio loan products.
• Strong understanding of mortgage regulations, investor guidelines, and QC/audit practices.
• Working knowledge of loan origination and servicing systems and workflow/automation tools.
• Proven ability to coach, develop, and motivate teams and to lead through change.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to member service and the credit union philosophy of "people helping people."

Equal Opportunity Employer
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