Credit Risk Underwriting Specialist

Tri Pointe Homes, Inc.; Scottsdale, Northern (AZ, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Tri Pointe Connect in Arizona is seeking an experienced Credit Risk Underwriting Specialist to join our team. The hybrid role focuses on loan-level underwriting reviews, income analysis, and escalating risk decisions to protect loan quality.

You will combine auditing, guideline interpretation, and second-level reviews for Conventional, Government (FHA/VA), Jumbo, and Non-QM programs while collaborating with our Operations Center in Scottsdale.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of credit risk audit and mortgage underwriting experience across Conventional, Government (FHA/VA), Jumbo, and Non-QM.
• Strong knowledge of agency guidelines, investor overlays, and ATR/QM requirements.
• Experience with self-employed income reconstruction, rental income analysis, and K-1 review.

Responsibilities

• Conduct loan-level underwriting reviews and income validation across multiple loan types.
• Perform second-level underwriting reviews for lending authorities and coach underwriters.
• Audit and evaluate QC vendors; ensure findings align with agency/investor requirements.
• Identify risk indicators, elevate issues to the Director of Credit Risk, and support policy development.

Skills

Guideline interpretation

Audit documentation

Loan origination systems

Underwriting decisions

Deadline-driven

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance or related field

Government underwriting designations (DE, VA Automatic)

Tools

Encompass

Job description

Overview

Are you passionate about making a real impact in the homebuying journey?Our dynamic team is driven by innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence. We offer a comprehensive suite of services—including mortgage, title, escrow, homeowner’s and title insurance—all integrated under one roof to create a seamless, high-quality lending experience for our borrowers. If you're ready to be part of a forward-thinking company that’s shaping the future of the industry, apply to join our outstanding team.

Tri Pointe Connect, the mortgage affiliate of Tri Pointe Homes, is looking for an experienced individual to join our talented group in Arizona as a Credit Risk Underwriting Specialist. This is a hybrid position working out of our Operations Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Job Details

Position Summary: Key contributor to Tri Pointe Connect’s Credit Risk Department, responsible for loan-level underwriting reviews, credit-quality audits, lending-authority support, and vendor oversight across Conventional, Government (FHA/VA/USDA), Jumbo, and Non-QM products to ensure high-quality, salable, and compliant loans. This role strengthens risk governance through meticulous file audits, income validation, data integrity checks, defect trending, and second-level underwriting oversight.

Responsibilities

Credit Risk Underwriting Review

• Conduct in-depth audits and re-underwrites across Conventional, Government, Jumbo, and Non-QM loans to ensure compliance with agency, investor, and internal Tri Pointe Connect guidelines.
• Recalculate income using agency/investor methodologies, including complex self-employed income, rental income, K-1 analysis, and layered-risk borrower assessment.
• Validate AUS findings (DU/LPA) and confirm data alignment between LOS, AUS, and documentation.

Lending Authority Second-Level Review

• Perform second-level underwriting reviews for new underwriters seeking initial lending authority, validating accuracy, guideline comprehension, and risk assessment. Conduct second-level reviews for existing underwriters seeking expanded authority in additional products such as FHA, VA, and/or Jumbo.
• Document findings, recommend approval of lending authority, and provide coaching feedback where skill gaps are identified.
• Maintain calibration standards to ensure lending authority aligns with Tri Pointe Connect’s credit-risk expectations and investor requirements.

Quality Control (QC) Vendor Oversight

• Audit and evaluate the work of domestic and offshore third-party QC vendors, including pre-funding, post-closing, and targeted audit activities.
• Confirm that QC vendor findings are accurate, consistent, and aligned with agency/investor requirements and internal credit standards.
• Maintain vendor performance logs, participate in calibration calls, and support scorecard development.

Risk Governance & Reporting

• Identify and elevate repurchase exposure, defect trends, risk indicators, data inconsistencies, and misrepresentation concerns to the Director of Credit Risk.
• Support development of internal credit policies, audit matrices, income guides, scorecards, and calibration frameworks.
• Contribute to executive-level reporting, trend dashboards, defect analytics, and quality insights.

Job Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Business, Finance or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 5+ years of recent credit risk audit and/or mortgage underwriting experience across Conventional, Government (FHA/VA), Jumbo, and Non-QM products.
• Government underwriting designations (DE, VA Automatic), SAR preferred.

Skills

• Strong understanding of agency guidelines, investor overlays, regulatory compliance, manual underwriting logic, and ATR/QM requirements for non-agency products.
• Advanced skills in tax-return analysis, self-employment income reconstruction, and rental income evaluation.
• Expertise in loan origination systems, Encompass preferred.
• Strong communication and audit documentation skills (written and verbal), with the ability to articulate nuanced credit-risk concerns clearly.
• Demostrated ability to explain discretionary decisions and findings when reviewing loans for audit.
• Detail-oriented with a strong focus on accuracy.
• Demonstrates the ability to perform effectively under strict deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Physical Requirements

• May require working after-hours
• Sedentary for extended periods, up to 4 hours
• Frequent repetitive hand use (typing/computer work)
• Auditory ability to communicate in person, on calls, or in meetings
• Visual acuity for reading documents and computer work
• Hybrid role in Scottsdale, AZ (in office M-W)

Want to know what it's like working at Tri Pointe Homes? Click here to see what our employees have to say: Great Place to Work Certified Company

Tri Pointe Homes is committed to building a diverse and talented team to help us achieve our goals. Please note that due to operational constraints, we are unable to consider applicants who require visa sponsorship (e.g., H1B, OPT) for this position. This policy applies uniformly to roles where sponsorship cannot be accommodated to ensure consistency and fairness in our hiring process.

At Tri Pointe Homes, we are intentional about fostering an environment where you, and all individuals, are encouraged to be their authentic selves.We embrace individuality and strive to be consciously inclusive of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in every aspect of our business.We believe our company’s strength relies on the diversity of the team and the unique, innovative ideas everyone contributes.

Pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, if you are a California resident, you have the right to know the categories of personal information that we collect about job applicants, employees and their emergency contacts and beneficiaries, and independent contractors. Please clickherefor a description of our personal information collection practices.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, which means we make employment decisions based on merit and qualifications and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all applicants and employees without regard to their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

We will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to apply for an open position or to participate in an interview, please let us know.