Director of Mortgage Operations

Equity Smart Home Loans; South Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunity based on performance

Job summary

Equity Smart Home Loans in South Pasadena is seeking a Director of Mortgage Operations to oversee all day-to-day operations in the mortgage industry. The role involves leading a team, managing loan processing, and coordinating with multiple departments to enhance operational performance.

The ideal candidate will have over 7 years in the residential mortgage industry, including 3 years in a leadership role. Competitive compensation is offered, with a salary range of $110,000 to $150,000 depending on experience.

Qualifications

• Proven record in overseeing mortgage operations.
• Experience in managing loan officer onboarding.
• Ability to handle operational escalations efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day mortgage operations.
• Oversee internal and external processing workflows.
• Coordinate with various departments to ensure loan efficiency.

Skills

Strong written and verbal communication skills

High attention to detail

Ability to manage competing priorities

Strong judgment

Understanding of mortgage loan processing

Education

7+ years of residential mortgage industry experience

3+ years of mortgage operations leadership

Tools

LOS systems

Arive

Job description

Director of Mortgage Operations

General Job Description

Equity Smart Home Loans is hiring a Director of Mortgage Operations to lead the day-to-day operations of our mortgage company and serve as a key operational partner to the CEO.

This role is ideal for an experienced mortgage operations leader who understands loan processing, funding, brokered and correspondent loan workflows, loan officer onboarding, third‑party processors, commission/payment coordination, branch support, and operational process management.

The Director of Mortgage Operations will be responsible for ensuring the company runs smoothly on a daily basis. This includes overseeing processing workflows, funding coordination, onboarding support, third‑party processor performance, office operations, internal communication, operational escalations, and cross‑functional execution between sales, training, accounting, compliance, and executive leadership.

We are looking for someone who can step into a leadership role quickly, bring structure to complex workflows, and become the primary owner of day‑to‑day operations.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Lead and direct Equity Smart’s Long‑Term and day‑to‑day Operations
• Lead daily mortgage operations across processing, funding, onboarding, branch support, and internal business operations.
• Oversee internal and external processing workflows, including third‑party processors.
• Ensure loan files are properly tracked, documented, and updated in Company’s LOS.
• Coordinate with funding, post‑closing, accounting, and sales leadership to ensure loans move efficiently from submission through closing and funding.
• Partner with the CEO on operational execution, issue resolution, and company priorities.
• Work closely with the training director to ensure loan officers and team members receive consistent onboarding, training, and operational guidance.
• Work with the sales manager or VP of Sales to support loan officer success, branch alignment, and operational accountability.
• Help oversee loan officer onboarding, compensation documentation, sponsorship fee communication, lender access, and operational setup.
• Assist in overseeing commission/payment workflows, and compensation‑related operational questions.
• Maintain and improve SOPs, workflows, checklists, reporting, and accountability systems.
• Support branch managers and loan officers with operational questions, escalations, and process clarity.
• Help prepare the company for audits, exams, branch meetings, and compliance‑sensitive operational reviews.
• Identify bottlenecks, reduce recurring issues, and create scalable solutions.

Requirements

• 7+ years of residential mortgage industry experience.
• 3+ years of mortgage operations leadership, processing management, funding management, branch operations, or equivalent experience.
• Strong understanding of mortgage loan processing from application through closing and funding.
• Experience with brokered and correspondent mortgage workflows.
• Experience managing processors, loan officer support workflows, and operational escalations.
• Strong knowledge of LOS systems; Arive experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast‑moving mortgage environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work directly with executive leadership and independently own operational outcomes.
• High attention to detail, strong follow‑through, and strong judgment.
• Comfortable enforcing standards and holding team members accountable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a mortgage brokerage, correspondent lender, or hybrid mortgage platform.
• Experience overseeing third‑party processors.
• Experience with loan officer onboarding and licensing/sponsorship workflows.
• Experience with commission/payment coordination.
• Experience supporting compliance reviews, audits, or state exams.
• Experience managing branch operations or multi‑branch mortgage support.
• NMLS or prior MLO experience preferred but not required.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred but not required.

Compensation

• Base salary range: $110,000 – $150,000, depending on experience.
• Bonus opportunity available based on operational performance, company performance, and achievement of key objectives.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a mortgage operations leader who can bring order, accountability, and consistency to a growing mortgage company. They are experienced enough to make sound decisions without constant executive oversight, hands‑on enough to solve problems directly, and organized enough to build systems that scale.

This person should be comfortable working directly with the CEO, training leadership, sales leadership, processors, funders, accounting, branch managers, loan officers, and third‑party vendors.

The ultimate goal for this role is simple: keep the company running smoothly day to day, reduce executive dependency, and ensure that operations support growth rather than slow it down.