Senior Vice President, Senior Director Underwriting

AmeriHome Mortgage Company, LLC; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 226,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical & dental

401k matching

Tuition assistance

Volunteer program

Wellness program

Job summary

AmeriHome Mortgage Company, LLC is seeking a Senior Director Underwriting in TX to lead underwriting across multiple channels, guiding teams and driving productivity while maintaining loan quality. You will shape vision and strategy for underwriting divisions and ensure compliance with investor requirements and risk appetite.

The role requires deep expertise in conventional, government, and non-agency loans, along with DE/SAR designation and proven leadership.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting.
• Wholesale Mortgage Lending experience required.
• Bachelor's degree; Masters/MBA preferred.
• 8+ years in underwriting management; 5+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools.
• Extensive knowledge of FHA/VA/conventional loans and related regulations.
• Proficient with mortgage banking technology (Encompass, LOS) and MS Office.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; DE or SAR designation required.
• Occasional travel required.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and empower credit operations teams; set goals and controls for underwriting, appraisal, and reviews.
• Drive capacity planning and process improvements to enhance service levels and reduce cost per loan.
• Partner with product and technology to deploy automation and AI tools for underwriting efficiency.
• Develop relationships with agency and partner investors; provide regular performance reporting.
• Ensure underwriting procedures reflect evolving regulatory and investor requirements.

Skills

Underwriting leadership

Mortgage underwriting

Team leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Digital mortgage tools

Encompass LOS

AUS

Communication skills

Travel flexibility

Contract management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Masters or MBA in related field

Tools

Encompass (LOS)

AUS

Job description

Senior Vice President, Senior Director Underwriting

Location

TX - Dallas/Irving

What You'll Do

As a Senior Director Underwriting, you'll be accountable for leading, strategizing, and executing underwriting and appraisal functions across all business lines and channels, including Correspondent Delegated and Non-Delegated, Portfolio Lending, and Retail Lending. This role also includes driving the oversight, development, and performance management of underwriters and underwriting managers within the lending channel. You will define, implement, and continuously refine the vision and strategy for all underwriting divisions within AmeriHome, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and risk appetite. Additionally, you'll lead initiatives to enhance departmental productivity, efficiency, and customer service across multiple underwriting teams. You will ensure credit operations meet or exceed production and financial targets while maintaining process excellence and loan quality. You will also be responsible for building and sustaining strategic relationships with AmeriHome’s agency and Non-Agency partners: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, Ginnie Mae and other investors. You'll collaborate cross-functionally to ensure consistent underwriting practices and alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework. You will be a key driver of process innovation, expense management, and quality assurance, leveraging your deep expertise in mortgage documentation and investor requirements. You will also be expected to ensure compliance with the Bank's policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

• Build, lead, and empower high-performing credit operations teams that balance sales, underwriting, and risk. Set departmental goals and ensure robust controls and procedures for timely, accurate underwriting, appraisal, and reviews, while maintaining a focus on credit quality, service, and efficiency. Manage and develop underwriting leadership and staff, including Underwriters, Underwriting Managers, and the Scenario Desk team. Serve as a credit SME for conventional, government, and non-agency loans, making decisions on complex loan scenarios escalated by internal teams and external partners. Monitor and manage underwriting pipelines, SLAs, and productivity metrics.
• Drive operational strategy and capacity planning for Correspondent and Retail Lending divisions, aligning staffing and resources with production and financial goals. Lead process improvement initiatives to enhance service levels, reduce cost per loan, and maintain loan quality. Maintain a thorough understanding of AmeriHome’s underwriting and regulations in accordance with mortgage lending. Analyze transactions and assist in structuring transactions to contain AmeriHome’s credit risk within acceptable parameters.
• Partner with product and technology teams to design and deploy new products and digital capabilities—specifically automation and AI tools that enhance underwriting performance and consistency as well as boost efficiency, reduce cycle times, and improve lender/clients or borrower experience per channel. Ensure alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework, and actively promote AmeriHome’s culture of customer service, quality, and innovation.
• Identify and leverage strategic opportunities by utilizing existing resources and relationships with clients and business partners. Participate in strategic planning and execution to meet divisional goals and provide regular reporting and performance metrics in Monthly Business Reviews. Promote a culture of innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement across all underwriting teams. Recruit, coach, and mentor underwriting staff to build a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning. Ensure all underwriting procedures are current and reflect evolving regulatory and investor requirements.
• Lead and develop a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

What You'll Need

• 15+ years of related experience in Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting
• Must have Wholesale Mortgage Lending experience
• Bachelor's degree in related field required; Masters or MBA in related field preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in residential mortgage underwriting management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role preferred.
• Must have experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools.
• Advanced knowledge of residential mortgage industry in Correspondent or Retail Lending, including sales, operations, capital markets and/or other residential mortgage products and services.
• Advanced knowledge of applicable federal and state regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices, including TRID, ECOA, HMDA, FCRA, Flood, HOEPA, HPML, Appraisal, ATR/QM, TCPA, UDAAP, and Fair Lending.
• Advanced knowledge or applicable regulatory and legal obligations, rules, and regulations, industry standards and practices. In-depth knowledge of mortgage loan products, lending principles and regulations. Extensive understanding of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines, including FHA, VA, and conventional loans, loan processing and automated underwriting systems. Working knowledge of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines including self-employed borrowers, partnership, corporation tax return analysis, appraisal reviews, condo project reviews, Trust, Leasehold and Power of Attorney documentation.
• Advanced experience with mortgage banking technology, including Encompass (LOS), AUS, core systems, and MS Office products.
• Advanced speaking and writing communication skills.
• Direct Endorsement (DE) or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) designation is required.
• Occasional travel required.

Compensation: Salary range for new hires is generally $207,000.00 - $225,600.00 for Westlake Village, CA. Salary amount is determined by specific job location. In addition, the role may be eligible for annual bonus/incentives earned.

Benefits You’ll Love

We offer all the important things you'd want — like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands‑on experience to help grow your career!

About The Company

AmeriHome Mortgage is a Western Alliance Bank company. Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Alliance Bancorporation. Serving clients nationwide, Western Alliance Bank includes six legacy bank brands — Alliance Association Bank, Alliance Bank of Arizona, Bank of Nevada, Bridge Bank, First Independent Bank and Torrey Pines Bank — that remain part of the company’s heritage.

Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process and/or need an alternative method of applying, please email [e-mail] or call 602-386-2488. When contacting us, please provide your contact information and state the nature of your accessibility issue. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests that involve a reasonable accommodation in the application process.

© Western Alliance Bancorporation