Senior Vice President, Senior Director - Underwriting

• Lead, strategize, and execute underwriting and appraisal functions across Correspondent, Portfolio, and Retail Lending business lines
• Oversee, develop, and performance-manage underwriters and underwriting managers
• Define, implement, and continuously refine the strategy and vision for underwriting divisions
• Enhance departmental productivity, efficiency, customer service, and loan quality
• Ensure credit operations meet production and financial targets while maintaining process excellence
• Build and sustain relationships with agency and non-agency partners, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, and Ginnie Mae
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align underwriting practices with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework
• Build, lead, and empower high-performing credit operations teams
• Set departmental goals and controls for timely, accurate underwriting, appraisal, and reviews
• Serve as a credit subject matter expert and make decisions on complex loan scenarios
• Monitor underwriting pipelines, SLAs, and productivity metrics
• Drive operational strategy and capacity planning for Correspondent and Retail Lending
• Lead process improvement and expense-management initiatives
• Partner with product and technology teams to deploy automation, AI tools, digital capabilities, and new products
• Ensure compliance with bank policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and investor requirements
• Participate in strategic planning and provide reporting and performance metrics in Monthly Business Reviews
• Recruit, coach, mentor, train, and manage underwriting staff and leadership

Requirements

• 15+ years of related experience in residential mortgage loan underwriting
• Wholesale mortgage lending experience required
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required
• 8+ years of residential mortgage underwriting management experience preferred, including at least 5 years in senior leadership
• Experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools
• Advanced knowledge of residential mortgage industry in Correspondent or Retail Lending
• Advanced knowledge of federal and state regulatory and legal compliance obligations, including TRID, ECOA, HMDA, FCRA, Flood, HOEPA, HPML, Appraisal, ATR/QM, TCPA, UDAAP, and Fair Lending
• In-depth knowledge of mortgage loan products, lending principles, regulations, and underwriting guidelines
• Extensive understanding of FHA, VA, and conventional loans, loan processing, and automated underwriting systems
• Working knowledge of self-employed borrower, partnership, and corporation tax return analysis; appraisal reviews; condo project reviews; Trust, Leasehold, and Power of Attorney documentation
• Advanced experience with Encompass, LOS, AUS, core systems, and Microsoft Office
• Advanced speaking and writing communication skills
• Direct Endorsement (DE) or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) designation required
• Occasional travel required

Core Competencies

Demonstrates extensive expertise in residential mortgage loan underwriting, including compliance with federal and state regulations, and the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams in Correspondent and Retail Lending environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• 15+ Years Of Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting Experience
• Wholesale Mortgage Lending Experience
• Advanced Knowledge Of Federal And State Regulatory Compliance
• Direct Endorsement (DE) Or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) Designation
• Advanced Experience With Encompass And Digital Mortgage Platforms

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Residential Mortgage Underwriting
• Loan Processing
• Automated Underwriting Systems
• Mortgage Loan Products Knowledge
• Appraisal Reviews
• Tax Return Analysis
• Performance Management
• Operational Strategy
• Capacity Planning
• Process Improvement

Soft Skills

• Leadership
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Communication Skills
• Relationship Building

Certifications & Qualifications

• Direct Endorsement (DE)
• Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR)

Industry Keywords

• FHA
• VA
• Conventional Loans
• TRID
• ECOA
• HMDA
• FCRA
• Flood
• HOEPA
• Fair Lending

Tools & Technologies

• Encompass
• LOS
• AUS
• Microsoft Office
• AI Tools