Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

World Business Lenders (WBL) is a privately held portfolio lender specializing in real estate-secured business loans for underserved businesses. WBL operates with a fully remote, multinational workforce and an experienced executive leadership team. Typically, the work schedule is from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, though additional hours may be required based on business needs.

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for providing operational leadership and coordination across the Company's Lending Operations, including Intake, Processing, Valuation, Underwriting, Title, and Closing, as well as Asset Resolution and Loan Administration (Servicing). This role will work closely with the senior leadership responsible for each function to ensure these areas operate as an integrated, end-to-end lending and asset lifecycle.

The Chief Operating Officer will focus on improving coordination within and between departments, establishing consistent processes and performance standards, identifying operational bottlenecks, monitoring key performance indicators, and ensuring that issues are addressed before they negatively impact lending, servicing, or asset resolution.

The Chief Operating Officer will focus on process integration, performance standards, operational efficiency, cross-functional coordination, and resolution of issues across the broader lending and asset lifecycle. The position will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and will serve as a key operational partner to executive leadership. The role will provide visibility into operational performance, risks, capacity, and opportunities for improvement across the functions within its scope.

Improve coordination and accountability across Lending Operations, Asset Resolution, and Loan Administration. Reduce operational bottlenecks and unnecessary handoffs. Improve turnaround times and overall process efficiency. Establish clear and measurable operational KPIs and improve visibility into performance for executive leadership. Identify and resolve recurring operational issues. Build scalable processes capable of supporting the company's continued growth. Create a unified and efficient end-to-end operating model across the lending, servicing, and asset-resolution lifecycle.

Operational Leadership: Provide overall operational oversight across Lending Operations (Intake, Processing, Valuation, Underwriting, Title, and Closing), Asset Resolution, and Loan Administration (Servicing). Work directly with the functional leaders of each area to establish priorities, processes, performance expectations, and operational objectives. Ensure the functions within Lending Operations, Asset Resolution, and Loan Administration operate as an integrated process, with clear ownership and accountability for cross-departmental workflows. Identify operational gaps, inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and communication breakdowns across the closing and asset lifecycle. Develop and maintain standardized operating procedures, workflows, controls, service-level expectations, and escalation processes. Monitor operational performance and provide regular updates and recommendations to the CEO.

Closing Operations Oversight: Work with Closing Operations leadership to monitor closing, funding, and related operational activities. Identify recurring issues affecting Closing Operations or movement through the closing pipeline. Coordinate with Valuations, Asset Resolution, Underwriting, Sales, Legal, Finance, and other relevant functions to improve execution. Review operational reporting and identify trends requiring management attention.

Valuations Oversight: Work with Valuations leadership to ensure valuation activities are properly integrated into closing and asset-resolution processes. Monitor valuation volume, turnaround times, quality, exceptions, and outstanding requests. Identify delays that affect closing, underwriting, or asset resolution and establish appropriate prioritization and escalation processes. Identify opportunities to improve valuation efficiency, consistency, and scalability.

Asset Resolution Oversight: Work with Asset Resolution leadership to ensure assets move efficiently through the resolution process. Monitor resolution pipelines, aging, recoveries, dispositions, and other relevant operational metrics. Identify operational issues affecting resolution outcomes and improve coordination with Closing Operations, Valuations, Legal, Finance, and other stakeholders. Establish consistent processes for tracking assets through resolution and escalating matters requiring executive attention. Identify opportunities to improve recovery outcomes, reduce cycle times, and increase operational efficiency.

Lending Operations Oversight: Provide operational oversight across Intake, Processing, Valuation, Underwriting, Title, and Closing. Work with functional leaders to establish priorities, service levels, performance expectations, and escalation processes. Identify bottlenecks, handoff issues, capacity constraints, and recurring problems across the lending pipeline. Monitor operational reporting and KPIs across the lending lifecycle and recommend corrective actions.

Loan Administration (Servicing) Oversight: Provide operational oversight of Loan Administration (Servicing) and its integration with the broader lending and asset lifecycle. Monitor servicing workflows, performance, capacity, exceptions, and cross-functional dependencies. Identify opportunities to improve servicing efficiency, consistency, reporting, and coordination with Lending Operations and Asset Resolution. Establish appropriate escalation and accountability processes for servicing issues that affect portfolio performance or customer outcomes.

End-to-End Process Management: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the company's end-to-end closing and asset lifecycle. Map key processes across Closing Operations, Valuations, and Asset Resolution and clarify handoffs and responsibilities. Develop dashboards, reporting, and KPIs that provide visibility into operational performance. Analyze operational data to identify trends, capacity constraints, recurring problems, and improvement opportunities. Lead cross-functional initiatives designed to improve efficiency, scalability, quality, and profitability. Ensure process changes are appropriately communicated, documented, and implemented.

People & Organizational Leadership: Evaluate staffing levels, workload, capacity, and organizational structure across the operational functions. Identify needs for additional resources, technology, training, or process changes. Establish expectations for operational accountability and performance management. Support the development of department leaders and appropriate succession and coverage within key operational functions. Help establish an organizational structure that can scale with the company's growth. Encourage collaboration and accountability across departments.

Executive & Cross-Functional Responsibilities: Serve as the primary operational liaison across Lending Operations, Asset Resolution, Loan Administration, and executive leadership. Serve as the operational bridge between functional operating teams and executive leaders responsible for Technology, Data & Analytics, and Finance to ensure systems, reporting, automation, resource planning, and performance objectives support the Company's broader operational strategy. Coordinate cross-functional initiatives that connect operational processes with technology, data, and financial performance, ensuring that operational decisions and process improvements are evaluated from an end-to-end perspective. Partner closely with the CIO, CDAO, and CFO to ensure operational teams are aligned with the Company's technology and automation strategy, data and reporting infrastructure, and financial planning and performance objectives. Partner with Finance, Legal, Risk, Technology, Sales, Lending Operations, and other departments on cross-functional operational matters. Prepare operational reports, analysis, and recommendations for the CEO and executive leadership. Escalate significant operational risks, delays, resource constraints, and performance issues to the CEO. Participate in strategic planning and operational decision-making. Lead special projects and other initiatives assigned by the CEO. Evaluate opportunities to improve the company's operational infrastructure and scalability.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field preferred.

Required Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in operations, lending, financial services, commercial finance, asset management, or a related industry. Experience managing or coordinating multiple operational functions. Experience working with senior-level leaders and cross-functional teams. Strong understanding of closing operations and the loan lifecycle. Experience with valuations, asset resolution, servicing, collections, or related functions strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience improving business processes and operational efficiency. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to interpret operational data and translate it into actionable recommendations. Excellent communication and organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment. Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence without unnecessarily duplicating the authority of functional department heads.

Core Competencies: Operational Leadership, Cross-Functional Management, Process Improvement, Closing Operations, Performance Management, Data Analysis, Problem Solving, Strategic Thinking, Accountability, Executive Communication, Change Management, Organizational Development

What We Offer: Compensation includes a base salary of $200,000-$250,000 plus incentive compensation eligibility (equity and deferred cash bonus), based on level and company policy. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage; a 401(k) with company match; and paid holidays and paid time off (PTO). Work Environment: This is a remote role with occasional travel.

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