Head of Operations & Business Management

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION The Lending Operations Manager supports the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Lending Operations in coordinating and overseeing the credit union’s day-to-day lending functions, including consumer lending, home equity lending, loan origination, underwriting support, processing, funding, and loan servicing. The position helps execute departmental priorities, maintain consistent workflows, support sound credit quality, and deliver timely, accurate, and member-focused service.
Working under the direction of the AVP of Lending Operations, the Manager coordinates staff activities, monitors daily queues, underwriting and service levels, resolves operational issues, reinforces policies and procedures, and escalates material exceptions or risks. This role also assists with reporting, quality control, staff training, vendor and system coordination, audits and examinations, procedure updates, user acceptance testing, and special projects.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Supports the AVP of Lending Operations in coordinating daily consumer, home equity, origination, underwriting, processing, funding, and servicing activities.
Assigns and monitors work queues, staffing coverage, priorities, service levels, and deadlines to promote timely and accurate completion of lending activities.
Provides hands-on guidance and technical support to lending staff and assists with complex applications, documentation, funding, servicing, and member issues.
Reviews loan files, reports, approvals, denials, exceptions, and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
Reviews, recommends, approves, or declines loan requests within assigned authority and escalates higher-risk or policy exception requests to the AVP or other authorized decision-maker.
Reinforces and creates lending policies, procedures, underwriting guidelines, documentation standards, internal controls, and member service expectations.
Identifies workflow bottlenecks, recurring errors, and training needs for the department and front line; recommends practical process improvements and supports approved corrective actions.
Provides coaching, cross-training, and performance feedback to assigned staff and supports onboarding and ongoing staff development.
Assists the AVP with operational reports, pipeline monitoring, production and service metrics, exception tracking, quality control results, and management updates.
Supports audits, examinations, file reviews, documentation requests, and remediation tracking by gathering accurate records and following up on assigned items.
Participates in lending system maintenance, UAT testing, workflow configuration, vendor coordination, implementation activities, and post-implementation support.
Works with branches, member service, collections, accounting, compliance, information technology, marketing, and vendors to research and resolve lending-related issues.
Maintains knowledge of lending products, systems, procedures, regulations, and operational requirements and communicates changes to affected staff.
Acts as the operational point of contact in the AVP’s absence for routine matters within delegated authority and promptly escalates significant issues.
Knows the regulatory guidelines such as BSA/OFAC/AML/CTR laws, rules and regulations and maintains an acceptable level of knowledge, including all updates and changes of laws, rules, and regulations to sufficiently apply to all account activities.
OTHER DUTIES Performs other duties, responsibilities, and activities as assigned. Duties may change at any time with or without notice based on business needs.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES This position provides direct supervision, workflow management, coaching, training, and performance support to assigned lending operations personnel. Responsibilities may include scheduling, work allocation, onboarding, performance feedback, participation in evaluations, and recommendations regarding staffing or corrective action, in coordination with the AVP of Lending Operations.
COMPETENCIES Operational Leadership - Organizes daily work, supports staff, follows through on commitments, and keeps the AVP informed of priorities, risks, and results.
Lending Knowledge - Applies practical knowledge of loan products, underwriting, documentation, funding, servicing, collateral, and lending compliance.
Member Focus - Promotes timely, accurate, respectful, and solution-oriented service for members and internal partners.
Quality and Control - Maintains attention to detail, reinforces standards, identifies errors, and supports effective corrective action.
Communication - Communicates clearly and professionally with management, staff, members, vendors, auditors, and examiners.
Collaboration and Adaptability - Works effectively across departments, adjusts to changing volumes and priorities, and supports organizational initiatives.
Compliance and Risk Awareness - Recognizes operational and regulatory risks, follows escalation protocols, and supports consistent documentation and audit readiness.
QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE Associate or bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, management, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.
Minimum of three years of progressive consumer lending, underwriting, loan operations, processing, funding, servicing, or financial institution experience preferred.
Prior lead, supervisory, training, workflow coordination, or project support experience preferred.
Working knowledge of consumer lending, home equity lending, credit analysis, collateral, loan documentation, lending regulations, and risk management practices.
Ability to review and interpret credit reports, loan documents, financial information, procedures, exception reports, audit findings, and regulatory guidance.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, resolve routine issues, and appropriately escalta??
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to effectively use credit union core, loan origination, document management, reporting, and workflow systems.
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS The employee is responsible for maintaining knowledge of and complying with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures related to the position, including but not limited to fair lending, consumer lending, home equity lending, privacy, information security, Bank Secrecy Act, OFAC, anti-money laundering requirements, and other regulatory obligations applicable to credit union lending activities.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands and fingers, reach with hands and arms, talk, and hear. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

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