Remote Mortgage Lending Manager; Sales and Operations

• Modesto, CA

Location: Remote, West Coast / Pacific Time Zone
Compensation: $85,000–$105,000
Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday, Pacific Time business hours
Bonus: Eligible for annual incentive program up to 2.25% of base earnings based on organizational NPS and ROA goals

A credit union is seeking an experienced Real Estate Lending Manager to lead its real estate lending function across first mortgage and home equity lending.

This is a broad, hands-on leadership role responsible for the full real estate lending lifecycle, including origination, underwriting, processing, closing, post-closing, secondary market execution, correspondent and wholesale relationships, vendor management, audit response, and team performance.

The organization is also expanding its first mortgage operation in-house. This person will play an important role in developing the processes, infrastructure, and team needed to grow production while maintaining strong credit, compliance, operational, and member service standards.

• Oversee the full real estate lending lifecycle from origination through underwriting, processing, closing, post-closing, and secondary market delivery
• Lead first mortgage and home equity lending operations
• Manage direct loan delivery to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• Maintain working knowledge of Agency selling guides, eligibility requirements, and investor delivery standards
• Establish and manage correspondent and wholesale lending relationships
• Evaluate loan participation and loan purchase opportunities
• Underwrite and approve real estate loan requests within established credit authority
• Support first mortgage, home equity, and ITIN borrower lending
• Manage third-party vendors, including LOS providers, AMCs, contract underwriters, and loan servicers
• Manage pre- and post-closing audit processes, including identifying, clearing, and responding to findings
• Support regulatory examinations and investor audits
• Develop and maintain written policies, procedures, and SOPs for real estate lending
• Monitor department KPIs, production goals, pipeline performance, and operational trends
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective actions
• Lead, coach, mentor, and onboard real estate lending staff
• Develop strategies to increase first mortgage application volume and improve pull-through
• Build and maintain referral relationships with real estate brokers, builders, developers, and community partners
• Help develop the processes and sales support infrastructure needed to expand first mortgage production in-house
• Work with internal lending teams to support home equity submissions and ensure files are operationally ready for closing
• Monitor third-party/CUSO performance and elevate service or performance concerns when necessary
• Engage directly with members when needed to support origination or resolve documentation and post-closing issues

• 5–10 years of progressively responsible real estate lending experience
• Broad experience across mortgage origination, underwriting, operations, and secondary market execution
• Prior supervisory or team leadership experience strongly preferred
• Direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan delivery experience
• Strong knowledge of Agency selling guides, eligibility requirements, and loan delivery processes
• Experience establishing and managing correspondent and wholesale lending relationships
• Experience evaluating loan participation and loan purchase transactions
• Strong mortgage underwriting knowledge consistent with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines
• Experience with first mortgages and home equity lending
• Experience with ITIN borrower lending preferred
• Experience managing third-party mortgage vendors, including LOS providers, AMCs, contract underwriters, and loan servicers
• Experience identifying, clearing, and responding to pre- and post-closing audit findings
• Regulatory examination or investor audit experience preferred
• Experience managing production goals and lending KPIs
• Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and staff development skills
• Knowledge of federal and state banking regulations and lending compliance requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Must be located on the West Coast / Pacific Time Zone and able to work Pacific Time business hours
• Ability to work effectively in a fully remote leadership environment