Lending Manager

Chief Financial Credit Union•Rochester Hills, MI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Chief Financial Credit Union, lending is about more than approving applications and reaching production goals. It’s about understanding the person behind the application and helping members make confident financial decisions. As our Direct Lending Manager, you’ll lead a small, experienced team responsible for helping members access the financing they need. You’ll guide department performance, develop lenders, review complex applications, and make sound decisions that balance member needs with responsible risk management. This is a hands-on management position for someone who understands that great leadership happens alongside the team—not from a distance. You’ll remain connected to the day-to-day work of Direct Lending while building the people, processes, and strategies that help the department grow responsibly. You won’t simply monitor reports or manage from the sidelines. You’ll coach lenders through challenging situations, review and underwrite applications, make escalated and exception decisions within your lending authority, and step in when the team needs additional support. At the same time, you’ll look beyond the application in front of you—identifying trends, improving workflows, strengthening portfolio performance, and creating an environment where employees can learn, grow, and do their best work.

Requirements

Three to five years of consumer lending, underwriting, or closely related financial-services experience.
Prior leadership, supervisory, team-lead, or management experience.
Demonstrated experience reviewing and making consumer credit decisions.
A strong understanding of consumer lending regulations, underwriting principles, and responsible risk management.
The confidence to make difficult decisions and clearly explain the reasoning behind them.
Experience coaching employees, setting expectations, and addressing performance constructively.
The ability to interpret lending results and turn data into practical action.
Strong organization, communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.
Experience working with loan origination systems, spreadsheets, and standard business technology.
A two-year college degree, specialized lending or financial-services training, or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.

Nice To Haves

Credit-union experience is strongly preferred, but we’re also interested in candidates who understand relationship-based lending and share our commitment to serving members responsibly.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the Direct Lending team, setting clear expectations and providing meaningful, ongoing feedback.
Oversee daily loan origination, processing, decisioning, and funding activities.
Review, underwrite, and approve consumer loans within assigned lending authority.
Evaluate escalated, complex, and exception requests while balancing member needs, credit quality, and responsible risk.
Monitor production, service levels, portfolio quality, productivity, yield, and profitability.
Use department data to identify trends, address performance concerns, and support responsible loan growth.
Establish effective staffing, workflow, and service expectations so members receive timely and consistent support.
Develop and improve lending procedures, workflows, and operational practices.
Ensure lending activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, Credit Union policies, and sound lending practices.
Work collaboratively with branch operations, the Contact Center, Collections, Accounting, Compliance, and other departments.
Support lending technology and vendor relationships, including system improvements, service expectations, and process enhancements.
Communicate department results, needs, risks, and opportunities clearly to senior leadership.
Create a team culture built on accountability, sound judgment, learning, collaboration, and exceptional member service.

Benefits

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and BCN HMO medical plan options with a $500 deductible.
Employer contribution of 90% toward medical and dental premiums.
Vision coverage.
A medical insurance waiver rebate for eligible employees who do not need Credit Union-sponsored medical coverage.
Employer-paid life insurance coverage of $100,000.
Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.
401(k) plan with employer contribution.
Paid holidays.
Generous vacation and paid time off.
Tuition reimbursement after one year of employment, subject to program requirements.
Opportunities for professional growth, leadership development, and continued learning.