Indirect Lending & Loan Operations Manager (Hybrid in Syracuse, NY)

Empower Federal Credit Union•Syracuse, NY

4d•$98,686 - $148,028•Hybrid

About The Position

The Indirect Lending & Loan Operations Manager provides strategic, technical, and operational leadership for the Credit Union's indirect lending channel. This role drives loan growth, oversees high-volume underwriting and processing operations, manages dealer relationships, ensures system optimization, and maintains strong risk-management controls. The manager leads a high-performing team capable of supporting $1B+ in annual production while serving as the primary administrator for LOS and indirect lending platforms. The annual salary range for this position is: $98,685.61-$148,028.41. Location: Our headquarters are based in Syracuse, NY. We work in a Hybrid Model requiring a minimum of 5 days in office per month.

Requirements

Experience: 5 to 8 years in consumer or indirect lending within a mid-to-large financial institution.
3+ years leading underwriting, loan operations, or indirect lending teams.
Experience managing high-volume production environments ($500M'$1B+ annually).
Proven success building and maintaining dealer relationships and driving market growth.
Hands-on experience with LOS platforms (e.g., MeridianLink Consumer) and indirect portals (Dealertrack, RouteOne).
Strong background in credit risk assessment, portfolio monitoring, and policy interpretation.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with IT, Compliance, Risk, and Finance on system and process enhancements.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field, or equivalent experience.
Candidates with equivalent formal certifications or professional experience in collections, financial services, or related fields are also encouraged to apply. Empower FCU recognizes and values a variety of educational and professional backgrounds that contribute to success in this role
Interpersonal Skills: Work involves extensive personal contact with others and is of a personal or sensitive nature. Motivating, influencing, and/or training others is key at this level. Outside contacts become important and fostering sound relationships with other entities (companies and/or individuals) becomes necessary and often requires the ability to influence and/or sell ideas or services to others.
Advanced analytical capability with the ability to interpret complex data, identify trends, and make data-driven recommendations.
Technical proficiency with lending systems, workflow automation, and digital lending tools.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills, especially in dealer-facing environments.
Leadership and coaching ability to develop high-performing underwriting and processing teams.
Operational excellence mindset, with a focus on efficiency, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
Sound judgment and decision-making, particularly in high-risk or exception-based lending scenarios.
Project management skills, including the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives from concept to implementation.