Inside Sales Manager

Skyelia • Chicago, IL

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Inside Sales Manager leads execution of the organization’s consumer direct sales strategy and oversees a team of Loan Officers. The role drives production growth, sales performance, and operational excellence, with accountability for lead conversion, pipeline management, forecasting, workforce planning, customer experience, and employee development. Through strategic leadership, coaching, and cross-functional partnership, the manager builds a high-performing sales organization that achieves production goals, complies with applicable requirements, and delivers a consistent customer experience while supporting company growth objectives.

The manager oversees daily loan sales and operations, prepares forecasts and performance reporting, manages lead distribution and conversion efforts, and develops staffing and workforce strategies. The position leads recruitment, coaching, training, performance management, and employee development, while partnering with teams across the organization to improve loan cycle times, pull-through, efficiency, conversion, and borrower satisfaction. This is a non-producing role with five planned direct reports.

The position reports to the EVP, Inside Sales. It is based in Chicago, Illinois, with a hybrid schedule: in the office Tuesday through Thursday and remote Monday and Friday. The role operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of experience and a High School Diploma/GED.
• At least 5 years of mortgage sales and operations experience; the posting also specifies a minimum of 5 years of mortgage industry experience.
• At least 3 years of management experience, as specified under Required Experience.
• Proven experience managing inside-sales teams, leading high-performing Consumer Direct teams, and driving loan production.
• Experience managing and coaching inside-sales teams.
• Workforce management expertise and understanding of telephony metrics.
• Experience with call-quality monitoring and analysis and report-driven coaching and performance management.
• Strong knowledge of mortgage products, underwriting guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency in loan origination systems, CRM platforms, and sales technology tools.
• Strong project management skills.
• Strong skills and experience in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Strong verbal and written communication, interpersonal, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Effective talent selection, training, coaching, and performance management skills.
• Ability to foster employee engagement and trust, and a strong results orientation.
• Analytical skills and sound judgment, including the ability to interpret data, identify opportunities, and propose solutions.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and quality and compliance orientation.
• Ability to prioritize effectively under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment; effective time management and organizational skills.
• Self-directed approach and ability to proactively ask questions and surface issues or concerns.
• Professional maturity, integrity, and ability to maintain confidential data and information.
• Strong business acumen, fiscal aptitude, and technical aptitude.
• Ability to recognize and support the organization’s culture, values, and priorities.

Nice To Haves

• Active NMLS license.
• At least 3 years of experience managing people and leading teams is described as highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and update team-level monthly, quarterly, and annual sales forecasts; report progress, variances, and issues to the EVP, Inside Sales.
• Monitor team performance against KPIs and productivity standards, coach Loan Officers, and implement approved action plans to meet origination goals.
• Maintain sales reports and provide leadership dashboard updates covering production, pipeline health, lead follow-up, and operational efficiency; identify issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Support implementation of approved business plans, growth strategies, sales initiatives, and departmental objectives, translating priorities into team activities and monitoring progress.
• Monitor market conditions, competitive pricing, and borrower feedback, and share observations with the EVP, Inside Sales.
• Help manage daily lead distribution and follow-up according to approved prioritization, segmentation, and aging guidelines; coach Loan Officers to improve conversion.
• Review lead performance and borrower journey metrics to identify missed follow-up, aging leads, and conversion opportunities, and implement approved improvements.
• Work with Marketing and Business Intelligence teams to review lead-source performance, share team feedback, and support acquisition and recapture strategies and campaigns.
• Oversee daily loan sales and operations and develop staffing forecasts, capacity models, and workforce management strategies to maintain sales coverage and service levels.
• Oversee telephony performance, including speed-to-lead, contact rates, call quality, talk time, appointment conversion, and sales effectiveness.
• Evaluate and improve call routing, queue management, and borrower engagement strategies.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop Inside Sales Loan Officers; partner with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to recruit, interview, hire, and onboard sales professionals.
• Establish performance improvement plans, succession plans, and career development programs.
• Design and implement new-hire and ongoing training in sales techniques, mortgage products, and consistent sales practices; lead or participate in related projects and development initiatives.
• Foster accountability, continuous improvement, recognition, and employee engagement.
• Partner with Operations, Underwriting, Closing, Compliance, Marketing, Product, and Technology to improve loan cycle times, pull-through, and borrower experience.
• Monitor and optimize sales pipeline performance, identify bottlenecks, and lead cross-functional process improvement initiatives.
• Partner with executive leadership to develop, administer, and evaluate sales compensation plans, incentives, contests, and recognition initiatives.
• Monitor productivity and profitability metrics to ensure compensation programs align with organizational objectives.
• Establish and monitor customer satisfaction and borrower experience metrics, and implement strategies to improve engagement, retention, and loyalty.
• Oversee quality assurance programs, sales call evaluations, and coaching to ensure adherence to company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with mortgage lending policies and state and federal regulations, including RESPA, HMDA reporting, and IRS Mortgage Interest Statements.
• Develop knowledge of VDM’s business, goals, and objectives, and maintain relationships across the organization.
• Complete required training and ensure compliance with VDM policies, processes, and practices.
• Maintain current working knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations and ensure audit and control processes are current and followed.
• Model ethical standards, professionalism, the code of conduct, and behaviors consistent with VDM’s Values and Operating Principles.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager