Manager, Lending Operations

Assiniboine Credit Union•Winnipeg, MB

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Vice President, Operations, the Manager, Lending Operations leads the Retail and Commercial Lending Administration teams to deliver efficient, consistent, and high-quality service that supports an exceptional member experience. This role is accountable for optimizing lending operations by improving processes, enhancing service delivery, and leveraging digital capabilities and automation. The Manager builds and leads a high-performing team, fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, and ensures operational practices align with organizational goals. This role also champions Assiniboine Credit Union/ Caisse Assiniboine (ACU)’s commitment to rural and agricultural communities, francophone services, values-based banking and ACU’s triple bottom line accountability to people, planet, and prosperity.

Requirements

Completion of a post-secondary degree/or diploma in Business or a related field
Minimum of 5 years of experience in financial services, lending operations, and/or administration
At least 3 years of formal leadership experience
Knowledge of and experience leveraging lean/continuous improvement methodologies
Effective and experienced leader, committed to regular coaching and professional development
Demonstrated ability to lead business process transformation and continuous improvement
Ability to build and nurture relationships across the organization
Knowledge of applicable regulatory, compliance, and risk management requirements
Strong knowledge of financial services operations, lending administration processes, relevant technologies, and supporting policies and procedures
Demonstrated alignment with ACU’s Money doing more purpose, values-based banking, and triple bottom line accountability

Nice To Haves

An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

Responsibilities

Promote a culture of member service excellence, change readiness, and willingness to challenge the status quo
Responsible and accountable for applying broad end-to-end critical forward thinking to propel productivity as the operational efficiency subject matter expert.
Mentor, motivate, coach and develop a high performing team through meaningful coaching sessions, clear communication and employee-centric thinking
Responsible for ensuring training and development activities meet the needs of team members and support quality standards, policy and procedural knowledge and promote staff development
Delegate responsibilities and create an environment where employees are motivated and held accountable to achieve required results.
Responsible for creating annual SMART goals and initiatives, connecting goals to broader organizational priorities and working with all members of the team to realize goals
Responsible for the recruitment, selection and successful onboarding of new team members. Lead team meetings and coach employees to deliver results.
Adhere to Engaging with Purpose principles through the delivery of regular team huddles, monthly team meetings, one on one coaching meetings as well as observational coaching.
Develops valuable and effective working relationships with member facing and support teams and key external contacts in order to provide an efficient, integrated, seamless experience for ACU members.
Act as a change agent, consulting on organizational projects to bring forward the voice of lending operations ensuring the end result meets the needs of the impacted teams
Accountable for building a values aligned culture that supports the execution of change initiatives; improves efficiency and achieves service excellence
Champion ACU’s commitment to rural and agricultural communities, francophone services, values-based banking, respectful workplace and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Utilizing department data and insights, develop strategies and plans for the department that align with organizational goals and priorities
Develop and maintain relationships with strategic partners, vendors and CU peers to keep updated on credit trends and best practices; maintain awareness of vendor roadmaps, and hold vendors accountable to service level agreements. Explore opportunities to optimize existing relationships by taking advantage of new features/services that will improve ACUs lending delivery processes.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver projects and initiatives that improve member and employee experience, drive efficiency, and contribute to ACUs strategic objectives
Engage with other areas of the business as needed to socialize, gain consensus, and implement cross-functional improvements that can lead to enhanced member and/or employee experience
Responsible and accountable for developing and maintaining the annual Lending Operations department budget
Identify operational inefficiencies, identify the root cause of issues, and identify opportunities and gaps in service delivery. Develop, recommend and implement plans to improve overall efficiency, quality and effectiveness by leveraging technology and automation.
Lead lending operations through change management, communicate the need for change throughout the organization, and create an open and receptive environment
Establish department plans and priorities, timelines, accuracy and responsiveness targets and ensure the achievement of desired results
Build collaborative relationships with other leaders involved in the delivery of commercial, agricultural, retail lending, such as Risk, Commercial Support Retail & Wealth and Commercial/Agribusiness, to facilitate a holistic approach to process improvements.
Hold team responsible for planning, organizing, scheduling and monitoring activities to ensure appropriate level of service is being delivered and that work flows effectively and efficiently
Actively participate and champion improvement initiatives, and own deliverables resulting from these efforts and events
Work cross functionally. Negotiate and influence key stakeholders in addition to department employees to identify and achieve the best outcomes for the organization.
Accountable to coach Assistant Managers and other team members to identify areas of opportunity for the continuous improvement of departmental processes using basic Lean methodologies.
Provide leadership to the Operations Coordinator team, ensuring a consistent experience for visitors and couriers to the 540 St. Anne’s Road location, and facilitating the regular mail and courier bag processes in conjunction with Facilities and Branch Support teams.
Escalation point for resolving complex problems and/or non-routine member complaints referred by ACU leaders to ensure the needs of members, staff and the credit union are met
Provides senior level subject matter expertise and support to project and implementation teams
Create and implement member service commitments based on service industry best practices. Measure success of strategic initiatives against service commitments.
Mitigate risk through adherence to policy and procedures, and hold team accountable to meeting compliance standards of all legislative and internal requirements
Accountable to ensure management oversight is occurring within the lending operations department, through the completion of associated department verification functions, to mitigate risk to the credit union
Required to keep strictly confidential the affairs of anyone whose private information becomes available to them in the course of their duties
Designate the appropriate segregation of duties and completion of associated department verification functions to protect Assiniboine Credit Union against loss.
Review internal controls and risk management reports regularly to ensure appropriate monitoring and follow up activities.
Provide assistance in preparing accurate reports and pertinent information for auditors and/or credit union board members.