Manager, Trailing Documents

Zillow

9d•Onsite

About The Position

As Manager, Trailing Documents, you will lead the team responsible for securing, reviewing, tracking, and delivering all final mortgage documents (e.g., recorded instruments, final title policies, FHA, VA, and private mortgage insurance) with a focus on contract performance. You will connect day‑to‑day trailing document operations to capital markets outcomes—preserving loan economics, avoiding contractual breaches, and minimizing repurchase, price adjustments, and fee exposure.This role requires a thorough understanding of investor/agency requirements, and loan sale contracts, along with the ability to apply nuanced judgment in ambiguous situations. You will also serve as a key business decision‑maker for trailing‑document‑related terms in investor, correspondent, and servicing agreements, partnering closely with Capital Markets, Legal, and Compliance to ensure that operational capabilities and contract language are aligned.

Requirements

Experienced mortgage and capital markets operator with 7+ years in mortgage operations, post‑closing, capital markets, or related roles; 3+ years in a people‑leadership role managing teams that impact loan sale execution and/or investor relationships.
Strong knowledge of mortgage credit policy and capital markets mechanics, including how documentation, collateral, and recording outcomes interact with investor/agency requirements
Strong understanding of investor/agency guidelines and contracts (e.g., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, Ginnie Mae, whole loan aggregators, servicing buyers), particularly clauses related to final documentation, recording, and defect frameworks.
Demonstrated ability to review, interpret, and provide business sign‑off on contractual terms, partnering effectively with Capital Markets, Legal, Compliance, and Risk to align obligations with operational capabilities.
Proven track record of preserving unit economics by reducing defects, avoiding contractual breaches, and shortening the time from funding/allocation to final purchase.
Excellent stakeholder management and influence skills, with experience driving action and alignment across internal and external stakeholders.
Proficient with loan origination systems (e.g., Encompass), document management/imaging platforms, and productivity tools (e.g., Excel, Sheets, SQL/BI tools a plus).
A culture carrier who models Zillow’s values, communicates clearly, and creates an inclusive environment where team members are empowered to raise risks, propose improvements, and own outcomes.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle pressure, and meet deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
You are an inspiring leader who excels at guiding teams and empowering others to succeed.
Your exceptional organizational and time management skills ensure accuracy and attention to detail in every task.
You communicate clearly and effectively, fostering strong collaboration with colleagues and partners.
When faced with challenges, you approach them with a proactive, problem-solving mindset and make thoughtful, informed decisions.
You are committed to continuous improvement, embrace change, and work seamlessly across departments and with external partners.
As a self-starter, you embody Zillow’s values and serve as a culture ambassador for the team.
You are also proficient with mortgage technology platforms, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.

Responsibilities

Act as the primary business owner for trailing‑document and final‑recording related obligations across investor, agency, correspondent, warehouse, and servicing contracts, in partnership with Capital Markets and Legal.
Provide leadership, direction, and performance management for a frontline team (and/or team leads), setting clear goals, inspecting execution quality, and ensuring predictable delivery at scale.
Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain talent, fostering a high‑performance culture of accountability, data‑driven decision‑making, and continuous improvement.
Own the operating model, staffing plan, and SLAs for Trailing Documents, including capacity planning, workload allocation, and prioritization to support loan sale timelines and investor expectations.
Lead the team through change management related to new investors, products, states, recording requirements, technologies, and regulatory updates.
Review and provide business sign‑off on contract language related to final documents (e.g., delivery timelines, acceptable document forms, cure frameworks, remedies, fees/penalties, exception processes), ensuring terms are operationally feasible and aligned with economic targets.
Proactively identify, quantify, and mitigate risks that could lead to contract breaches, repurchases, price adjustments, or S&D (scratch & dent) designations tied to missing, late, or defective final documents.
Serve as an escalation and decision‑maker for the most complex or nuanced trailing‑doc scenarios, applying strong judgment to balance risk, economics, and customer experience.
Develop, document, and maintain team procedures, job aids, checklists, and escalation paths (including edge cases such as unique jurisdictional recording requirements, chain‑of‑title issues, and investor guideline conflicts).
Drive cross‑functional collaboration with Closing, Post‑Closing, Servicing, Capital Markets, and external partners (title companies, county recorders, investors/custodians) to resolve deficiencies and exceptions and establish new processes and procedures.
Own and continuously improve the end‑to‑end process for obtaining, reviewing, tracking, curing, and delivering final documents—from funding through final investor/agency/servicer acceptance.
Lead audits, QC reviews, and regulatory examinations related to final documents and recording; provide thorough documentation, responses, and durable action plans.
Partner with Credit, Compliance, and Capital Markets to interpret credit policy, agency/investor guides, and market changes; translate them into clear operational procedures, job aids, and controls.
Collaborate with Product, Tech, and Data teams to prioritize and implement technology solutions (e.g., LOS/efolder enhancements, automation, workflow tools, imaging/indexing solutions) that improve accuracy, speed, and transparency across the trailing‑doc and loan sale lifecycle.
Analyze data and trends to identify process gaps, implement best practices, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.