Real Estate Underwriting Manager

SAFE Credit Union•Folsom, CA

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Real Estate Underwriting Manager provides strategic leadership and oversight of real estate underwriting operations, including the Underwriting Supervisor/Team Lead and Real Estate Loan Underwriters. This role is accountable for ensuring sound credit decision-making that aligns with SAFE’s risk appetite, portfolio performance objectives, and service standards. The Manager ensures underwriting practices comply with all applicable federal and state regulations, investor guidelines (FNMA/FHLMC), and internal credit policy, while achieving consistent turnaround times and high-quality member and partner experience. The role serves as a key thought partner to Real Estate Lending Leadership and Credit Risk in maintaining a strong and sustainable credit culture.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university; or equivalent combination of education and relevant industry experience.
Demonstrated ability to lead managers, supervisors, and professional underwriting staff.
Deep expertise in residential real estate lending, mortgage and equity underwriting, and investor guidelines (FNMA/FHLMC).
Strong understanding of regulatory requirements including fair lending, ATR/QM, HMDA, and state‑specific real estate lending laws.
Proven ability to assess credit risk using qualitative judgment and quantitative analysis.
Experience influencing policy and process decisions through data‑driven recommendations.
Strong communication, executive presence, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
Ability to translate risk strategy into practical underwriting guidance and operational execution.
Minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in real estate underwriting or credit risk, including leadership responsibility
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
Ability to comprehend and author procedures, reports, and business correspondence.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, peers, vendors, and the general public.
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

Nice To Haves

NMLS preferred
Direct Endorsement (DE) preferred
Experience managing underwriting teams and/or supervisors strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop underwriting leadership and staff, fostering a culture of accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement
Establish clear, measurable performance goals for direct reports; ensure timely and meaningful performance evaluations, feedback, and development planning.
Maintain overall accountability for credit quality and risk management across all real estate originations.
Partner with the VP, Credit Risk and Real Estate Lending Leadership to develop, maintain, and refine credit policy, underwriting standards, and risk evaluation frameworks aligned with Board‑approved credit culture and risk tolerance.
Monitor underwriting exceptions, trends, and decision outcomes; ensure fair, consistent application of guidelines using appropriate compensating factors.
Analyze underwriting guidelines to identify emerging risk trends or growth opportunities; present data‑supported recommendations for policy enhancements.
Collaborate with Credit Risk and portfolio teams to monitor loan performance and assess whether underwriting guidance adjustments are warranted.
Ensure underwriting quality control by overseeing the review of underwriter decision samples (approvals, declines, counters) and implementing corrective actions, training, or process improvements as needed.
Perform monthly quality reviews of Underwriting Supervisor/Team Lead decisions.
Maintain expert knowledge of applicable federal, state, and investor regulatory requirements; implement policy and procedural changes as required.
Review Quality Assurance findings and collaborate with QA leadership and Real Estate management to address root causes and improve loan quality.
Serve as a subject matter expert to internal stakeholders including Secondary Marketing, Product Development, Marketing, and enterprise project teams.
Support a culture of compliance, ethics, inclusivity, and sound risk management.
Perform other duties as assigned.