Senior Director Underwriting

Western Alliance Bank • Dallas, TX

2d

About The Position

As a Senior Director Underwriting, you'll be accountable for leading, strategizing, and executing underwriting and appraisal functions across all business lines and channels, including Correspondent Delegated and Non-Delegated, Portfolio Lending, and Retail Lending. This role also includes driving the oversight, development, and performance management of underwriters and underwriting managers within the lending channel. You will define, implement, and continuously refine the vision and strategy for all underwriting divisions within AmeriHome, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and risk appetite. Additionally, you'll lead initiatives to enhance departmental productivity, efficiency, and customer service across multiple underwriting teams. You will ensure credit operations meet or exceed production and financial targets while maintaining process excellence and loan quality. You will also be responsible for building and sustaining strategic relationships with AmeriHome’s agency and Non-Agency partners: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, Ginnie Mae and other investors. You'll collaborate cross-functionally to ensure consistent underwriting practices and alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework. You will be a key driver of process innovation, expense management, and quality assurance, leveraging your deep expertise in mortgage documentation and investor requirements. You will also be expected to ensure compliance with the Bank's policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Build, lead, and empower high-performing credit operations teams that balance sales, underwriting, and risk. Set departmental goals and ensure robust controls and procedures for timely, accurate underwriting, appraisal, and reviews, while maintaining a focus on credit quality, service, and efficiency. Manage and develop underwriting leadership and staff, including Underwriters, Underwriting Managers, and the Scenario Desk team. Serve as a credit SME for conventional, government, and non-agency loans, making decisions on complex loan scenarios escalated by internal teams and external partners. Monitor and manage underwriting pipelines, SLAs, and productivity metrics. Drive operational strategy and capacity planning for Correspondent and Retail Lending divisions, aligning staffing and resources with production and financial goals. Lead process improvement initiatives to enhance service levels, reduce cost per loan, and maintain loan quality. Maintain a thorough understanding of AmeriHome’s underwriting and regulations in accordance with mortgage lending. Analyze transactions and assist in structuring transactions to contain AmeriHome’s credit risk within acceptable parameters. Partner with product and technology teams to design and deploy new products and digital capabilities—specifically automation and AI tools—that enhance underwriting performance and consistency as well as boost efficiency, reduce cycle times, and improve lender/clients or borrower experience per channel. Ensure alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework, and actively promote AmeriHome’s culture of customer service, quality, and innovation. Identify and leverage strategic opportunities by utilizing existing resources and relationships with clients and business partners. Participate in strategic planning and execution to meet divisional goals and provide regular reporting and performance metrics in Monthly Business Reviews. Promote a culture of innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement across all underwriting teams. Recruit, coach, and mentor underwriting staff to build a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning. Ensure all underwriting procedures are current and reflect evolving regulatory and investor requirements. Lead and develop a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

Requirements

• 15+ years of related experience in Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting
• Bachelor's degree in related field required; Masters or MBA in related field preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in residential mortgage underwriting management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role preferred.
• Must have experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools.
• Advanced knowledge of residential mortgage industry in Correspondent or Retail Lending, including sales, operations, capital markets and/or other residential mortgage products and services.
• Advanced knowledge of applicable federal and state regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices, including TRID, ECOA, HMDA, FCRA, Flood, HOEPA, HPML, Appraisal, ATR/QM, TCPA, UDAAP, and Fair Lending.
• Advanced knowledge or applicable regulatory and legal obligations, rules, and regulations, industry standards and practices.
• In-depth knowledge of mortgage loan products, lending principles and regulations.
• Extensive understanding of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines, including FHA, VA, and conventional loans, loan processing and automated underwriting systems.
• Working knowledge of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines including self-employed borrowers, partnership, corporation tax return analysis, appraisal reviews, condo project reviews, Trust, Leasehold and Power of Attorney documentation.
• Advanced experience with mortgage banking technology, including Encompass (LOS), AUS, core systems, and MS Office products.
• Advanced speaking and writing communication skills.
• Direct Endorsement (DE) or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) designation is required.
• Occasional travel required.

Responsibilities

• Leading, strategizing, and executing underwriting and appraisal functions across all business lines and channels.
• Driving the oversight, development, and performance management of underwriters and underwriting managers within the lending channel.
• Defining, implementing, and continuously refining the vision and strategy for all underwriting divisions within AmeriHome, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and risk appetite.
• Leading initiatives to enhance departmental productivity, efficiency, and customer service across multiple underwriting teams.
• Ensuring credit operations meet or exceed production and financial targets while maintaining process excellence and loan quality.
• Building and sustaining strategic relationships with AmeriHome’s agency and Non-Agency partners.
• Collaborating cross-functionally to ensure consistent underwriting practices and alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework.
• Driving process innovation, expense management, and quality assurance.
• Ensuring compliance with the Bank's policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
• Building, leading, and empowering high-performing credit operations teams that balance sales, underwriting, and risk.
• Setting departmental goals and ensure robust controls and procedures for timely, accurate underwriting, appraisal, and reviews, while maintaining a focus on credit quality, service, and efficiency.
• Managing and developing underwriting leadership and staff, including Underwriters, Underwriting Managers, and the Scenario Desk team.
• Serving as a credit SME for conventional, government, and non-agency loans, making decisions on complex loan scenarios escalated by internal teams and external partners.
• Monitoring and managing underwriting pipelines, SLAs, and productivity metrics.
• Driving operational strategy and capacity planning for Correspondent and Retail Lending divisions, aligning staffing and resources with production and financial goals.
• Leading process improvement initiatives to enhance service levels, reduce cost per loan, and maintain loan quality.
• Maintaining a thorough understanding of AmeriHome’s underwriting and regulations in accordance with mortgage lending.
• Analyzing transactions and assist in structuring transactions to contain AmeriHome’s credit risk within acceptable parameters.
• Partnering with product and technology teams to design and deploy new products and digital capabilities—specifically automation and AI tools—that enhance underwriting performance and consistency as well as boost efficiency, reduce cycle times, and improve lender/clients or borrower experience per channel.
• Ensuring alignment with Western Alliance Bank’s credit risk framework, and actively promote AmeriHome’s culture of customer service, quality, and innovation.
• Identifying and leveraging strategic opportunities by utilizing existing resources and relationships with clients and business partners.
• Participating in strategic planning and execution to meet divisional goals and provide regular reporting and performance metrics in Monthly Business Reviews.
• Promoting a culture of innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement across all underwriting teams.
• Recruiting, coaching, and mentoring underwriting staff to build a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Ensuring all underwriting procedures are current and reflect evolving regulatory and investor requirements.
• Leading and developing a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

Benefits

• We offer all the important things you'd want — like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program.
• In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!

What This Job Offers

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