SVP Underwriting

Cornerstone Home Lending•,

9d•$175,000 - $225,000

About The Position

The Senior Vice President (SVP), Underwriting provides strategic and operational leadership for the underwriting organization, driving performance, scalability, and consistency across all lending channels. The role is accountable for building a high-performing organization that delivers sound credit decisions, maintains regulatory compliance, and supports the company’s growth objectives. The SVP leads enterprise-wide collaboration across Sales, Operations, Capital Markets, Product, Risk, Compliance, and Technology to enhance underwriting capabilities, improve efficiency, and elevate customer and employee experience within a complex, matrixed organization.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive mortgage underwriting experience, including 7+ years in leadership roles.
Proven ability to lead within a complex, matrixed organization and drive enterprise-wide transformation.
Experience with agency, government, and investor underwriting guidelines, including Conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA.
Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements, compliance standards, and risk management practices.
Demonstrated success building and scaling high-performing teams in dynamic environments.
Track record of measurable improvements in quality, service levels, productivity, and operational efficiency.
Exceptional executive presence, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience with delegated underwriting authority and investor relationships.
Exposure to multiple lending channels, including Retail, Wholesale, Correspondent, and Consumer Direct.
Leadership experience in technology enablement, workflow automation, or digital transformation initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, or a related field preferred.
DE (Direct Endorsement) and/or SAR designation, where applicable.

Responsibilities

Set and execute an underwriting vision aligned with corporate growth, risk tolerance, and long-term strategic priorities.
Serve on the executive leadership team and contribute to enterprise decision-making and cross-functional strategic initiatives.
Lead transformation efforts to improve scalability, consistency, and operational resilience across underwriting functions.
Modernize processes, tools, and operating models through continuous improvement.
Build and develop a high-performing underwriting organization that supports multi-channel growth and changing market conditions.
Establish performance frameworks, KPIs, and accountability measures for quality, speed, and productivity.
Optimize organizational structure, capacity planning, and resource allocation to align with production demand and business priorities.
Improve cycle times, decision quality, and customer outcomes.
Cultivate an enterprise-aligned credit culture that balances risk management with production and customer expectations.
Provide executive oversight of credit policy interpretation, exception management, and emerging risk trends.
Collaborate with Risk, Compliance, and Quality Control to identify issues and implement sustainable solutions.
Ensure governance, transparency, and alignment with agency, investor, and regulatory expectations.
Oversee end-to-end underwriting execution across products and channels to ensure consistency and scalability.
Partner with Technology and Product teams to advance automation, decisioning tools, and workflow optimization.
Lead readiness and integration efforts for new products, investors, and strategic initiatives.
Evaluate and improve underwriting processes to reduce friction and enhance throughput.
Develop and mentor senior underwriting leaders and build a leadership bench and succession pipeline.
Foster accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning across the organization.
Align performance management and incentives with organizational objectives.
Promote engagement and professional development to retain talent and strengthen organizational capability.
Build solution-oriented partnerships with Sales, Processing, Closing, Secondary Marketing, Product, and Technology teams.
Serve as an escalation point, resolving complex issues while balancing risk, service, and business needs.
Lead cross-functional initiatives that enhance the end-to-end loan lifecycle and organizational alignment.
Communicate underwriting performance, strategic priorities, and risk insights to executive leadership.