Underwriting Manager

Cascade Financial Services•Rapid City, SD

10h

About The Position

The Agency Underwriting Manager leads the day-to-day operations, performance, and strategic development of Cascade Financial Services’ Agency Underwriting Department. The role oversees underwriting quality, productivity, service levels, staffing capacity, and operational efficiency while ensuring compliance with agency guidelines, applicable federal and state regulations, and company credit policies. The manager establishes departmental goals, KPIs, and operational benchmarks; monitors production, turnaround times, quality, workflow, and staffing capacity; and uses performance reporting to identify improvement opportunities and align resources with business demand. The role also coaches and develops underwriting staff, promotes consistent practices and accountability, and partners with senior leadership and cross-functional departments on strategy, budgets, forecasting, process improvements, and operational solutions. The position is expected to implement the use of offshore personnel to improve efficiency and support business goals. Cascade Financial Services describes its mission as helping families achieve home ownership through mortgage solutions for the manufactured housing marketplace. The company emphasizes teamwork, integrity, excellence, service, employee growth, work-life balance, and a positive, family-like work environment.

Requirements

At least 5 years of current or previous mortgage underwriting experience, including substantial FHA and VA government-loan underwriting experience.
Current or prior DE/FHA underwriting authority.
Current or prior VA/SARR underwriting authority.
Experience in a supervisory, management, or team-leadership role within mortgage operations.
In-depth knowledge of FHA Handbook 4000.1, applicable Mortgagee Letters, VA underwriting guidelines, and applicable VA Circulars.
Strong understanding of agency underwriting standards, credit risk assessment, automated and manual underwriting, and applicable federal and state compliance requirements.
Experience establishing, tracking, and analyzing KPIs, including productivity, turnaround time, quality, pipeline aging, service levels, and staffing utilization.
Experience developing or contributing to departmental budgets, expense forecasts, staffing plans, capacity models, and operational projections.
Ability to analyze operational reports, identify trends, establish performance drivers, and translate findings into business decisions.
Experience managing workflow distribution, balancing workloads, forecasting staffing requirements, and improving operational efficiency.
Success coaching employees, developing talent, managing performance, and fostering accountability and continuous improvement.
Strong process-improvement and problem-solving skills, including evaluating procedures, identifying root causes, and implementing measurable solutions.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with reporting tools, dashboards, loan origination systems, or workflow management systems.
Excellent communication, presentation, organizational, analytical, and time-management skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions under pressure, and adapt to changing business volumes and operational demands.
Ability to collaborate with senior leadership, cross-functional partners, and employees at all levels.
Strong leadership judgment, integrity, professionalism, and commitment to confidentiality.
Ability to work independently in a remote environment while maintaining communication, accountability, and team engagement.

Responsibilities

Lead daily Agency Underwriting Department operations to meet production, quality, turnaround-time, and service-level objectives.
Establish, communicate, and monitor departmental goals, performance expectations, KPIs, and operational benchmarks.
Monitor productivity, volume, pipeline aging, turnaround times, quality, escalations, and service levels; analyze gaps and implement corrective actions.
Develop performance reports and dashboards and provide senior leadership with updates on trends, risks, resource needs, and recommended solutions.
Partner with leadership on budgets, expense forecasts, staffing plans, resource allocation, and capacity planning; monitor performance against plans and recommend adjustments.
Forecast staffing and operational needs based on pipeline trends, seasonality, growth, and changes in underwriting volume or complexity.
Manage workload distribution, underwriter utilization, and escalation processes to prevent bottlenecks and maintain service levels.
Recommend staffing, scheduling, cross-training, and resource-allocation changes to improve efficiency while maintaining quality and employee engagement.
Identify and implement ways to use offshore personnel to maximize efficiency.
Evaluate underwriting workflows and procedures, identify inefficiencies, and lead process-improvement initiatives.
Develop and maintain standardized procedures, workflow controls, job aids, and best practices.
Identify and use technology, automation, reporting tools, and operational practices to improve productivity, data accuracy, and decision-making.
Collaborate with technology, operations, sales, closing, processing, compliance, quality control, and other departments on workflow and process improvements.
Measure the effectiveness of process changes and lead change management, communication, training, and documentation.
Coach, mentor, and develop underwriting staff, including senior underwriters and emerging leaders.
Set performance expectations and provide feedback through coaching, performance reviews, and development plans.
Identify training needs and performance gaps; develop or oversee training programs, reference materials, job aids, and continuing education.
Support onboarding, address performance concerns, and promote employee development, cross-training, succession planning, and leadership development.
Oversee underwriting quality and consistency in accordance with agency guidelines, FHA/VA requirements where applicable, company credit policy, and investor requirements.
Maintain knowledge of FHA Handbook 4000.1, applicable Mortgagee Letters, and relevant VA guidance; communicate policy and regulatory changes to staff.
Monitor quality assurance findings, underwriting errors, exceptions, and compliance results; identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
Guide staff on complex underwriting scenarios, credit policy interpretation, risk assessment, and escalated loan decisions.
Ensure practices comply with applicable laws, regulations, agency standards, and company policies; partner with internal stakeholders to address findings and risks.
Balance production and efficiency objectives with prudent risk assessment and sound credit decisions.
Serve as a contact for underwriting operations, policy interpretation, workflow escalations, and performance concerns.
Collaborate with senior leadership and business partners to align capacity, service expectations, and operational priorities with business objectives.
Represent the department in meetings, projects, and initiatives involving performance, policy, technology, and organizational change.
Perform other duties as necessary to support departmental and organizational objectives.