Vice President - Head of Lending Operations

World Business Lenders, LLC•New York, NY

10h•$125,000 - $125,000•Remote

About The Position

World Business Lenders (WBL) is a privately held portfolio lender specializing in real estate-secured business loans and providing access to capital for under-served businesses that lack traditional funding options. Founded in 2011, WBL is majority institutionally owned and a best-in-class specialty finance servicer and default manager. WBL has a fully remote, multinational workforce of ~200 and a proven, seasoned leadership team consisting of several USMA graduates and former Army Officers. The Vice President - Head of Lending Operations is responsible for leading and overseeing WBL's end-to-end lending operations, beginning with the initial intake and structuring of a loan opportunity and continuing through processing, title review, closing, and funding readiness. This executive will provide unified leadership across Credit Structuring and Intake, Pipeline and Processing, Title, and Closing. The Head of Lending Operations will ensure that loan opportunities move through the pipeline efficiently, accurately, and consistently while meeting WBL's credit, documentation, service, and operational standards. The position requires a hands-on, execution-focused leader who can manage day-to-day loan operations while also designing scalable processes, establishing clear accountability, developing team members, and improving coordination among Sales, Underwriting, Legal, Finance, Information Operations, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, real estate, operations, or a related discipline; an advanced degree is preferred.
Direct experience working within a Non-QM mortgage company is strongly preferred.
Significant progressive experience in lending operations, commercial real estate lending, mortgage banking, private lending, or a related financial-services environment.
Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing multiple lending functions or an end-to-end loan operations platform.
Strong working knowledge of loan intake, credit structuring, processing, title, closing, loan documentation, and funding preparation.
Experience managing complex loan pipelines and resolving issues involving borrowers, collateral, title, documentation, approvals, and closing requirements.
Demonstrated ability to design and implement operating procedures, performance standards, controls, and scalable workflows.
Experience leading managers and geographically distributed or international teams is preferred.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to use operational data to identify risks, assess performance, and drive decisions.
Experience working with loan-origination systems, workflow-management platforms, reporting tools, and process automation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with changing priorities and time-sensitive transactions.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership for all lending operations functions, including Credit Structuring and Intake, Pipeline and Processing, Title, and Closing.
Establish clear ownership, responsibilities, service expectations, escalation procedures, and performance standards across the lending lifecycle.
Maintain visibility into the entire loan pipeline and ensure that files progress efficiently from initial submission through closing and funding.
Identify operational risks, bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and recurring delays and implement appropriate corrective actions.
Ensure consistent execution of WBL's lending policies, procedures, approval requirements, and documentation standards.
Create a high-accountability operating environment focused on accuracy, responsiveness, urgency, and continuous improvement.
Oversee the initial intake, review, and organization of loan submissions.
Ensure submissions are reviewed promptly for completeness, basic eligibility, required documentation, and alignment with WBL's lending parameters.
Oversee the preparation of loan structures and well-supported credit recommendations for review by the appropriate credit and underwriting authorities.
Ensure material risks, exceptions, missing information, and structural considerations are clearly identified and escalated.
Establish consistent intake standards and assignment procedures so that new opportunities are routed, prioritized, and tracked appropriately.
Partner with Sales and ISO-facing teams to improve submission quality and reduce avoidable delays or incomplete files.
Ensure that Credit Structuring operates within its defined authority and does not make final credit decisions unless expressly authorized.
Oversee the active loan pipeline and ensure that each file has a clear owner, current status, documented next steps, and appropriate target dates.
Establish and enforce processing standards for document collection, borrower follow-up, condition management, internal coordination, and file progression.
Monitor aging, outstanding conditions, stalled files, and other pipeline risks and ensure timely escalation and resolution.
Ensure accurate and timely communication regarding file status, outstanding requirements, and closing expectations.
Coordinate with Underwriting, Sales, Title, Closing, Legal, and other stakeholders to resolve issues and maintain transaction momentum.
Improve conversion rates and cycle times by reducing handoff gaps, duplicate work, incomplete submissions, and preventable rework.
Maintain reliable pipeline data so management reporting accurately reflects file status, expected closings, operational risks, and team capacity.
Oversee the ordering, review, tracking, and resolution of title-related requirements.
Ensure title commitments, reports, searches, lien information, property information, and related documentation are obtained and reviewed within established timelines.
Coordinate the resolution of title defects, liens, ownership discrepancies, exceptions, and other matters that could affect closing or WBL's collateral position.
Partner with Legal, Underwriting, Closing, borrowers, title companies, and other external parties to resolve title issues.
Establish quality-control procedures for title documentation and ensure material issues are identified and escalated before closing.
Monitor title vendors and service providers for responsiveness, accuracy, cost, and overall performance.
Oversee closing preparation and execution, including satisfaction of approval conditions, document readiness, closing coordination, and funding readiness.
Ensure that required credit, title, legal, operational, and documentation conditions are satisfied or appropriately approved before closing.
Coordinate with Legal, Underwriting, Finance, borrowers, title companies, settlement agents, and other parties to facilitate accurate and timely closings.
Establish clear procedures for closing checklists, final approvals, exception management, document execution, and post-closing handoffs.
Ensure closing information is complete, accurate, and consistent with the approved loan structure and applicable authorization.
Monitor upcoming closings, identify potential obstacles, and lead the resolution or escalation of issues that could delay funding.
Ensure completed files are appropriately documented, organized, and transferred to the applicable post-closing or servicing function.
Develop, document, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures across all lending operations functions.
Evaluate existing workflows and redesign processes to increase speed, accuracy, accountability, transparency, and scalability.
Establish appropriate quality-control checkpoints throughout the lending process.
Reduce operational errors, avoidable exceptions, duplicate work, and last-minute closing issues through stronger processes and earlier issue identification.
Partner with Information Operations to improve lending systems, workflow automation, reporting, data integrity, and user adoption.
Ensure that operational systems and records contain complete, accurate, and current information.
Support internal audits, management reviews, and other examinations by maintaining organized and reliable operational documentation.
Implement corrective-action plans when performance, process, control, or documentation deficiencies are identified.
Serve as the principal operational liaison among Lending Operations, Sales, Underwriting, Legal, Finance, Information Operations, and executive leadership.
Establish effective handoffs and clear accountability between departments involved in originating, evaluating, documenting, closing, and funding loans.
Work closely with Sales leadership to balance responsiveness and client service with WBL's credit and operational requirements.
Partner with Underwriting and credit leadership to ensure that credit recommendations, conditions, exceptions, and approvals are clearly documented and operationally executable.
Partner with Legal on documentation requirements, title matters, transaction risks, and closing-related issues.
Partner with Finance to support accurate funding preparation, closing forecasts, and reconciliation of relevant loan information.
Provide executive leadership with timely, accurate reporting regarding pipeline activity, expected closings, operational risks, staffing needs, and performance trends.
Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable employees across all lending operations functions.
Establish individual and departmental goals aligned with WBL's lending and business objectives.
Define appropriate organizational structure, staffing levels, job responsibilities, and career-development opportunities.
Conduct regular performance reviews and provide timely feedback, training, and corrective guidance.
Develop functional leaders and team members capable of independently managing day-to-day execution and escalations.
Promote collaboration, urgency, sound judgment, professionalism, and ownership throughout the department.
Partner with the People Department on workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning.