VP, Lending Operations

Travis Credit Union•Vacaville, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Travis Credit Union’s (TCU) Vice President of Lending Operations is responsible for the end-to-end operational leadership of the Credit Union’s consumer and real estate lending fulfillment functions, ensuring efficient, compliant, scalable, and member-focused loan execution across all channels. This role has enterprise accountability for loan processing, underwriting execution, closing, and funding for all consumer and real estate lending products, and serves as a key strategic partner to Lending Strategy, Risk, Finance, Technology, Compliance, and Member Experience leadership. The VP, Lending Operations drives operational excellence, risk-balanced growth, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement while delivering consistent, high-quality member experience. The VP, Lending Operations acts as the primary point of contact with regulators, auditors, and third-party vendors related to lending operations and ensures adherence to all applicable federal and state regulatory requirements.

Requirements

Executive-level knowledge of consumer and real estate lending operations and fulfillment.
Strong understanding of underwriting execution, credit policy application, and operational risk management.
Deep knowledge of lending regulations and examination expectations.
Strong knowledge of financial institution operations.
Demonstrated experience managing third-party vendors and complex operational partnerships.
Proven ability to lead large, multi-product lending operations through change.
Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated success driving operational efficiency and service excellence.
Excellent communication skills and executive presence.
Proven success as a strategic thinker with the ability to see the ‘big picture’ as well as monitor details of complex projects and initiatives.
Excellent problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to addressing risks.
Excellent leadership and team management capabilities.
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to interact with all levels of the organization.
Ability to work under pressure and handle complex situations with professionalism.
PC skills to include Microsoft Office.
BA/BS in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or related field; or equivalent professional experience
Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in financial services that includes leadership in consumer and/or real estate lending operation teams.

Nice To Haves

Masters or MBA a plus.

Responsibilities

Develops and executes lending operations strategies that align with TCU’s mission, vision, risk appetite, and enterprise growth objectives.
Partners with executive leadership to translate lending and product strategies into scalable, efficient, and compliant operational execution.
Establishes short- and long-term operational roadmaps to support volume growth, product expansion, channel diversification, and digital transformation.
Continuously evaluates industry trends, regulatory changes, and operational best practices to enhance efficiency, quality, and member experience.
Oversees daily consumer and real estate lending operations activities, ensuring loans are accurately processed, underwritten, closed, and funded within established service level standards.
Ensures consistent operational execution of underwriting guidelines, credit policies, and product requirements established by the Lending Strategy and Credit Risk teams.
Balances operational efficiency with prudent risk management and exceptional member service.
Resolves complex or escalated operational, credit execution, or member experience issues.
Establishes and monitors operational capacity models to ensure staffing, vendor support, and workflows align with volume demand.
Owns the operational execution of underwriting for consumer and real estate lending products.
Ensures underwriting teams consistently apply credit policies, procedures, and decision frameworks; approves underwriting exceptions in alignment with TCU’s risk appetite and in compliance with all regulations.
Own and manage operational policy changes, scorecard updates, and risk controls.
Ensures operations-controlled documentation standards, quality control reviews, and decision integrity across lending operations workflows.
Ensures timely, accurate loan closing and funding for all consumer and real estate lending products.
Oversees funding controls, exception management, and reconciliation processes to minimize operational and financial risk.
Establishes and maintains post-close quality control processes to ensure regulatory and policy compliance.
Provides full operational ownership of indirect lending fulfillment, including auto lending programs supported by third-party vendors.
Manages and oversees third-party vendors that process, underwrite, close, or fund loans on behalf of TCU.
Establishes performance expectations, service level agreements (SLAs), quality standards, and oversight controls for all lending operations vendors.
Ensures vendor compliance with regulatory requirements, TCU policies, and contractual obligations.
Leads issue resolution, performance remediation, and ongoing vendor relationship management.
Ensures lending operations comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including but not limited to Reg Z, Reg B, Reg C (HMDA), Fair Lending, UDAAP, RESPA, and TRID.
Serves as the key point of contact for internal audits, external audits, third-party vendors, and regulatory examinations related to lending operations.
Identifies, assesses, and mitigates operational and compliance risks within lending workflows.
Ensures timely and effective remediation of audit and examination findings.
Partners with IT, Digital, and vendors to enhance loan origination systems, underwriting tools, document management, and workflow automation.
Leads operational readiness and execution for system enhancements, new product launches, and regulatory changes.
Establishes and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) related to productivity, quality, cycle time, member experience, vendor performance, and cost efficiency.
Drives continuous improvement initiatives using lean, automation, and best-practice methodologies.
Manages operational expense budgets for lending operations.
Identifies opportunities to reduce cost per loan while maintaining quality, compliance, and service standards.
Supports financial forecasting, capacity planning, and productivity analysis related to lending fulfillment.
Leads and develops a high-performing team of lending operations leaders, managers, and professionals.
Establishes clear performance expectations, accountability, and development plans.
Fosters a culture of collaboration, engagement, continuous improvement, and member-centric service.
Builds leadership bench strength and succession planning for critical operational roles.