Chief Operating Officer

Job Title: Chief Operating Officer Location: Remote (in-office preferred - Meridian, ID) Reports to: Chief Executive Officer Direct Reports: VP of Underwriting, Operations Manager Employment Type: Full-Time Scope: Owns production operations end-to-end (origination, underwriting, fulfillment) and provides advisory input into servicing strategy. Servicing and secondary/capital markets operations are owned by their respective functions

Who We Are Retail-focused independent mortgage bank (IMB) originating $2B+ in annual volume, with a growing servicing portfolio (~$400M UPB) and an all-agency (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA) approval footprint. The organization runs lean and flat by design — this hire replaces layers of middle management with one senior operator who can own credit risk, run people, and fix throughput directly.

Role Summary This is a true COO-level mandate, distinct in scope and authority from a VP Operations role. The scope — credit risk ownership, direct agency relationships, systems/process strategy including AI implementation, and direct management of underwriting and operations leadership — calls for full executive-level authority and accountability. The COO will work closely with the CEO, executive team, and department heads to enhance operational efficiency, improve service quality, and drive growth.
Key Responsibilities

- Own credit risk policy and credit box strategy — author, defend, and evolve the credit box as an active policy owner.

- Manage the VP of Underwriting and Operations Manager — set performance targets, build a culture of accountability, and coach and develop both leaders directly.

- Own agency relationships and escalations — serve as the direct point of contact with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA on overlays, QC findings, and repurchase demands.

- Own systems and process strategy for origination, including the AI implementation roadmap — set the strategy and priorities, drawing on vendors or a systems hire for technical execution.

- Advise on servicing strategy from the production side — provide strategic input on how credit box and product-mix decisions affect MSR value and retention, keeping production operations as the core focus.

- Retain hands-on fallback capability — step in personally to work a stuck file or a broken workflow when direct reports need support, reflecting a hands-on leadership style.

Required Qualifications - Priority Order

- Deep credit risk expertise (highest priority)

- Has personally authored and defended credit box and credit policy design as a true policy owner, taking ownership of authorship rather than enforcement alone.

- Has personally negotiated with agencies on overlay treatment, QC escalations, or repurchase demands, leading these conversations directly rather than delegating them.

- Understands how credit decisions flow through to servicing and MSR performance.

- Strong people management

- Has directly managed underwriting and operations leaders in a flat, accountability-heavy culture, maintaining a direct span of control rather than managing through layers of middle management.

- Sets clear targets, holds people to them, and coaches and develops direct reports.

- Steps in personally to work a file or a process when needed, balancing hands-on involvement with team autonomy so the team keeps moving rather than becoming dependent.

- Deep agency knowledge

- Fluent in Fannie Mae DU, Freddie Mac LPA overlays, FHA TOTAL Scorecard, and VA automated underwriting.

- Understands how overlays get built into underwriting policy through direct, practical application, going beyond theoretical or classroom knowledge.

- Retail fulfillment and throughput background

- Has personally owned pull-through rate, cycle time, and underwriter capacity planning as direct, individual KPIs, with hands-on accountability rather than secondhand oversight.

- Built this experience at a $1.5B–$5B retail-focused IMB, in an environment distinct from depository