Western Alliance Bancorporation

Senior Vice President, Senior Director Underwriting

Western Alliance Bancorporation$207K — $225K *
Finance & Insurance
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 15+ years of experience in Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting
  • Wholesale Mortgage Lending expertise required
  • Bachelor's degree in a related field; Master's or MBA preferred
  • 8+ years in residential mortgage underwriting management, with 5+ years in a senior leadership role
  • Experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools
  • Advanced knowledge of federal and state regulatory compliance in mortgage lending
  • Direct Endorsement (DE) or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) designation required

Responsibilities

  • Lead and strategize underwriting and appraisal functions across various business lines
  • Manage underwriting teams to ensure productivity, efficiency, and credit quality
  • Drive operational strategy and capacity planning for Lending divisions
  • Partner with product teams to deploy digital capabilities improving underwriting performance
  • Identify strategic opportunities and participate in planning to meet divisional goals
  • Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing underwriting team
  • Ensure compliance with evolving regulatory and investor requirements

Benefits

  • Competitive salaries and ownership stake in the company
  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
  • Generous time off policy
  • Robust 401k matching program
  • Tuition assistance program
  • Employee volunteer and wellness programs
  • Opportunities for hands-on business knowledge and career growth
Full Job Description

Job Title:

Senior Vice President, Senior Director Underwriting

Location:

TX - Dallas/Irving

What you'll do:

As a Senior Director Underwriting, you'll be accountable for leading, strategizing, and executing underwriting and appraisal functions across all business lines and channels, including Correspondent Delegated and Non-Delegated, Portfolio Lending, and Retail Lending. This role also includes driving the oversight, development, and performance management of underwriters and underwriting managers within the lending channel. You will define, implement, and continuously refine the vision and strategy for all underwriting divisions within AmeriHome, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and risk appetite. Additionally, you'll lead initiatives to enhance departmental productivity, efficiency, and customer service across multiple underwriting teams. You will ensure credit operations meet or exceed production and financial targets while maintaining process excellence and loan quality. You will also be responsible for building and sustaining strategic relationships with AmeriHomes agency and Non-Agency partners: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, Ginnie Mae and other investors. You'll collaborate cross-functionally to ensure consistent underwriting practices and alignment with Western Alliance Banks credit risk framework. You will be a key driver of process innovation, expense management, and quality assurance, leveraging your deep expertise in mortgage documentation and investor requirements. You will also be expected to ensure compliance with the Bank's policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Build, lead, and empower high-performing credit operations teams that balance sales, underwriting, and risk. Set departmental goals and ensure robust controls and procedures for timely, accurate underwriting, appraisal, and reviews, while maintaining a focus on credit quality, service, and efficiency. Manage and develop underwriting leadership and staff, including Underwriters, Underwriting Managers, and the Scenario Desk team. Serve as a credit SME for conventional, government, and non-agency loans, making decisions on complex loan scenarios escalated by internal teams and external partners. Monitor and manage underwriting pipelines, SLAs, and productivity metrics.
  • Drive operational strategy and capacity planning for Correspondent and Retail Lending divisions, aligning staffing and resources with production and financial goals. Lead process improvement initiatives to enhance service levels, reduce cost per loan, and maintain loan quality. Maintain a thorough understanding of AmeriHomes underwriting and regulations in accordance with mortgage lending. Analyze transactions and assist in structuring transactions to contain AmeriHomes credit risk within acceptable parameters.
  • Partner with product and technology teams to design and deploy new products and digital capabilities specifically automation and AI tools that enhance underwriting performance and consistency as well as boost efficiency, reduce cycle times, and improve lender/clients or borrower experience per channel. Ensure alignment with Western Alliance Banks credit risk framework, and actively promote AmeriHomes culture of customer service, quality, and innovation.
  • Identify and leverage strategic opportunities by utilizing existing resources and relationships with clients and business partners. Participate in strategic planning and execution to meet divisional goals and provide regular reporting and performance metrics in Monthly Business Reviews. Promote a culture of innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement across all underwriting teams. Recruit, coach, and mentor underwriting staff to build a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning. Ensure all underwriting procedures are current and reflect evolving regulatory and investor requirements.
  • Lead and develop a team; responsible for hiring, coaching, performance management, training and development.

What you'll need:

  • 15+ years of related experience in Residential Mortgage Loan Underwriting
  • Must have Wholesale Mortgage Lending experience
  • Bachelor's degree in related field required; Masters or MBA in related field preferred.
  • 8+ years of experience in residential mortgage underwriting management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role preferred.
  • Must have experience with digital mortgage platforms and automation tools.
  • Advanced knowledge of residential mortgage industry in Correspondent or Retail Lending, including sales, operations, capital markets and/or other residential mortgage products and services.
  • Advanced knowledge of applicable federal and state regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices, including TRID, ECOA, HMDA, FCRA, Flood, HOEPA, HPML, Appraisal, ATR/QM, TCPA, UDAAP, and Fair Lending.
  • Advanced knowledge or applicable regulatory and legal obligations, rules, and regulations, industry standards and practices. In-depth knowledge of mortgage loan products, lending principles and regulations. Extensive understanding of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines, including FHA, VA, and conventional loans, loan processing and automated underwriting systems. Working knowledge of mortgage lending principles and underwriting guidelines including self-employed borrowers, partnership, corporation tax return analysis, appraisal reviews, condo project reviews, Trust, Leasehold and Power of Attorney documentation.
  • Advanced experience with mortgage banking technology, including Encompass (LOS), AUS, core systems, and MS Office products.
  • Advanced speaking and writing communication skills.
  • Direct Endorsement (DE) or Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) designation is required.
  • Occasional travel required.

Compensation: Salary range for new hires is generally $207,000.00 - $225,600.00 for Westlake Village, CA. Salary amount is determined by specific job location. In addition, the role may be eligible for annual bonus/incentives earned.

Benefits you’ll love:

We offer all the important things you'd want — like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!

About Western Alliance Bancorporation

Western Alliance Bancorporation is a bank holding company that provides a range of banking and related services to businesses and individuals. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Western Alliance Bancorporation operates through its subsidiary banks, which include Western Alliance Bank, Bank of Nevada, and Bridge Bank. The company offers a variety of products and services, including commercial and industrial loans, real estate loans, treasury management, and wealth management. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to providing exceptional customer service and has received numerous awards and recognitions for its performance and growth.
Learn more about Western Alliance Bancorporation
Size
3,139 employees
Market Cap
$6.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
$506.6 million
5 Year Trend
+18.8%
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Western Alliance Bancorporation

More Finance & Insurance Jobs

Find similar Senior Vice President, Senior Director Underwriting jobs: