Consumer Lending Manager

About the role

The Consumer Lending Manager oversees the Consumer Loan Officer team, Consumer Lending Operation Specialists, and Loan Support Clerks, ensuring strong operational performance, underwriting consistency, member experience, and overall operational effectiveness. This role combines day-to-day leadership of lending and loan support staff with strategic oversight responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Loan Officers, Consumer Lending Operations Specialists, and Loan Support Clerk, ensuring strong member experience, service consistency, operational effectiveness, underwriting quality, credit risk management and overall lending operational effectiveness.
• Provide leadership, direction, coaching, and performance management to lending and loan support staff while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional development.
• Support organizational consumer lending growth objectives through strategic leadership, operational analysis, production monitoring, and data-driven recommendations.
• Analyze lending production trends, pull-through ratios, application sources, operational performance, and portfolio growth opportunities to identify areas requiring improvement or strategic focus.
• Provide recommendations to senior leadership regarding operational changes, workflow improvements, staffing needs, product enhancements, promotional opportunities, service strategies, and process efficiencies to support organizational lending goals.
• Monitor loan application conversion metrics, funded loan ratios, turnaround times, productivity, and member experience trends to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Coach and develop team on underwriting consistency, operational effectiveness, product knowledge, member experience expectations, and lending best practices.
• Partner with internal departments to support lending knowledge, workflow alignment, operational consistency, and member experience throughout the lending process.
• Identify development opportunities and assist in preparing team members for increased responsibilities and future leadership opportunities.
• Assist with escalated lending decisions, exception requests, member concerns, and complex lending situations while balancing member experience, organizational policy, and risk management.
• Ensure lending decisions, exception handling, and operational processes are consistently documented and aligned with organizational policies, procedures, and risk tolerance.
• Collaborate with Retail Delivery, Digital, Processing, Indirect Lending, Marketing, and other departments to improve workflows, reduce member friction, and enhance the overall lending experience.
• Participate in cross-functional projects and process improvement initiatives supporting consumer lending efficiency, scalability, and member service.
• Partner with the Consumer Lending Systems Analyst to identify operational inefficiencies, support workflow enhancements, participate in user acceptance testing, and assist with implementation and adoption of lending technology initiatives.
• Utilize production reporting and operational analytics to identify performance gaps, process inefficiencies, and opportunities for growth, operational improvement, and enhanced member experience.
• Utilize reporting and analytics to identify trends, improve operational performance, and support strategic decision-making.
• Analyze lending performance, portfolio trends, operational data, and member experience feedback to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
• Support strategic lending initiatives, promotional campaigns, and market growth efforts in partnership with senior leadership and marketing.
• Conduct quality reviews and audits to ensure lending accuracy, operational consistency, compliance, and proper documentation.
• Stay up to date on industry trends, lending laws, operational best practices, and product innovations to recommend improvements and new opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with third-party vendors, partners, and internal stakeholders to support lending operations and organizational initiatives.
• Oversee the processing and management of title work, loan payoffs, release of liens, and UCC filings.
• Promote a positive team environment, encouraging collaboration and high-quality service.
• Ensure employees have the tools, materials, and training necessary for success.
• Ensure compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, Patriot Act, and Office of Foreign Asset Controls, and should request legal interpretation as necessary.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field; or equivalent work experience.
• 3 to 5 years of previous consumer lending experience with a proven performance record, with leadership or management experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of consumer lending regulations, underwriting principles, operational workflows, and member service expectations.
• Experience leading teams in a fast-paced lending environment focused on balancing growth, service, operational efficiency, and risk management.
• Experience working with loan origination systems, workflow automation, reporting tools, and lending technology platforms preferred.
• Strong communication, coaching, organizational leadership, and relationship-building skills.
• Candidate must have a thorough understanding of the Loan Policy and Guidelines.
• Candidate must be knowledgeable of Credit Unions product and services and demonstrate the ability to cross-sell and build deeper relationships with our membership.
• This position requires an understanding of basic computer skills including Microsoft 365 suite applications.