Deputy Director of Underwriting and Lending Operations

Founded in 2008, the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, Inc. (the “Center”) is a not-for-profit that promotes and protects affordable homeownership so that all New Yorkers can build strong, thriving communities. With more than 18 years of experience, the Center's work spans direct services, network coordination, and systems-level intervention. It coordinates a citywide network of housing counseling and legal services providers, operates a statewide Homeowner Hub call center, and co-administers approximately $40 million annually in state funding that supports homeowner services statewide. The Center’s mission-driven CDFI, Sustainable Neighborhoods, lends approximately $7 million annually and holds approximately $100 million in net assets as of December 2025.

About the role

The Deputy Director of Underwriting and Lending Operations serves as the operational leader of the underwriting function for all Sustainable Neighborhood lending programs. As a member of the department’s management team, the Deputy Director ensures that the underwriting process is efficient, consistent, and aligned with the organization’s mission, credit philosophy, and risk management objectives. Reporting to the Director of Lending Program Operations, this role translates strategic priorities into effective day-to-day execution by overseeing the people, processes, and systems that support successful loan manufacturing and sound portfolio performance.

The Deputy Director provides leadership to a multidisciplinary team of loan originators, loan processors, and underwriters, ensuring that each stage of the lending process is coordinated from application through credit decision. This role fosters strong collaboration across lending, working closely with compliance and the Closing and Servicing team. This is a full-time, exempt position based in New York, NY. We operate under a hybrid office model, requiring staff to work a minimum of two days per week on site to support collaboration, connection, and impact.

Responsibilities

• Translate departmental and the Center’s lending priorities into operational plans, procedures, staffing practices, and performance expectations.
• Provide day-to-day operational leadership of loan origination, processing, and underwriting across Sustainable Neighborhood lending programs, ensuring applications move efficiently and consistently from intake through handoff to closing.
• Manage workflow priorities, staff capacity, turnaround times, and cross-functional coordination to support timely decisions and a seamless borrower experience.
• Supervise, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary team of loan originators, processors, and underwriters. Establish clear performance expectations, monitor workloads and productivity, provide technical guidance, and build staff capacity to consistently meet lending and service standards.
• Work closely with leadership to develop and implement standardized procedures, operational controls, and best practices that improve loan cycle times, accuracy, accountability, quality, consistency, and the overall borrower experience.
• Serve as a key resource for resolving complex or escalated loan files, support staff with difficult transactions, and ensure consistency in underwriting practices across all lending programs.
• Serve as the primary liaison between senior leadership and frontline lending staff.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for the lending pipeline—including application volume, turnaround times, approval and decline trends, pipeline aging, productivity, and loan quality—to ensure departmental goals and production targets are achieved while maintaining high standards of credit quality, compliance, and operational performance.
• Contribute to departmental planning, policy implementation, staff development, and continuous improvement initiatives while supporting new lending products, program enhancements, and technology solutions that improve operational effectiveness.
• Oversee credit analysis and underwriting activities across all Sustainable Neighborhood financing programs, ensuring that lending decisions reflect sound financial analysis, prudent risk management, and the organization’s mission to expand equitable access to capital.
• Review complex transactions, providing guidance on loan structuring, and supporting Lending leadership in maintaining a balanced and healthy loan portfolio.
• Proactively identify emerging portfolio risks, recommend operational improvements, and promote consistent application of underwriting policies and procedures throughout the department.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 7+ years of experience in commercial, community development, or CDFI lending, with demonstrated success leading underwriting operations and lending professionals.
• Fluency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Meet), Salesforce, BytePro.
• Highly organized and results-driven.
• Highly skilled at financial analysis, communication, and process management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Passionate about promoting affordable homeownership and an equitable New York.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset through resilience, engaging in expansive thinking, and showing curiosity.
• Works collaboratively by demonstrating the ability to work in teams.

Values

• Demonstrate Ownership by showing initiative, active problem-solving, being solution-oriented, acting conscientiously, and putting team results above individual accomplishments.
• Demonstrate Growth Mindset through resilience, humility, engaging in expansive thinking, and showing curiosity and openness to learning.
• Work collaboratively by demonstrating the ability to work in teams, exhibiting emotional intelligence.

Pay

$80,769 - $115,000

Schedule

Full-time, exempt position. Hybrid office model requiring a minimum of two days per week on site in New York, NY.