Group Manager, Originations (CA)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead hiring, onboarding, training, and performance management across Underwriting and Funding teams.
• Mentor and develop the Originations leadership team; set clear expectations and drive accountability.
• Create a collaborative, high-performance culture with an obsession for high quality dealer service.
• Operational Oversight (Underwriting & Funding): Manage the daily operating rhythm for Originations, including queue management, workflow distribution, and escalation paths.
• Establish and maintain Decision Turn Time and Funding Turnaround SLAs; monitor performance and take corrective actions.
• Ensure underwriting and funding activities are executed consistently and aligned to policies, procedures, and lending guidelines.
• Credit Strategy Execution & Exception Governance: Partner with senior leadership and stakeholders to operationalize credit strategies, underwriting standards, and loan program rules.
• Own the exception and escalation framework (approval authorities, documentation standards, and decision rationale expectations).
• Ensure underwriting decisions are supported by thorough due diligence analysis and clear audit trails.
• Dealer relationships: Support sales department and Sales Managers in building relationships with Kawasaki Dealer Partners.
• Interact with finance managers and dealer principals on individual deals to find common ground on exception requests.
• Build, maintain, and nurture relationships with dealer partners to build their confidence in our finance programs.
• Funding, Booking & Documentation Quality: Oversee funding and booking to ensure timely, accurate disbursement of funds and clean loan setup.
• Ensure documentation completeness and compliance prior to funding; drive strong file quality and minimize rework/defects.
• Oversee collateral and supporting documentation review expectations to support collateral perfection readiness (as applicable).
• Controls, Compliance & Audit Readiness: Ensure Originations processes comply with regulatory requirements and internal policies; maintain strong internal controls.
• Oversee audit readiness for underwriting and funding files through proactive reviews and issue remediation.
• Identify operational risks and implement corrective actions to prevent repeat issues.
• Reporting, Performance Management & Continuous Improvement: Define, track, and report key performance indicators (KPIs) for Originations (e.g., turn times, approval rates, defect/rework rates, dealer satisfaction drivers).
• Lead identification of process improvements and ensure consistent adoption of best practices across Underwriting and Funding.
• Prepare and present performance reporting, trend analysis, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Systems & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Oversee effective use of the Loan Origination System (LOS) and related tools; partner on workflow design, enhancements, training, and adoption.
• Collaborate with Sales, Compliance, Finance, and Servicing to ensure seamless handoffs from booking into servicing while keeping servicing execution out of scope.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex dealer, credit, or operational issues requiring judgment and cross-department coordination.

  Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, or a related field preferred; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
  • Minimum of 15 years of experience in retail finance originations and/or credit operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing managers or team leads.
  • Strong understanding of underwriting operations, funding/booking workflows, loan documentation requirements, and operational controls.
  • Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements, compliance expectations, and audit-readiness practices within financial services.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and strong familiarity with Loan Origination Systems (LOS).
  • Excellent analytical, decision-making, leadership, and communication skills; ability to drive alignment across teams and stakeholders.
  • Ability to work on-site at our Foothill Ranch, CA office.

    Profile Differentiators

    • Experience in founding, co-founding, or operating in a fast-paced startup environment.
    • Experience in the powersports finance industry (motorcycle, ATV, UTV, PWC).
    • Experience in a FinTech startup or technology-enabled lending environment.

      Pay

      Salary range: $140,000 – $150,000