Manager, Whole Loan Trading Operations

About the role

The Manager, Whole Loan Trading Operations is responsible for leading, building, and scaling the operational support function for the firm’s whole loan trading platform. This role provides end-to-end oversight of trade lifecycle processes, ensures a robust control environment, and partners with Front Office, Finance, Risk, Technology, and external vendors to support a complex and evolving asset class. The successful candidate will play a critical role in establishing the operating model, building a high-performing team, and implementing scalable processes and controls to support business growth.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management: Recruit, develop, and lead a team of operations professionals supporting whole loan trading; define team structure, roles, and coverage model aligned to business needs; establish performance expectations, training programs, and development plans; foster a strong control culture and continuous improvement mindset.
• Operating Model & Platform Buildout: Design and implement the end-to-end operating framework for whole loan trading; develop standard operating procedures, workflows, and escalation protocols; partner with Technology to define system requirements, data models, and automation initiatives; support onboarding of new products, strategies, and business initiatives.
• Trade Execution & Settlement Oversight: Oversee trade capture validation and settlement processes to ensure accuracy and timeliness; coordinate with counterparties, custodians, servicers, and internal stakeholders to facilitate settlements; monitor funding flows and ensure proper cash movement tracking.
• Loan Boarding & Data Management: Ensure accurate boarding of loans into internal systems and third-party servicer platforms; implement controls to maintain data integrity across loan attributes and booking systems; oversee reconciliation of loan balances between internal systems and servicers.
• Cash Flow & Servicer Oversight: Oversee reconciliation of principal, interest, and fee cash flows received from servicers; monitor remittance activity and resolve discrepancies with third-party servicers; manage ongoing servicer relationships, including performance monitoring and issue escalation.
• Lifecycle Event Management: Oversee operational support for loan lifecycle events including payoffs, modifications, delinquencies, and defaults; ensure accurate processing and downstream impact across systems and reporting.
• Accounting & Financial Controls: Partner with Finance and Product Control to support P&L reporting and month-end close; oversee reconciliation of cash vs. accrual balances and valuation support processes; support reserve, impairment, and balance sheet substantiation requirements.
• Reporting, Controls & Governance: Develop management reporting on portfolio performance, holdings, and delinquency metrics; support regulatory reporting requirements and audit engagements; maintain and enhance documentation, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Process Improvement & Automation: Identify operational inefficiencies and control gaps; implement remediation strategies; define reconciliation frameworks and exception management processes; drive automation initiatives to reduce manual processes and improve scalability.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as the primary operations liaison to Trading, Finance, Risk, Legal, and Technology; coordinate with external servicers and custodians to ensure seamless operational support.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in operations, middle office, asset servicing, loan operations, or securitized products support.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and leading operational functions.
• Strong understanding of trade lifecycle processes, settlement, servicing, and cash flow management.
• Proven ability to design and implement operational processes, controls, and governance frameworks.

Qualifications

• Preferred experience supporting whole loans, mortgage loans, structured products, or securitized products.
• Experience building or scaling a new operational function or platform.
• Knowledge of loan servicing models and third-party servicer oversight.