Underwriting Manager - Irvine, CA

Brief Description · The Team · At Kind Lending, our family of diverse and talented Kind Ambassadors are the driving force behind our new approach to the mortgage experience. They're the heart and soul of the organization and our "People Before Profits" mentality shines through in ...

Job description

Brief Description
The Team
At Kind Lending, our family of diverse and talented Kind Ambassadors are the driving force behind our new approach to the mortgage experience. They're the heart and soul of the organization and our "People Before Profits" mentality shines through in every department. Kind Lending is growing and is looking for top mortgage professionals who value opportunity, lasting business partnerships, and who live out our KIND mindset. Kind Lending is determined to provide the best service in the industry while also providing homebuyers with a great selection of products to enhance their buying experience. Backed by our trusted leadership team, Kind Lending's friendly and professional model puts the "fun" in funding.

Position Summary
The Underwriting Manager holds a senior leadership role within the lending process, overseeing Underwriting Team Leads and their teams of mortgage underwriters to ensure efficient, accurate, and compliant evaluation of residential mortgage loan applications. This role is responsible for leading and developing the underwriting function while maintaining a strong focus on risk management, regulatory compliance, and consistent adherence to company lending guidelines and applicable agency and investor requirements. The Underwriting Manager brings a strategic mindset, deep underwriting expertise, and strong communication skills to drive informed decision-making and support the overall success of the organization's lending operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage Underwriting Team Leads (direct reports) and provide indirect oversight of mortgage underwriter teams, delivering guidance, training, and support to ensure consistent and high-quality underwriting decisions.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex or high-risk underwriting cases, providing expert guidance to Team Leads and underwriters in making well-informed lending decisions.
• Lead with a positive attitude, conduct regular audits of underwriting decisions and condition language, and maintain open communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee the review of mortgage applications and underwriting decisions to ensure accuracy, guideline adherence, and compliance with all applicable regulatory and investor requirements.
• Assess creditworthiness on complex loan files by reviewing financial documentation, analyzing credit reports, and evaluating critical risk indicators to support informed lending decisions.
• Collaborate with senior management to establish and refine underwriting guidelines, reflecting industry best practices, regulatory requirements, and the organization's risk tolerance.
• Identify training needs within the underwriting team and coordinate professional development opportunities with training team to ensure ongoing skill enhancement and industry knowledge.
• Maintain a deep understanding of mortgage regulations and guidelines, ensuring that underwriting practices align with legal requirements and industry standards.
• Continuously improve underwriting processes by leveraging technology and automation to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency without compromising accuracy or compliance.
• Review regular reports on underwriting performance, identifying trends, areas for improvement, and potential risk exposure; deliver daily production reports and conduct proactive team check-ins.
• Collaborate closely with Account Executives, Brokers, Account Managers, and other internal teams to address inquiries and provide guidance on complex underwriting scenarios.
• Proactively manage team pipeline alongside operations leadership, providing file-level support as needed to maintain throughput and service levels.
• Foster strong partner and broker relationships by consistently providing a high level of service and representing Kind Lending's values and culture.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in mortgage underwriting with progressively increasing responsibility, including prior supervisory or management experience; experience overseeing Underwriting Team Leads preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Solid knowledge of FNMA, FHLMC, FHA, VA, and USDA underwriting guidelines and requirements.
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., DE, SAR) preferred.
• Strong leadership skills with a proven track record of effectively managing, coaching, and developing teams at all position levels.
• In-depth knowledge of mortgage regulations, compliance standards, and industry best practices.
• Expertise in mortgage underwriting software and technology solutions; preferred knowledge of Blue Sage LOS.
• Proficiency with DU and LPA automated underwriting systems; strong command of manual underwriting requirements.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret complex financial information and assess credit and operational risk.
• Strategic thinking skills to contribute to the development and refinement of underwriting policies and guidelines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to develop strong relationships with sales partners, direct reports, and internal stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and self-motivated with the ability to prioritize competing demands in a high-volume environment.
• Ability to consistently maintain high levels of performance under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and standard internet browsers.

Pay Disclosure
The starting base salary pay range for this position is $130k/yr. The actual base is dependent on many factors such as: work experience, business needs, market demands, and other compensation components. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Location:
This position is in office for any candidate residing within 30 miles of the corporate office and remote for all other candidates residing outside that radius.

Disclaimer Statement
This job description is not intended, nor should it be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, or working conditions associated with a job. It is intended to be a general description of the principal requirements common to positions of this type.

Work Authorization
Must be able to verify identity and employment eligibility to work in the U.S. without a visa sponsorship.

Other Duties
This job profile is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties and responsibilities, as one may perform additional related duties as assigned to meet the needs of the organization.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to lift up to ten pounds. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.
VISION:
See in the normal visual range with or without correction.
HEARING:
Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Kind Lending is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, religion, creed, color, orientation, gender, age, national origin, veteran status, disability status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

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