Position: Government Underwriting Manager

Work Model: Hybrid

Compensation: 95k plus bonus

Schedule: Full-time, Eastern Time Zone hours

 

Overview

This role is responsible for leading and managing the underwriting team to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant mortgage loan decisions. The Government Underwriting Manager oversees daily underwriting operations, maintains adherence to investor and regulatory guidelines, and drives performance, quality, and efficiency across the department. This position requires DE and VA designations, along with strong government underwriting expertise and prior leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of underwriters in remote and on-site environments.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard underwriting staff as needed.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and training initiatives.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee pipeline flow to ensure timely underwriting decisions and adherence to service level expectations.
• Partner with Processing and Closing teams to manage workflow from submission through clear-to-close.
• Monitor daily production metrics, turn times, and workload distribution.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks impacting loan cycle times.
• Ensure all loans are underwritten in compliance with agency, government, and investor guidelines.
• Review complex or exception files and provide final underwriting decisions.
• Maintain consistency in credit decisions across the team.
• Manage and approve guideline exceptions with proper documentation.
• Ensure adherence to internal policies, regulatory requirements, and fair lending practices.
• Monitor underwriting quality and error rates and implement corrective action plans when needed.
• Review audit findings and ensure timely resolution of identified issues.
• Maintain documentation standards in Encompass and ensure complete audit trails.
• Provide ongoing education on guideline updates, investor changes, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead team meetings, training sessions, and underwriting support forums.
• Develop training materials and best practices for underwriting consistency.
• Work closely with Secondary Marketing to evaluate investor overlays and product viability.
• Partner with Sales Leadership to align expectations and improve loan quality at submission.
• Work with Processing and Closing teams to reduce conditions and improve efficiency.
• Provide feedback on loan structuring and scenario guidance.
• Track and report on key metrics including turn times, conditions per file, error rates, defect rates, and productivity per underwriter.
• Analyze trends to identify training opportunities and process improvements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of mortgage underwriting experience.
• 2+ years of leadership or management experience preferred.
• Active DE and VA designations required.
• Strong knowledge of agency guidelines including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• Strong knowledge of government lending including FHA, VA, and USDA.
• Experience with AUS systems including DU and LPA.
• Strong understanding of mortgage compliance, TRID, and fair lending laws.
• Experience with Encompass required.
• Excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and leadership abilities.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, or a related field preferred, or equivalent industry experience.

NMS Disclaimer

Client requirements and hiring decisions are set by the hiring company. Please ensure your application details align with your resume and reflect your direct experience.
Thank you for your interest!