Head of Mortgage Underwriting – EXPIRED

Head of Mortgage Underwriting

Do you want to be part of a force for good, helping to make life better for customers & society in the moments that matter? At Hodge, we put people at the heart of our business and that means our customers, colleagues and communities. Hodge is a Welsh financial service provider that focus on commercial lending, and specialist residential mortgage markets. The company is unique in that it is 79% owned by the Hodge Foundation, a charity established in 1962 that awards grants to registered charities and is funded by the profits from Hodge.

For over 50 years, we’ve shared the same simple mission: to really make a positive difference for our customers and communities. This ethos is in our DNA, as we are 79% owned by a charity, the Hodge Foundation.

We are looking for a Head of Mortgage Origination to develop and drive through passionate leadership an effective running of mortgage origination. Responsible for the customer journey from Decision in principle up until the mortgage is completed. Responsible for ensuring that the team is skilled, engaged, motivated and driven by a passion for creating low effort experience for our brokers, solicitors and mortgage customers, whilst ensuring there is a strong compliance culture embedded across the area.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Responsible for the customer journey from the point of broker registration and Decision in Principle is submitted up until the mortgage has completed and commission payment sent.
• Driving the change agenda for your area and bringing your team along the journey.
• Be a role model for your team, constantly focusing on the customer and bring our brand promise to life ensuring that we are ‘always working with the customer, striving to become trusted experts, displaying genuine empathy, and Bold Flexibility.
• Create an environment where continuous improvement becomes part of the teams day to day mindset.
• Work with Mortgages to develop a contact and service strategy, developed to encourage low effort experiences for our customers, solicitors and brokers. Measured through NPS, Speed to Offer targets and relevant objectives.
• Be the voice of the customer for the mortgage journey, championing change where we have identified ways in which we can improve the customer experience.
• Responsible for monitoring KPI indicators on team performance.
• Responsible for the Training & Competency scheme across the team and ensuring it remains fit for purpose both in terms of regulation & development of your team.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures and legislative and regulatory requirements, including, but not exhaustively, those related to GDPR, Money Laundering, Health & Safety, PRA/FCA regulations, employment and other legislative requirements (as applicable).
• Take ownership for the underwriting guidance manual ensuring it remains relevant and fit for purpose.

What we need from you:

• Experience of delivering operational transformation with an emphasis on driving low effort customer experiences.
• Strong experience of creating high colleague engagement and leading people through significant change programmes.
• Strong coach and people developer.
• Experience of using performance management tools to drive a high-performance culture.
• Strong external networker with access to colleagues and businesses who we can share best practice with.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Attention to detail with excellent literacy and good numerical skills.
• Able to follow procedures and work within regulated environment.
• Excellent Office 365 skills and a good understanding of computerised administration and workflow systems.

In return we offer:

• Based in Cardiff City Centre or remote operating in a highly flexible Hybrid workspace.
• Private Medical & Health Insurance
• 28 days Holiday with the option to buy more.
• Subsidised Gym Membership.
• Extensive learning and development programme
• Generous, personalised benefits package
• Company pension contribution up to 15%
• 4 days on top of annual leave for community and charity work
• Flexible working options

Please be aware that should we pursue your application, all our Financial Services employees will be expected to complete background checks to assess suitability for employment, these include; a criminal record, identity, sanctions, adverse finance, fraud prevention and reference checks to comply with our regulatory requirements.

Hodge is an advocate of being an equal opportunities employer, We believe in promoting equality and diversity which is central to our lives today. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and recognises the value a diverse workforce brings to an organisation.

ESG and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do and serves as a reminder of the responsibility we have to our stakeholders, customers, colleagues and the communities we operate in to use our position wisely. We’re currently exploring different certifications available and have done an initial review of how we think we’d fare, as we see this as a real opportunity for Hodge given our social purpose.