Director of Lending

Position Summary: 

The Director of Lending is a newly created high impact leadership role responsible for the strategic oversight, development, and execution of all lending and collections activities at County Schools FCU. This includes consumer lending, real estate lending, participation loans and collections. The role encompasses full responsibility for product design, pricing strategy, loan policies and procedures, compliance, performance tracking, underwriting, staff training, vendor management, and member-facing service delivery. 

This individual will also work closely with branch teams through dotted-line oversight to support lending growth and operational alignment, while playing a key external-facing role in building relationships and representing the credit union in the community and at industry events. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Strategic & Operational Leadership 

• Lead the credit union’s lending and collections functions with a focus on sustainable growth, risk management, and member service excellence. 
• Develop and maintain lending policies, procedures, and internal controls to ensure regulatory compliance and portfolio integrity. 
• Oversee performance metrics for all loan types, proactively identifying trends and making data-informed recommendations. 
• Provide strategic guidance and training to branch staff engaged in lending functions, though not direct reports. 

Vendor & Partner Management 

• Manage key lending and collections-related vendor relationships, ensuring performance and service-level agreements (SLAs) are met. 
• Regularly evaluate vendor performance and collaborate with partners to improve service delivery, technology integration, and product performance. 
• Serve as the primary point of contact for third-party lending platforms, loan servicing partners, and collection agencies. 

Product Development & Pricing 

• Design, evaluate, and enhance consumer and mortgage loan products based on market research and member needs. 
• Recommend competitive pricing structures, including loan rates and fees, with a balanced approach to risk and return, participating in Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) meetings to monitor product performance and refine offerings to maintain relevance and profitability. 

Collections Oversight 

• Develop and manage collections strategies and processes to minimize delinquency and losses while preserving member relationships. 
• Ensure collection activities are compliant with all applicable laws and internal standards. 

Community & Business Development 

• Actively participate in local business, community, and industry events to promote the credit union and drive loan growth. 
• Represent the credit union in professional associations, lending roundtables, and real estate/lending-related organizations. 
• Build relationships with local dealerships, realtors, and business partners to foster referral networks. 

Team Development & Support 

• Provide guidance, training, and support to branch staff involved in lending, with a focus on sales effectiveness and service quality. 
• Create and maintain training programs for lending processes, compliance, and member service expectations. 
• Champion a collaborative, results-driven culture across departments. 

Compliance & Risk Management 

• Ensure full adherence to all lending-related regulatory and legal requirements including NCUA, CFPB, RESPA, HMDA, ECOA, and Fair Lending. 
• Stay informed on evolving laws, guidelines, and industry best practices, updating procedures accordingly. 

Ideal Candidate Profile: 

The right candidate will: 

• Have a heart for service and a deep commitment to the financial well-being of our community. 
• Be a collaborative leader who values cross-functional teamwork and is energized by teaching, mentoring, and empowering others. 
• Be a self-starter with the confidence to build programs from the ground up in a growing and evolving environment. 
• Possess the courage and judgment to make tough decisions, when necessary, always in alignment with our mission and member impact. 
• Thrive in grassroots environments and seek opportunities to elevate the organization from the inside out—with authenticity, innovation, and member focus at the core. 

Supervisory Responsibilities:  

Assists in supervisory responsibilities in accordance with CSFCU’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities may include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; addressing complaints and resolving problems. 

Qualifications: 

Education & Experience 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in consumer and/or mortgage lending, including 3 years in a leadership role. 
• Experience in managing participation loan portfolio preferred. 
• Prior experience overseeing third-party vendors and collections preferred. 

Skills & Competencies 

• Deep knowledge of lending regulations, underwriting principles, and collections practices. 
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage performance through influence (dotted-line management). 
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and strategic thinking skills. 
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities, with confidence representing the organization externally. 
• Ability to collect, analyze and interpret financial data. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. 
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. 

Work Environment & Physical Requirements: 

• Office-based role with occasional travel to branches, community events, and industry functions. 
• Ability to attend early morning, evening or weekend events as needed. 
• 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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to remain in a stationary sitting position 75% of the time. The person in the position must communicate constantly with members via telephone to convey information about their account and you must be able to exchange accurate information with them. You are occasionally required to traverse across the office to access files. You will constantly operate computer equipment using a keyboard, 10 touch keypads and other like office equipment to accurately calculate figures and input data.  You will sometimes have to ascend/descend or position yourself to crouch or kneel for items on the floor. The employee must frequently move up to 10 pounds and occasionally move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. 
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job in an indoor office environment. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

Company Description

County Schools Federal Credit Union is a member-owned financial institution based in Ventura County, California. The credit union is dedicated to providing high-quality financial services with personal and professional integrity to the educational community and their families, ensuring steady growth and security.

Role Description

This is a full-time on-site role in Ventura, CA for a Director of Lending at County Schools Federal Credit Union. The Director of Lending will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of lending operations, including underwriting, loans, consumer lending, and finance-related activities.

Qualifications

• Analytical Skills, Finance, and Underwriting expertise
• Experience in Loans and Consumer Lending
• Strong decision-making abilities and attention to detail
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance in the financial industry
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field

Compensation: $95,000–$120,000/year (depending on experience)