Manager, Indirect Lending Operations

Overview

PenFed is hiring a Manager, Indirect Lending Operations to work onsite at our San Antonio, Texas Service Center. The primary purpose of this job is to manage a consumer lending team responsible for underwriting and processing applications loans originated through indirect channels, such as dealers or partner networks. This position provides day-to-day support to operational teams while ensuring timely, accurate, consistent, and complaint credit decisions and loan fulfillment.
 
The Manager is accountable for team performance, operational efficiency, credit quality, risk management, service-level achievement, and continuous process improvement. This role partners closely with Sales, Policy and Decision Science, Compliance, Risk, Finance, IT and dealer/originating partners to support business objectives while maintaining appropriate credit and operational controls.

Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties, and the position will perform other duties as assigned.
 
Team Leadership and Supervision

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate a team responsible for indirect lending application processing, underwriting support, funding, and related operational activities.

• Set clear expectations for performance, quality, productivity, member experience, compliance, and service-level achievement; monitor results and take appropriate corrective action when needed.

• Provide day-to-day oversight of staffing, workflow, prioritization, escalations, and operational coverage to ensure timely and accurate completion of work.

• Support employee engagement, training, succession planning, performance management, coaching, and professional development for direct and indirect reports.

• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, risk awareness, and continuous improvement across the team.

• Work as an escalation point for staff for questions, concerns, and second reviews, as well as review escalations and exception requests, underwriting exceptions within delegated authority, and referring appropriate requests to the Loan Review Committee for consideration.

Operational Management and Execution

• Manage daily indirect lending operations to ensure applications, approvals, stipulations, funding tasks, exceptions, and member/dealer requests are handled accurately and within established service standards.

• Analyze operational metrics, capacity, quality trends, service levels, aging, and exception reporting to identify risks, remove barriers, and improve throughput.

• Develop, implement, and refine procedures, job aids, controls, and workflow practices that support consistent execution and scalable operations.

• Coordinate cross-functional work with Sales, Policy and Decision Science, Compliance, Risk, Finance, IT, and dealer/originating partners to resolve issues and support business priorities.

Credit Quality, Risk, and Compliance

• Ensure team activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, credit guidelines, underwriting standards, documentation requirements, and operational controls.

• Monitor loan decisioning and fulfillment quality to identify trends, reduce errors, strengthen controls, and support sound credit outcomes.

• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Audit, and business leadership to address findings, implement remediation plans, and maintain appropriate documentation and evidence of controls.

• Review and escalate complex operational, credit, dealer, or member issues in accordance with policy, authority levels, and business risk tolerance.

Strategic Support and Continuous Improvement

• Support departmental planning, goal setting, budgeting inputs, resource planning, and execution of strategic initiatives related to indirect lending operations.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automation, member and partner experience, quality, and employee effectiveness.

• Lead or contribute to projects, system enhancements, policy/process changes, testing, implementation planning, and change management activities.

• Prepare and present operational updates, performance results, issue summaries, recommendations, and action plans to leadership as needed.

Additional Responsibilities

• Assume the responsibilities of the Director in their absence, as it relates to Consumer Lending.

• Ensure all team members complete training on time, this includes but is not limited to; HR training modules, appropriate training for employees’ role on the team, and supplemental training.       

Qualifications

Equivalent combination of education and experience is considered.

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field is required, advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum of seven (7) years’ work experience in credit union or banking operations in a lending or credit capacity.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in the areas of loan application processing, underwriting and consumer credit is required.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in indirect lending within the consumer credit field required.

• Minimum two (2) years of experience leading work, projects or peers is required.

• Experience with consumer credit portfolio management principles, including portfolio monitoring, exposure management, account management strategies, performance reporting, and risk mitigation practices is required.

• Ability to be accessible and responsive during on and off hours for operational emergencies and related SEV issues is required. 

• Experience using AI tools preferred.

Supervisory Responsibility
This position will supervise employees.
 
Licenses and Certifications
No additional licenses or certifications required.
 
Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an indoor office setting with moderate noise.
*Most roles require working in an office setting with moderate noise and the ability to lift 25 pounds.*
 
Travel
Ability to travel to various worksites and be on call is required.
 
Pay Transparency 
The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $79,400.00 - $144,323.00
This position is eligible for an organizational performance based annual bonus, subject to board discretion and approval.
This position is eligible for an individual performance based annual bonus.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties, and the position will perform other duties as assigned.

Team Leadership and Supervision

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate a team responsible for indirect lending application processing, underwriting support, funding, and related operational activities.

• Set clear expectations for performance, quality, productivity, member experience, compliance, and service-level achievement; monitor results and take appropriate corrective action when needed.

• Provide day-to-day oversight of staffing, workflow, prioritization, escalations, and operational coverage to ensure timely and accurate completion of work.

• Support employee engagement, training, succession planning, performance management, coaching, and professional development for direct and indirect reports.

• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, risk awareness, and continuous improvement across the team.

• Work as an escalation point for staff for questions, concerns, and second reviews, as well as review escalations and exception requests, underwriting exceptions within delegated authority, and referring appropriate requests to the Loan Review Committee for consideration.

Operational Management and Execution

• Manage daily indirect lending operations to ensure applications, approvals, stipulations, funding tasks, exceptions, and member/dealer requests are handled accurately and within established service standards.

• Analyze operational metrics, capacity, quality trends, service levels, aging, and exception reporting to identify risks, remove barriers, and improve throughput.

• Develop, implement, and refine procedures, job aids, controls, and workflow practices that support consistent execution and scalable operations.

• Coordinate cross-functional work with Sales, Policy and Decision Science, Compliance, Risk, Finance, IT, and dealer/originating partners to resolve issues and support business priorities.

Credit Quality, Risk, and Compliance

• Ensure team activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, credit guidelines, underwriting standards, documentation requirements, and operational controls.

• Monitor loan decisioning and fulfillment quality to identify trends, reduce errors, strengthen controls, and support sound credit outcomes.

• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Audit, and business leadership to address findings, implement remediation plans, and maintain appropriate documentation and evidence of controls.

• Review and escalate complex operational, credit, dealer, or member issues in accordance with policy, authority levels, and business risk tolerance.

Strategic Support and Continuous Improvement

• Support departmental planning, goal setting, budgeting inputs, resource planning, and execution of strategic initiatives related to indirect lending operations.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automation, member and partner experience, quality, and employee effectiveness.

• Lead or contribute to projects, system enhancements, policy/process changes, testing, implementation planning, and change management activities.

• Prepare and present operational updates, performance results, issue summaries, recommendations, and action plans to leadership as needed.

Additional Responsibilities

• Assume the responsibilities of the Director in their absence, as it relates to Consumer Lending.

• Ensure all team members complete training on time, this includes but is not limited to; HR training modules, appropriate training for employees’ role on the team, and supplemental training.

Equivalent combination of education and experience is considered.

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field is required, advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum of seven (7) years’ work experience in credit union or banking operations in a lending or credit capacity.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in the areas of loan application processing, underwriting and consumer credit is required.

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in indirect lending within the consumer credit field required.

• Minimum two (2) years of experience leading work, projects or peers is required.

• Experience with consumer credit portfolio management principles, including portfolio monitoring, exposure management, account management strategies, performance reporting, and risk mitigation practices is required.

• Ability to be accessible and responsive during on and off hours for operational emergencies and related SEV issues is required.

• Experience using AI tools preferred.

Supervisory Responsibility
This position will supervise employees.

Licenses and Certifications
No additional licenses or certifications required.

Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an indoor office setting with moderate noise.
*Most roles require working in an office setting with moderate noise and the ability to lift 25 pounds.*

Travel
Ability to travel to various worksites and be on call is required.

Pay Transparency
The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $79,400.00 - $144,323.00
This position is eligible for an organizational performance based annual bonus, subject to board discretion and approval.
This position is eligible for an individual performance based annual bonus.