Director, Origination & Underwriting

Job Title: Director, Origination & Underwriting

Reports To: President

Location: Moncton, NB

Employment Status: Permanent, Full-Time

Joining iQ Commercial means you will be a part of our diverse workforce of highly talented individuals who are recognized for their expertise and success! Your professional expertise, commitment to teamwork and passion for service excellence are recognized and rewarded with competitive total rewards offering, a career with continuous learning and development (formal & informal training), and exciting opportunities in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.

The Role

The Director of Origination & Underwriting is a senior leadership role responsible for owning, integrating, and continuously optimizing iQ's end-to-end revenue engine - from deal origination through underwriting decisioning and funding.

This role exists to ensure that Origination & Advisory, Credit & Underwriting, Client Relations, and Lender Relations operate as a single, disciplined system, enabling sustainable growth while maintaining underwriting integrity, lender confidence, and strong client experience.

The Director operates as a control, leadership, and enablement function, not a transactional sales role or a siloed credit function.

By design, this role removes day-to-day operational friction, people management issues, and internal disputes from Partners and Executive Leadership, allowing senior leadership to focus on organizational expansion, capital strategy, and long-term growth initiatives.

This role requires a high degree of attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to accuracy and professionalism.

This position is formally designated as an Executive Track role.

Successful execution is expected to position the incumbent for progression to:

· Vice President, Origination & Underwriting

· C-suite level executive role within the organization

Main Responsibilities

Acting as the senior operational and commercial authority across Origination and Underwriting, the Director ensures disciplined execution, sound judgment, and alignment between people, process, and strategy.

Functional Area Responsibilities

• Revenue & Credit Integration: Own the integration of origination strategy and underwriting capacity; eliminate Sales ? Underwriting friction; ensure a "bankable deals only" culture; balance risk management with commercial reasonableness.
• Origination Oversight: Guide Account Managers on deal selection, structuring, and readiness; ensure front-end discipline; support complex and high-value transactions; act as escalation point for origination issues.
• Underwriting Oversight: Ensure underwriting decisions are sound, consistent, and commercially intelligent; enforce adherence to Underwriting Policies and Procedures; prevent unnecessary rigidity or policy weaponization.
• Lender Relations: Act as senior relationship lead with institutional lenders, private lenders, and CMHC; resolve lender concerns related to structure, risk, and policy interpretation; protect iQ's credibility and reputation.
• Client Relations: Own the client experience from mandate acceptance through funding; intervene in complex or sensitive files; ensure clients are treated as partners, even when files are declined or restructured.
• Operations: Oversee the day-to-day performance of origination and underwriting activities; ensure workflows are efficient, predictable, and scalable; all administrative and back-office functions are handled by Operations, Compliance, Accounting & Finance (OCAF).
• Business Development: Serve as the primary internal driver of business development; translate strategic growth objectives into target borrower profiles, asset classes, and lender strategies.
• People & Culture: Lead, coach, and develop Account Managers and Underwriters; identify leadership bench strength; reinforce iQ's culture of trust, accountability, and collaboration; act as final internal mediator for team conflicts.

Functional Area - Time Allotment

Functional Area - % of Time

Origination & Business Development Leadership - 25%

Underwriting Oversight & Credit Judgment- 20%

People Leadership, Coaching & Culture- 20%

Client Relations & Escalations - 20%

Lender & CMHC Relations- 10%

Executive Reporting & Strategic Alignment - 5%

Total - 100%

Performance Expectations

• Ensure origination and underwriting operate as a unified, disciplined system.
• Improve deal flow efficiency while maintaining underwriting integrity.
• Maintain strong lender and CMHC confidence in iQ's submissions and decision-making.
• Deliver consistent, high-quality client experiences.
• Develop and retain a highly engaged, accountable, and collaborative team.
• Own and report against the approved KPI Scorecard (monthly and quarterly cadence).
• Absorb operational friction and escalations, minimizing executive involvement.
• Demonstrate readiness for expanded executive responsibility over time.

Reporting & Accountability Expectations

Reports directly to the President, Partners and Executive Leadership.

Works closely with:

• Account Managers
• Underwriters
• Operations, Compliance, Accounting & Finance (OCAF)
• External lenders and CMHC partners

This role carries operational accountability for origination and underwriting performance. Executive Leadership retains ultimate organizational and strategic accountability.

Qualifications - What you bring to the team

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in commercial lending, underwriting, or structured finance.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing senior professionals.
• Strong lender and/or CMHC exposure considered an asset.
• Experience operating in a regulated financial services environment.
• Post-secondary education in finance, business, or a related field preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Deep understanding of commercial mortgage origination and underwriting.
• Strong credit judgment balanced with commercial pragmatism.
• Proven leadership and people management capability.
• Ability to influence without micromanagement.
• High emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong communication skills with lenders, clients, and senior leadership.
• Strategic mindset with operational execution discipline.
• High degree of integrity, discretion, and confidentiality when handling financial information.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify and resolve discrepancies.
• Adaptable and comfortable supporting special projects and changing priorities.
• Demonstrates a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.

Other Requirements

• Must consent to a Criminal Record and/or Credit Check, as required.
• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Must have driver's license and reliable transportation.

Working Conditions

• This is a full-time, salaried position based in Moncton, New Brunswick.
• Work is generally performed within an office environment with standard office equipment available.
• Evening and weekend work may be occasionally required.
• Travel will be required.

Be A Part of Something Great

iQ Commercial Mortgage Strategy exists to give borrowers smarter commercial mortgage options in a competitive, and sometimes complex lending climate.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Other duties, as assigned or deemed necessary by Management, may be required. Management reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description does not constitute a contract for employment.