Why FirstOntario?

• Competitive compensation packages
• Top-tier health and wellness benefits, including comprehensive benefits packages and health spending account
• Enhanced mental health benefits through SunLife and TELUS Health
• Exclusive banking benefits
• Up to $1000 per year towards professional development
• Pension Plan
• Company-wide Employee Volunteer program (Blue Wave Program)
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

Job Overview

As the leader of the Mortgage Broker Services team, the Director, Mortgage Broker Services is responsible for oversight of the Mortgage Broker Channel which includes effective adjudication of mortgages, building solid relationships with brokers and other internal and external stakeholders, leading the team to deliver exceptional service in meeting business objectives, and leading broker projects that add value to the member's, broker's and prospective member's experience. This exceptional team leader is a strong motivator who leads by example and has a proven record of delivering results in the face of a changing retail credit environment

Role

• Execute lending authority as delegated within your Letter of Authority (LOA) in a timely manner to respond to brokers and make decisions on mortgage applications.
• Build strong working relationships with the members of the Broker team, Business Development Managers and our network of brokers.
• Lead the Broker team to achieve the desired business objectives by providing effective quality coaching that will enable them to help them grow and excel.
• Implement service leadership processes and plans while involving staff in their creation and implementation.
• Answer questions or investigate queries from staff and third-party sources in a timely manner to help deliver on experience standards.
• Establish and maintain administrative processes, correspondence, and documentation for third party sources to ensure overall efficiency and quality control.
• Support the team's approval of credit applications within established limits and guidelines.
• Review/adjudicate ALT A and near prime applications including term and pricing.
• Act on credit decisions recommended by your staff and escalate approval recommendations as required.
• Build and utilize working relationships with internal business partners to develop and ensure compliance.
• Review and recommend changes to the Retail Lending Guidelines and Procedures Framework and ensuring all processes meet the requirements of retail lending policy .
• Implement and complete random audit/quality control of mortgage files.
• Co-ordinate and monitor the quality of credit submissions from various sources, ensuring timely and accurate submission of all retail credit report.
• Keep informed of and be willing to implement service improvements, new concepts and software technology that will improve the operating efficiency of the Mortgage Broker Services team.
• Handle broker inquiries, concerns and issues in a professional and courteous manner.
• Provide status updates on reporting changes, enhancements, and modifications to ensure issues and solutions are understood
• Stay on top of mortgage lending industry trends, best practices and the competitive landscape; bring forward fresh ideas and make recommendations on improvements to tools, services, processes and standards in support of continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance and support for the development of staff.
• Ensure staff adheres to FirstOntario's operating standards and work within FirstOntario's risk management policies, procedures and pricing practices.
• Lead a performance-based, service-oriented culture by recognizing and rewarding the appropriate behaviors and results.
• Conduct and attend regular meetings establishing a collaborative, positive and communicative team environment
• Consider health & safety as a primary concern to ensure the overall well-being of your team and members

Required Skills

• Hold a post-secondary degree or diploma in Business or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Have a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in mortgage adjudication, including a minimum five (5) years in a broker services environment.
• Have a minimum five (5) years of experience managing a team in a dynamic and demanding work environment.
• Have expert knowledge of mortgage lending industry standards, policies and procedures, credit investigation and analysis. Including but not limited to conventional, high-ratio insured, near prime and Alt-A mortgages.
• Strong ability to effectively structure a mortgage request, applying flexibility and creativity when appropriate.
• Must have knowledge of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Sagen and Canada Guaranty insurance requirements.
• Must have strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail in working with business systems and data inputs.
• Have an understanding and/or experience in financial statement analysis.
• Have proven experience managing a high-performing team, with a focus on people leadership and coaching.
• Demonstrate superior communication, interpersonal and presentation skills that you adjust to your audience
• Be a true leader in every aspect of the word who consistently walks the talk and demonstrates a positive attitude.
• Have a strong working knowledge of typical systems and platforms utilized in broker mortgage lending, including adjudication platforms, broker systems, banking systems and Microsoft Office products.
• Be an organized multi-tasker that thrives in a fast pace, time-sensitive, high-volume environment
• Be quick to respond to requests for service from all your clients
• Be aware of and mitigate enterprise risk factors and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, legislation and FirstOntario policies and procedures
• Ability to take action in difficult and challenging situations and deal with uncertainty
• Be willing to work flexible hours to accommodate business need, networking and community involvement

Interested in this role, but don't meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply! We know from experience that a candidate doesn't need 100% of the qualifications listed to bring incredible value to our team. We're actively seeking diverse backgrounds and perspectives to help make FirstOntario better. At FirstOntario, inclusion, diversity, and equity aren't just "nice to have" - they're essential to our success.

Our inclusive work environment welcomes diversity and supports accessibility. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.