Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. World Business Lenders is a privately held portfolio lender specializing in real estate-secured business loans for underserved businesses. The Chief Operating Officer provides operational leadership across lending operations, asset resolution, and loan administration, integrating processes, improving efficiency, monitoring performance, and coordinating cross-functional initiatives. The role reports to the CEO and supports executive decision-making through operational analysis, reporting, and recommendations.
Responsibilities
- Provide overall operational oversight across Lending Operations (Intake, Processing, Valuation, Underwriting, Title, and Closing), Asset Resolution, and Loan Administration (Servicing)
- Work directly with the functional leaders of each area to establish priorities, processes, performance expectations, and operational objectives
- Ensure the functions within Lending Operations, Asset Resolution, and Loan Administration operate as an integrated process, with clear ownership and accountability for cross-departmental workflows
- Identify operational gaps, inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and communication breakdowns across the closing and asset lifecycle
- Develop and maintain standardized operating procedures, workflows, controls, service-level expectations, and escalation processes
- Monitor operational performance and provide regular updates and recommendations to the CEO
- Work with Closing Operations leadership to monitor closing, funding, and related operational activities
- Identify recurring issues affecting Closing Operations or movement through the closing pipeline
- Coordinate with Valuations, Asset Resolution, Underwriting, Sales, Legal, Finance, and other relevant functions to improve execution
- Review operational reporting and identify trends requiring management attention
- Work with Valuations leadership to ensure valuation activities are properly integrated into closing and asset-resolution processes
- Monitor valuation volume, turnaround times, quality, exceptions, and outstanding requests
- Identify delays that affect closing, underwriting, or asset resolution and establish appropriate prioritization and escalation processes
- Identify opportunities to improve valuation efficiency, consistency, and scalability
- Work with Asset Resolution leadership to ensure assets move efficiently through the resolution process
- Monitor resolution pipelines, aging, recoveries, dispositions, and other relevant operational metrics
- Identify operational issues affecting resolution outcomes and improve coordination with Closing Operations, Valuations, Legal, Finance, and other stakeholders
- Establish consistent processes for tracking assets through resolution and escalating matters requiring executive attention
- Identify opportunities to improve recovery outcomes, reduce cycle times, and increase operational efficiency
- Provide operational oversight across Intake, Processing, Valuation, Underwriting, Title, and Closing
- Work with functional leaders to establish priorities, service levels, performance expectations, and escalation processes
- Identify bottlenecks, handoff issues, capacity constraints, and recurring problems across the lending pipeline
- Monitor operational reporting and KPIs across the lending lifecycle and recommend corrective actions
- Provide operational oversight of Loan Administration (Servicing) and its integration with the broader lending and asset lifecycle
- Monitor servicing workflows, performance, capacity, exceptions, and cross-functional dependencies
- Identify opportunities to improve servicing efficiency, consistency, reporting, and coordination with Lending Operations and Asset Resolution
- Establish appropriate escalation and accountability processes for servicing issues that affect portfolio performance or customer outcomes
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the company's end-to-end closing and asset lifecycle
- Map key processes across Closing Operations, Valuations, and Asset Resolution and clarify handoffs and responsibilities
- Develop dashboards, reporting, and KPIs that provide visibility into operational performance
- Analyze operational data to identify trends, capacity constraints, recurring problems, and improvement opportunities
- Lead cross-functional initiatives designed to improve efficiency, scalability, quality, and profitability
- Ensure process changes are appropriately communicated, documented, and implemented
- Evaluate staffing levels, workload, capacity, and organizational structure across the operational functions
- Identify needs for additional resources, technology, training, or process changes
- Establish expectations for operational accountability and performance management
- Support the development of department leaders and appropriate succession and coverage within key operational functions
- Help establish an organizational structure that can scale with the company's growth
- Encourage collaboration and accountability across departments
- Serve as the primary operational liaison across Lending Operations, Asset Resolution, Loan Administration, and executive leadership
- Serve as the operational bridge between functional operating teams and executive leaders responsible for Technology, Data & Analytics, and Finance to ensure systems, reporting, automation, resource planning, and performance objectives support the Company's broader operational strategy
- Coordinate cross-functional initiatives that connect operational processes with technology, data, and financial performance, ensuring that operational decisions and process improvements are evaluated from an end-to-end perspective
- Partner closely with the CIO, CDAO, and CFO to ensure operational teams are aligned with the Company's technology and automation strategy, data and reporting infrastructure, and financial planning and performance objectives
- Partner with Finance, Legal, Risk, Technology, Sales, Lending Operations, and other departments on cross-functional operational matters
- Prepare operational reports, analysis, and recommendations for the CEO and executive leadership
- Escalate significant operational risks, delays, resource constraints, and performance issues to the CEO
- Participate in strategic planning and operational decision-making
- Lead special projects and other initiatives assigned by the CEO
- Evaluate opportunities to improve the company's operational infrastructure and scalability
Skills
- • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field preferred
- • 7+ years of progressive experience in operations, lending, financial services, commercial finance, asset management, or a related industry
- • Experience managing or coordinating multiple operational functions
- • Experience working with senior-level leaders and cross-functional teams
- • Strong understanding of closing operations and the loan lifecycle
- • Demonstrated experience improving business processes and operational efficiency
- • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- • Ability to interpret operational data and translate it into actionable recommendations
- • Excellent communication and organizational skills
- • Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
- • Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence without unnecessarily duplicating the authority of functional department heads
- • Experience with valuations, asset resolution, servicing, collections, or related functions strongly preferred
Benefits
- Incentive compensation eligibility (equity and deferred cash bonus), based on level and company policy
- Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage
- A 401(k) with company match
- Paid holidays and paid time off (PTO)
- This is a remote role
Company Overview