Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Role Overview

Seeking an Operations Manager to serve as the operational backbone of the Company, overseeing end-to-end operations across its licensed mortgage brokerage and mortgage investment fund. This is a broad operations role with heavy emphasis on process ownership, project management, systems, and operational infrastructure — ensuring both platforms run with precision as we scale.

While this role includes administrative and coordination responsibilities, the primary focus is building scalable systems, driving execution, and creating leverage for leadership.

You will own three critical functions:
* 1. Program Management Office (PMO) — 40%:Lead all program/project management, establish governance frameworks, run sprint planning, manage the execution scoreboard, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
* 2. Vendor & Technology Management — 15%:Coordinate and manage key service provider relationships, negotiate contracts, oversee technology stack, ensure vendor performance.
* 3. Operations — 45%:HR administration, office coordination, recruiting logistics, leadership support, systems implementation, and operational infrastructure — freeing up leadership to focus exclusively on origination and deal execution.
This is a high-impact, high-visibility role reporting directly to the Executive Director. You will be the first dedicated operations hire and will shape the operational culture and execution standards from the ground up.

This Role Is Not For
* Candidates who treat process documentation as optional rather than foundational.
* Candidates who are simply paper and button pushers with no stewardship and ownership.
* Candidates who see operations as a support function rather than the flywheel for operational excellence and advocacy across the firm.
* Candidates looking for a single threaded job with daily checklist handed to them.
* Candidates who prefer to work independently rather than part of a team.
* Candidates who don’t want to assume ownership and accountability.
* Candidates who are not self-driven proactive problem solvers.
* Candidates with poor planning, documentation and operational experience.
* Generalist administrators and project managers without financial services or lending experience.

Key Responsibilities

Program Management Office (PMO) — 40% of Role

Program & Portfolio Management
* Build and own the master project plan for all strategic initiatives across all departments
* Implement and manage ClickUp as the central project management system for the entire firm
* Load all deliverables with owners, due dates, dependencies, and success criteria
* Track portfolio-level metrics: lender relationships, broker pipeline, deal flow, hiring progress, launch milestones, operational readiness
* Maintain initiative tracker with status updates, blockers, and next actions

Sprint Planning & Execution
* Design and facilitate weekly sprint planning every Monday (30 min with leadership team)
* Run weekly sprint reviews every Friday (60 min) — green/yellow/red status on all initiatives
* Create and maintain the execution scoreboard: origination pipeline, broker network, lender relationships, deal commitments, hiring pipeline, marketing deliverables, compliance milestones
* Identify and escalate blockers immediately to CEO (no silent delays, 24-hour escalation rule)
* Document action items, decisions, and follow-ups from all meetings

Governance & Methodology
* Establish project management standards and templates (project charters, status reports, decision logs)
* Define decision-making frameworks and approval authorities (who decides what, when, how)
* Create and maintain RACI matrices for all major initiatives (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed)
* Document lessons learned and continuously improve execution processes
* Build project management playbook that codifies how the Company executes initiatives

Reporting & Dashboards
* Create executive dashboards for leadership: lender relations, deal pipeline, broker network, hiring tracker, operational health
* Prepare monthly executive summary for CEO (one-page: what got done, what’s at risk, decisions needed)
* Track and report on key metrics: cycle time from deal intake to commitment, time-to-hire, vendor SLA compliance
* Design data visualization for complex information (turn spreadsheets into compelling charts/graphs)

Risk & Issue Management
* Maintain risk register for all strategic initiatives (identify, assess, mitigate)
* Run issue escalation process (ensure critical issues get resolved within 48 hours)
* Conduct pre-mortems on major initiatives (what could go wrong, how to prevent)
* Track dependencies across initiatives and flag conflicts early

Vendor & Service Provider Management — 15% of Role
* Coordinate relationships with all service providers: outside counsel, auditors, appraisers, title companies, technology vendors, insurance providers, and others
* Establish vendor SLAs and track performa