Department: Risk
Reports to: Managing Director (Branch Leader)
Location: Remote or In Office | Full-Time
Role Type: Credit & Risk Leadership | Portfolio Oversight | Branch Leadership Support
Compensation: Fixed & Variable Comp Ranging from $180,000 - $225,000
As a Director, Risk at Upright Lending, you are the credit and risk leader within a high-performing Branch, working in close partnership with the Managing Director (and Director, Lending, where applicable) to drive origination quality, ensure clean and compliant closings, and maintain post-close portfolio performance. You are accountable for the creditworthiness, capacity, and long-term health of the branch’s loan portfolio, balancing speed, borrower experience, and risk management with disciplined credit controls.
This role is designed for experienced credit professionals who bring an ownership mindset and want to play a central role in shaping borrower relationships, maintaining book health, and supporting Upright Lending’s strategic growth initiatives.
Protect and grow the branch’s portfolio by delivering clean, compliant closings, maintaining loan quality and book performance, and collaborating with branch leadership to refine systems, enhance operations, and drive borrower satisfaction.
- Serve as the credit leader within the branch, ensuring alignment between origination goals and credit standards.
- Mentor and guide Risk Associates, strengthening their underwriting, documentation, and borrower engagement capabilities.
- Foster a branch culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and shared ownership of outcomes.
- Intake and review signed term sheets and deal overviews, identifying and mitigating early-stage risks.
- Oversee the collection and verification of all required loan documentation & qualifications (structure, entity, guarantor, budgets, permits, insurance, valuations, etc.).
- Collaborate with the Managing Director to structure deals that balance borrower needs with risk and revenue goals.
- Ensure closing packages are complete and compliant, minimizing post-close issues and rework.
- Monitor post-close loan performance, including payment health, draw schedules, extensions, and borrower satisfaction.
- Identify at-risk loans early and develop remediation strategies in collaboration with leadership.
- Support extensions, renewals, and restructures to preserve portfolio health and borrower relationships.
- Actively participate in leadership committees and collaborate to identify areas of weakness or to help with prioritization refinement.
- Collaborate with executive leadership & the managing directors to execute initiatives that improve origination efficiency, book performance, and customer outcomes
- QA pass rates
- Average Time to Close and Closing Cleanliness (% of files without post-close document issues)
- Portfolio health: delinquency %, draw efficiency, extension, and renewal success.
- Branch net revenue contribution (balancing credit quality with profitability).
- Cross-functional Committee Contributions: measurable improvements in systems, policies, and borrower experience
- Recruitment & Development Outcomes for fellow Branch members
- Loans close quickly and cleanly, with minimal post-close issues.
- You maintain a healthy portfolio with low delinquency and high borrower satisfaction.
- You collaborate effectively with the Managing Director and other branch leaders to balance growth with credit discipline.
- You actively shape platform-wide improvements by contributing meaningfully to cross-functional committees.
- You mentor team members, enhancing the branch’s credit capabilities and long-term capacity.
- 5+ years in private lending, mortgage, CRE underwriting, or structured finance.
- Proven ability to balance throughput and risk, optimizing for speed and quality.
- Experience leading teams or mentoring junior credit professionals.
- Familiarity with origination, CRM, and portfolio management systems.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Ownership mindset focused on branch profitability, portfolio performance, and strategic impact.
This role offers competitive base compensation, significant performance-based incentives, and the opportunity to lead credit strategy and portfolio performance within a high-performing branch, contributing meaningfully to Upright Lending’s mission and growth.
