Real Estate Collections & Default Operations Manager

Role:

The Real Estate Collections & Default Operations Manager leads the day-to-day Real Estate Collections function for consumer and commercial real estate loans and oversees designated complex default and Collections support operations, including bankruptcy administration, legal-order and payment-support controls, and centralized administrative triage. The role manages employee performance, operating priorities, delinquency and default strategy, foreclosure, delinquent tax, sold-loan, attorney, property, collateral, and assigned specialty-process activity. The manager translates leadership direction into clear team plans, establishes ownership and service standards across product lines, verifies execution, and takes timely action when performance, quality, service, or compliance standards are not met. Frontline Consumer Collections account ownership remains with the Consumer Collections Manager; this role coordinates cross-product specialty support through documented service levels and escalation standards.

Location: Our headquarters are based in Syracuse, NY. This position operates under a Hybrid Model requiring a minimum of 5 days in office per month. Additional onsite presence is required for employee leadership, training, document execution, file review, legal or foreclosure matters, property responsibilities, meetings, and other operational needs. The employee must be able to report onsite with reasonable notice.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities:

25%     Team Leadership & Operational Execution:

-Lead the daily Real Estate Collections and assigned Default Operations functions; set priorities, assignments, staffing, coverage, deadlines, and performance expectations.

-Directly manage the designated real estate employees and assigned specialty roles, including bankruptcy, legal-order and payment-support, and administrative-triage functions.

-Translate leadership direction, policies, procedures, and changes into clear team plans; teach requirements, confirm understanding, and inspect execution.

-Conduct one-on-ones, coaching, evaluations, development, and documented accountability; address performance, attendance, quality, conduct, and incomplete-work concerns promptly.

-Use data and sound judgment to remove obstacles, adjust strategy, balance workloads, and improve employee, member, and business results.

25%     Real Estate Delinquency, Default, & Foreclosure Management:

-Execute strategies to reduce delinquency, resolve defaults, limit losses, and improve consumer and commercial real estate portfolio performance.

-Monitor inventory, aging, high-balance, assigned and untouched accounts, promises, payments, legal milestones, and outcomes.

-Ensure timely contact, follow-up, documentation, escalation, and next-step action; review complex repayment, loss-mitigation, foreclosure, second-lien, and recovery decisions.

-Ensure foreclosure referrals, settlement conferences, payoff and reinstatement requests, attorney communications, sold-loan reporting, and secondary-market deadlines are accurate and timely.

-Establish ownership and backup coverage so work does not remain open because of absences, competing priorities, or unclear responsibility.

15%     Specialized Default Operations Oversight:

-Oversee bankruptcy administration and account-control activity, including timely stay and discharge controls, court and attorney deadlines, account-treatment escalation, documentation, and workflow quality.

-Oversee legal orders, restraints, levies, subpoenas, releases, related payment-support controls, and escalation of unclear legal or account-treatment requirements.

-Oversee centralized administrative triage, routing, scanning, documentation, and trained backup support for assigned Collections-owned processes.

-Ensure specialty queues, mailboxes, trackers, inventories, and scorecards have clear owners, due dates, backup coverage, quality checks, and escalation standards.

-Coordinate with the Consumer Collections Manager when specialty work affects consumer accounts; maintain clear service levels without transferring frontline account ownership.

10%     Member Engagement & Resolution:

-Ensure professional, consistent, solution-oriented service for members with delinquent real estate loans or assigned bankruptcy and specialty-support needs.

-Support hardship, repayment, loss-mitigation, complaint, and complex account resolution; intervene for escalations and negotiations within assigned authority.

-Ensure commitments, follow-up dates, documentation, and next steps are completed while balancing member support with risk and loss mitigation.

10%     Operational Controls, Reporting, & Compliance:

-Establish controls for queues, mailboxes, attorney requests, legal deadlines, bankruptcy items, legal orders, delinquent taxes, reports, assignments, and time-sensitive work.

-Define owners, backups, due dates, escalation, service levels, and completion checks across Real Estate and assigned Default Operations functions.

-Use portfolio, employee, call, queue, quality, and workflow data to identify risk, allocate resources, and act.

-Ensure records and reports are accurate, timely, audit-ready, and compliant; correct errors, missed deadlines, incomplete work, and control failures, and ensure training and regulatory requirements are met.

10%     Foreclosed Property, Collateral, Claims, & Vendor Oversight:

-Oversee title and deed work, inspections, appraisals, preservation, valuation, sale preparation, marketing, and disposition of foreclosed real estate.

-Coordinate attorneys, agents, realtors, property vendors, appraisers, insurers, and other providers; confirm licensing, bonding, insurance, and performance.

-Review collateral and recommend actions supporting the best reasonable outcome for the credit union and member.

-Coordinate mortgage insurance, collateral protection, damage, and other claims, including expenses, advances, recoveries, and documentation.

5%       Process Improvement & Cross-Functional Leadership:

-Improve workflows, controls, reporting, member service, and team efficiency across Real Estate and assigned Default Operations functions.

-Partner with Consumer Collections, Mortgage Servicing, Legal, Finance, Lending, Data and Analytics, Compliance, Human Resources, and other stakeholders; support audits, examinations, systems, and business continuity.

-Perform all other job-related duties as assigned.

Performance Measurements:

See Dayforce (HRIS) Performance Management for Goals upon start in role, and annually.

Knowledge and Skills:

Experience: 7+ years of progressive experience in mortgage collections, default servicing, foreclosure, loss mitigation, real estate servicing, bankruptcy operations, legal-order processing, or a related financial-services field, including at least 3+ years of direct people-management experience. Experience leading multiple process families, consumer and commercial real estate, sold-loan servicing, legal or vendor management, property preservation, regulatory controls, and cross-functional service delivery is preferred.

Education: A bachelor's degree in business, finance, management, real estate, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent education, training, and progressively responsible experience may be considered.

Interpersonal Skills:

Member Experience, Professional Conduct, & Quality Expectations:

-Employees in this role are expected to represent Empower FCU with professionalism, integrity, fairness, and accountability in all interactions.

-This role supports Empower FCU's commitment to Member Experience, Employee Experience, Growth for Impact, and Community Value through accurate, timely work that meets procedures, quality standards, and performance goals.

-Employees are expected to communicate professionally, use sound judgment, resolve issues appropriately, and maintain documentation supporting quality, compliance, and business continuity.

-Leaders must set clear expectations, make timely decisions, coach employees, address performance concerns, and hold employees accountable.

-Employees are expected to remain flexible in supporting priorities, cross-training, backup coverage, and time-sensitive work to ensure continuity of service.

Other Skills:

-Knowledge of mortgage collections, default servicing, foreclosure, loss mitigation, bankruptcy administration, legal-order controls, delinquent tax, sold-loan requirements, and foreclosed-property management.

-Ability to lead employees across multiple process families, manage performance, set priorities, and drive measurable results.

-Ability to translate direction into plans, teach change, confirm understanding, inspect execution, and correct gaps.

-Ability to establish and manage cross-product service levels, workload allocation, backup coverage, deadlines, escalation, and completion controls.

-Ability to analyze portfolio, employee, call, queue, quality, and workflow data and act on findings.

-Strong planning, organization, decision-making, accountability, and follow-through.

-Strong written and verbal communication with members, employees, leaders, attorneys, vendors, and partners.

-Proficiency in Microsoft Office and applicable collection, servicing, bankruptcy, reporting, legal-order, payment, and workflow systems.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods at a time, use hand to finger, handle, or feel, and to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

This Job Description is not a complete statement of all duties and responsibilities comprising the position.