Principal, Home Loans and Commercial Valuation Strategy & Governance

The role:

We are seeking a visionary Home Loans and Commercial Valuation Strategy & Governance to serve as the organization’s definitive Subject Matter Expert (SME) on all things property value. In this high-impact role, you will be the architect of our enterprise valuation strategy across Conventional, Jumbo, FHA/VA/USDA, Closed-End Seconds (CES), HELOC, and Commercial (CRE/MF).

As the enterprise owner of valuation policy, you will design the "Valuation Engine" of the future—moving away from manual, one-size-fits-all workflows toward a sophisticated, risk-tiered approach that utilizes appraisals, evaluations, and AVMs based on data-driven complexity triggers. You will lead the transition to an analytics-led operating model, intervening directly on high-risk/complex files while automating the routine through rigorous governance.

What you’ll do: 

1. Property SME & Market Intelligence

Enterprise SME: Serve as the final authority on property valuation trends and risks across both Residential and Commercial (CRE/MF) asset classes.

Market Analysis: Maintain a deep understanding of the macro and micro-economic drivers of the housing and commercial markets.

Advisory: Provide strategic counsel to business line leaders and Credit Policy on how market shifts should impact lending appetite and collateral requirements.

1. HPI Oversight & Housing Surveillance Framework

Model Ownership: Exercise full oversight of House Price Index (HPI) models, ensuring they accurately capture market movements and volatility.

Surveillance Framework: Build and maintain a comprehensive Housing Surveillance Framework. Use HPI models and external data to monitor regional trends, identify price bubbles, and establish geographic "hot zone" triggers.

Proactive Risk Management: Integrate surveillance outputs directly into the "Valuation Engine" to automatically escalate scrutiny in volatile markets.

1. Valuation Strategy, Policy & Model Risk

Strategic Tiering: Define risk tiers and set coverage rules (Appraisal vs. Evaluation vs. AVM) based on exposure, complexity, and surveillance triggers.

The Policy Stack: Own and govern the complete policy suite, including Real-Estate Valuation, Evaluation Policy, Reconsideration of Value (ROV) Framework, and AVM Strategy.

Model Governance: Select and govern AVMs. Lead the program for testing, back-testing, and challenger modeling.

Quality & Fairness: Implement random-sample validation and bias/fairness checks. Publish performance scorecards and remediation plans to ensure alignment with OCC/Interagency guidance.

1. Strategic Partnerships & Execution

Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate with Credit Policy, Model Risk, Compliance/Fair Lending, and Originations/Servicing to drive a seamless, compliant valuation process.

RACI & Reporting: Define the enterprise RACI for valuation decisions; establish a monthly/quarterly reporting cadence for KRIs and KPIs to executive leadership.

What you’ll need:

• Experience: 15+ years of related experience in Real Estate Valuation, Housing Economics, or Collateral Risk Management.
• Education: Minimum Education Requirements such as:  Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
• SME Status: Deep technical knowledge of HPI modeling and a mastery of both Residential and Commercial property markets.
• Regulatory Mastery: Expert-level understanding of USPAP, Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines, and AVM Quality Control expectations.
• Analytical Depth: Ability to build data-driven surveillance frameworks and manage complex model-risk environments.
• Influence: Proven ability to drive results through partnership, moving the organization toward a sophisticated, tech-enabled valuation future.
• Vision: A track record of transforming manual, legacy processes into tech-enabled, automated, and risk-sensitive operating models.