Quality Control Dept. Manager
3 days ago
Orange
PropertyRate is a rapidly growing, venture capital-backed provider of valuation services for the real estate and mortgage industries, based in Orange, CA. We are currently seeking an Appraisal Quality Control Manager to join our team. We are passionate about simplifying the often complex processes of homeownership, financing, and appraisal for borrowers, lenders, and the professionals who assist homeowners with their mortgage loans. We offer team members a supportive, relaxed, and energetic environment with plenty of opportunities for personal and professional growth and advancement. We give associates a meaningful chance to influence our culture while gaining exposure and mentorship from senior team members. This role is ideal for a motivated problem solver with a keen eye for detail and a strong desire to develop their professional skills and knowledge both as an individual contributor and a collaborative team member. Position Description and Responsibilities: The Appraisal Quality Control Manager (“Manager”) will oversee and coordinate the entire appraisal review process for real estate appraisals, ensuring timely delivery, compliance with regulations such as USPAP and FIRREA, bank policies, and client or lender requirements, with clear scope definitions to meet client expectations. They will monitor appraisal pipelines and queues to ensure deadlines are met and support client and vendor relationships nationwide. They will manage the QC team by reviewing timesheets, documenting and tracking employee performance—including development opportunities—and providing feedback during scheduled 1:1 meetings to review performance history, KPI achievements, and growth potential. They will handle staff development and training, monthly team check-ins, quarterly performance reviews, and track productivity using departmental KPIs. The Manager will assist in coordinating with the Director of QC, drafting and implementing departmental policies, creating job aids, conducting training sessions, and supporting a KPI-driven, highly productive team focused on delivering appraisal support to clients and internal stakeholders, including sales, cross-division operations, and management, to ensure all needs are met or exceeded departmental standards. The Manager will also communicate with clients and internal partners to resolve file escalations, identify opportunities to improve the client experience, and promptly provide feedback to the Director of QC. They will participate in corporate projects or initiatives that require QC expertise, as determined by the Director of QC. Additionally, they will ensure the Quality Control team processes all reports efficiently and accurately, that appraisers accept, follow, and produce high-quality, credible reports, and that vendors are held accountable under their engagement agreements. Key Responsibilities: • Proactively manage and prioritize a large pipeline of appraisal reports from vendor submission to client delivery, • Oversee appraisal report volume and processing to ensure timely delivery and compliance with client requirements, • Ensure all appraisal reports adhere to federal and state regulations, including USPAP, Appraisal Independence Requirements (AIR), and client and lender requirements, as outlined in our agreements and MSAs, • Handle complex and escalated client calls and communications, identifying root causes and implementing effective solutions proactively, • Serve as the primary escalation and resolution leader by managing complex issues, fee disputes, product knowledge, challenging properties, and other related appraisal challenges, • Clearly outline and ensure understanding of associate performance expectations among your direct reports to support their performance and meet client expectations, • Understand and utilize KPI reporting metrics to steer performance goals and drive team improvements, • Provide consistent department reports to track the number of orders processed daily, weekly, and monthly, including staffing estimates for incoming volume and overtime needs, • Ensure workload is evenly distributed across tasks and that each team member's KPI achievements are balanced, • Regularly review and assess department performance metrics to support associate evaluations, training, team compensation decisions, and continuous improvement efforts, • Conduct monthly and quarterly one-on-one meetings and formal performance reviews focused on coaching, development, and ongoing improvement, • Perform high-level reviews of appraisal reports for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with regulatory standards and client-specific requirements, • Collaborate with department leaders across all areas to recommend efficient processes for enhancing client, vendor, and consumer service and experience, • Identify, draft, and suggest process improvement plans to reduce delays and improve workflow and team efficiency, • Develop, maintain, and oversee a library of training materials, including standard operating procedures (SOPs) and video tutorials, • Monitor and stay current with evolving industry standards, state and federal regulations, and order-specific rules that may impact the QC review process or workflows, • Manage the hiring, onboarding, and orientation of new associates to ensure their readiness and long-term success, • Promote a positive, collaborative workplace culture founded on accountability, clear communication, and professionalism Skills and Qualifications: The ideal manager is service-oriented and process-driven, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills, high attention to detail, and extensive knowledge of appraisal and valuation methodologies. They should have prior experience in Appraisal Review or Underwriting and possess the communication and people-management skills needed to lead a team of direct reports, collaborate with peers and executive leadership across the organization, and earn their support. The manager will be responsible for translating detailed client service needs into system functionality and operational processes that support efficient, scalable service delivery, and for assessing sales, operations, compliance reporting, and analytics. They must enjoy engaging with people, developing expertise in new areas, and helping stakeholders—including mortgage lenders, appraisers, borrowers, regulators, and team members—achieve their goal of funding mortgage loans to support homeownership and a stable housing market. The manager must quickly understand technical information, remain patient under pressure, and demonstrate insight and problem-solving skills for all client and team requests and situations, which requires strong time-management, prioritization, and multitasking abilities. To succeed in this role, the Manager should have the following qualities: • In-depth knowledge of appraisal standards (USPAP) and regulatory requirements. Skilled at identifying valuation inconsistencies, data anomalies, and risk factors, • Conducts meticulous reviews of reports to identify errors in data, methodology, or conclusions, • Capable of leading, motivating, and managing a team using KPI-driven metrics, conflict resolution, and performance evaluations, • Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage with customers, vendors, consumers, and internal departments, • Effectively communicates deficiencies to appraisers and presents findings to management., • Analyzes complex valuation issues and determines suitable corrective actions., • Oversees workflows, trains staff, and maintains, updates, or develops quality assurance procedures, • Demonstrates a strong ability to analyze data, identify process bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions, • Exhibits strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment, • Committed to delivering quality service, managing, and meeting customer expectations, • Ability to resolve appraisal discrepancies, vendor issues, or process breakdowns, • Bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance, business, or a related field (preferred), or an associate’s degree (minimum), • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite, • Over 2 years of experience in Appraisal Review and/or Underwriting., • Having an active appraiser license is a plus, but not a necessity, • Experience and knowledge in mortgage, real estate, appraisals, residential services, or other related banking industries., • Experience managing a team responsible for tracking, analyzing, and reporting individual and team performance metrics., • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment., • Base Salary: $70,000–$75,000 (depending on experience), • Bonus Structure: 5% to 12% annual bonus, paid quarterly based on KPIs, • Participation in company 401(k) plan, • Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance, • 10 Paid holidays