Description

Job Title: Vendor Management Specialist – Mortgage Collections & Quality Control

Position Summary

The Vendor Management Specialist is primarily responsible for performing operational quality control for processes executed by external loan servicing third-party vendors, with a specific focus on mortgage collections activities. This role oversees the performance, compliance, and customer experience of vendor collection teams to ensure alignment with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and internal servicing standards.The Specialist partners directly with third-party vendors to obtain required documentation, conduct quality reviews, discuss findings, and drive corrective actions where necessary. This role also collaborates closely with Risk Management, Vendor Managers, and internal leadership to identify root causes of defects, develop corrective action plans, and monitor implementation through resolution.This position plays a key role in protecting the organization’s brand, ensuring regulatory compliance, enhancing customer experience, and helping customers stay current on their mortgage obligations to avoid foreclosure whenever possible.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Oversight & Quality Control

• Conduct operational quality control reviews of third-party vendors performing mortgage loan servicing and collections activities.
• Review call recordings, documentation, and account handling to ensure adherence to internal policies, procedures, investor guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure vendors comply with contractual service level agreements (SLAs) and operational performance standards.
• Lead weekly and monthly vendor performance and quality review meetings.
• Oversee vendor collection team performance and quality metrics, ensuring consistent alignment with internal servicing expectations.

Mortgage Compliance & Customer Experience

• Ensure vendor adherence to mortgage servicing regulatory requirements and compliance standards.
• Monitor vendor calls to confirm agents:
  • Build strong, empathetic customer relationships
  • Provide accurate and compliant information
  • Offer appropriate loss mitigation or repayment solutions
  • Focus on helping customers become current and avoid foreclosure
  • Deliver a strong, brand-positive customer experience
• Promote best practices between vendor teams and internal leadership to ensure consistent, customer-centric servicing.

Risk Management & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Risk Management and Vendor Managers to identify root causes of quality defects.
• Develop, implement, and monitor corrective action plans.
• Track recurring trends and recommend process improvements to enhance operational efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve vendor processes and overall servicing performance.

Reporting & Monitoring

• Prepare and distribute quality control dashboards and performance reports to senior management, business lines, and product owners.
• Monitor ongoing vendor performance metrics and quality trends.
• Support monthly tracking of third-party service levels to ensure compliance with contractual obligations.

Departmental & Operational Support

• Ensure department procedures are reviewed timely and updated as necessary.
• Monitor compliance training completion and internal training requirements.
• Perform vendor invoice reconciliation and processing.
• Support additional external loan servicing responsibilities as assigned.
• Ensure strong alignment between internal and external teams, fostering a “One Team” culture.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Minimum 5 years of experience in an operations environment; experience working with third-party vendors preferred.
• Strong knowledge of mortgage servicing and mortgage compliance requirements.
• Experience reviewing policies and procedures with a strong compliance mindset.
• Proven ability to identify problems, determine root causes, and drive appropriate solutions.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence across organizational levels.
• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
• Highly organized with strong administrative and PC skills.

Preferred (Nice to Have)

• Experience with MSP / Director
• Experience with outbound dialer systems.
• Background in mortgage collections oversight or loss mitigation servicing.

Core Competencies

• Strong customer experience orientation with a focus on protecting and enhancing brand reputation.
• Ability to balance regulatory compliance with empathetic customer engagement.
• Comfortable operating in a results-driven environment with defined deliverables.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to drive alignment between internal and external stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented with strong quality assurance capabilities.

Impact of the Role

This role is critical in ensuring that third-party mortgage collection vendors:

• Operate in full regulatory compliance
• Deliver high-quality, customer-centered service
• Meet contractual and performance expectations
• Help customers remain in their homes through effective servicing solutions

The Vendor Management Specialist serves as a key bridge between internal leadership and external servicing partners to ensure operational excellence and a unified customer-first approach.

Position Summary

The Vendor Management Specialist is primarily responsible for performing operational quality control for processes executed by external loan servicing third-party vendors, with a specific focus on mortgage collections activities. This role oversees the performance, compliance, and customer experience of vendor collection teams to ensure alignment with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and internal servicing standards.The Specialist partners directly with third-party vendors to obtain required documentation, conduct quality reviews, discuss findings, and drive corrective actions where necessary. This role also collaborates closely with Risk Management, Vendor Managers, and internal leadership to identify root causes of defects, develop corrective action plans, and monitor implementation through resolution.This position plays a key role in protecting the organization’s brand, ensuring regulatory compliance, enhancing customer experience, and helping customers stay current on their mortgage obligations to avoid foreclosure whenever possible.

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Oversight & Quality Control

• Conduct operational quality control reviews of third-party vendors performing mortgage loan servicing and collections activities.
• Review call recordings, documentation, and account handling to ensure adherence to internal policies, procedures, investor guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure vendors comply with contractual service level agreements (SLAs) and operational performance standards.
• Lead weekly and monthly vendor performance and quality review meetings.
• Oversee vendor collection team performance and quality metrics, ensuring consistent alignment with internal servicing expectations.

Mortgage Compliance & Customer Experience

• Ensure vendor adherence to mortgage servicing regulatory requirements and compliance standards.
• Monitor vendor calls to confirm agents:
  • Build strong, empathetic customer relationships
  • Provide accurate and compliant information
  • Offer appropriate loss mitigation or repayment solutions
  • Focus on helping customers become current and avoid foreclosure
  • Deliver a strong, brand-positive customer experience
• Promote best practices between vendor teams and internal leadership to ensure consistent, customer-centric servicing.

Risk Management & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Risk Management and Vendor Managers to identify root causes of quality defects.
• Develop, implement, and monitor corrective action plans.
• Track recurring trends and recommend process improvements to enhance operational efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve vendor processes and overall servicing performance.

Reporting & Monitoring

• Prepare and distribute quality control dashboards and performance reports to senior management, business lines, and product owners.
• Monitor ongoing vendor performance metrics and quality trends.
• Support monthly tracking of third-party service levels to ensure compliance with contractual obligations.

Departmental & Operational Support

• Ensure department procedures are reviewed timely and updated as necessary.
• Monitor compliance training completion and internal training requirements.
• Perform vendor invoice reconciliation and processing.
• Support additional external loan servicing responsibilities as assigned.
• Ensure strong alignment between internal and external teams, fostering a “One Team” culture.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Minimum 5 years of experience in an operations environment; experience working with third-party vendors preferred.
• Strong knowledge of mortgage servicing and mortgage compliance requirements.
• Experience reviewing policies and procedures with a strong compliance mindset.
• Proven ability to identify problems, determine root causes, and drive appropriate solutions.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence across organizational levels.
• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
• Highly organized with strong administrative and PC skills.

Preferred (Nice to Have)

• Experience with MSP / Director
• Experience with outbound dialer systems.
• Background in mortgage collections oversight or loss mitigation servicing.

Core Competencies

• Strong customer experience orientation with a focus on protecting and enhancing brand reputation.
• Ability to balance regulatory compliance with empathetic customer engagement.
• Comfortable operating in a results-driven environment with defined deliverables.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to drive alignment between internal and external stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented with strong quality assurance capabilities.

Impact of the Role

This role is critical in ensuring that third-party mortgage collection vendors:

• Operate in full regulatory compliance
• Deliver high-quality, customer-centered service
• Meet contractual and performance expectations
• Help customers remain in their homes through effective servicing solutions

The Vendor Management Specialist serves as a key bridge between internal leadership and external servicing partners to ensure operational excellence and a unified customer-first approach.

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.