JJob Title: ContractMortgage Underwriter
Reports To: Contract Administrator or Designee
Engagement Status: Engagement Status: Independent Contractor, subject to the parties’ written agreement
Location: Remote
Service Territory: Arizona (and New Mexico starting 2027)
Approved Date: October 19, 2026
Job Summary
The Contract Mortgage Underwriter provides independent, file-based underwriting services that support Native Community Capital's mission to expand access to affordable and sustainable homeownership. The contractor evaluates residential mortgage loan applications, documents risk decisions, and determines whether files meet applicable program, investor, and NCC portfolio requirements.
The underwriter works with NCC lending staff, and authorized service providers. The work requires sound credit judgment, consistent application of guidelines, and familiarity with the land, title, leasehold, and jurisdictional considerations associated with lending on tribal trust, allotted, restricted, and fee-simple lands.
The contractor shall control the manner and means of services, may serve other clients, provides his/her own equipment, and is engaged for defined deliverables.
NCC for its part may make outcome-based quality assessments and include legal-compliance, confidentiality, security, and deadline requirements in its written agreement for services with the Contract Underwriter.
The term of a written agreement for services shall be a nonexclusive arrangement and finite with defined renewal or termination terms. A file-based statement of work shall be issued with no guaranteed volume.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
· Independently review complete mortgage loan packages and issue approval, conditional approval, suspension, or denial decisions within delegated authority.
· Evaluate borrower credit, qualifying income, employment, assets, liabilities, housing history, reserves, debt-to-income ratios, loan-to-value ratios, and compensating factors.
· Review automated underwriting findings and perform required manual underwriting when permitted and assigned.
· Analyze tax returns, transcripts, pay statements, benefit income, self-employment income, rental income, tribal income, and other documentation using applicable program standards.
· Review appraisals, title commitments, title status reports, surveys, flood determinations, insurance, purchase contracts, construction documents, legal descriptions, homesite leases, and related property documentation.
· Determine whether loan structure, collateral, occupancy, property eligibility, and requested assistance comply with program requirements.
· Identify incomplete, inconsistent, or potentially misleading information and establish clear, supportable underwriting conditions.
· Document the rationale for all material calculations, conditions, exceptions, risk factors, and final decisions in the loan origination system and underwriting worksheet.
· Review conditions and revised documentation promptly and clear only those conditions that are fully satisfied.
· Escalate suspected fraud, misrepresentation, conflicts of interest, fair-lending concerns, or material policy exceptions through NCC's established procedures.
· Communicate file-specific findings to authorized NCC staff in a timely, professional, and understandable manner.
· Maintain an accurate pipeline and meet agreed turnaround times, quality standards, and service levels.
Loan Programs
The contractor may be assigned files under one or more of the following programs:
· Conventional and NCC portfolio mortgage products.
· Down-payment and closing-cost assistance programs.
· Construction, rehabilitation, manufactured housing, or leasehold mortgage programs.
· State, federal, philanthropic, or grant-funded housing programs.
Compliance and Quality Control
· Apply current federal and state law, agency handbooks, investor guidelines, program term sheets, credit policies, and NCC procedures consistently.
· Support compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, privacy requirements, and applicable consumer-protection laws.
· Follow applicable Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money-laundering, identity-verification, fraud-prevention, data-security, and records-retention procedures.
· Base adverse decisions and conditions on documented, permissible underwriting factors and provide accurate decision information for required notices.
· Protect nonpublic personal information and use NCC systems, borrower records, and confidential program materials only for authorized services.
· Cooperate with pre-funding reviews, post-closing reviews, quality-control testing, compliance monitoring, investor reviews, and audits.
· Correct identified underwriting or documentation deficiencies within agreed timeframes and promptly disclose any material error.
Deliverables and Performance Expectations
· Complete underwriting decisions and condition reviews within the turnaround times established in applicable service-level agreement.
· Produce accurate, complete, and audit-ready underwriting worksheets, decision notices, condition lists, and file notes.
· Provide periodic production reports showing files received, decisions issued, conditions outstanding, aging, and completed reviews.
· Remain available for scheduled pipeline discussions, training, calibration reviews, and file escalation meetings as reasonably required by the engagement.
Minimum Qualifications
· At least ten years of residential manual mortgage underwriting experience.
· Demonstrated knowledge of credit analysis, income calculation, asset review, collateral review, title documentation, and mortgage fraud indicators.
· Current experience with automated underwriting systems.
· Knowledge of tribal trust-land lending, allotted and restricted lands, homesite leases, title status reports, leasehold mortgages, and Bureau of Indian Affairs or tribal realty processes.
· Working knowledge of applicable mortgage laws, agency requirements, investor standards, and fair-lending obligations.
· Ability to interpret complex program guidelines and make consistent, well-supported credit decisions.
· Strong written communication, analytical judgment, organization, and attention to detail.
· Ability to manage multiple files and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality.
· Reliable internet access, secure equipment, and a private workspace appropriate for handling nonpublic personal information.
Preferred Qualifications
· Bachelor’s Degree and/or Advanced Financial Analysis Certification(s)
· Experience underwriting for a Native CDFI, community-development lender, credit union, bank, state, municipal or tribal housing finance agency.
· Experience with Native CDFI portfolio loans, manufactured housing, construction or rehabilitation lending, and down-payment assistance.
· Experience working in a production-driven environment with quality and service-level expectations
Knowledge Skills and Abilities
· Exercise independent credit judgment within delegated authority and recognize when escalation or an exception request is required.
· Apply guidelines consistently without substituting assumptions or prohibited factors for documented analysis.
· Explain complex underwriting findings and conditions in plain language.
· Recognize documentation expiration dates, data discrepancies, red flags, and material changes in borrower or property eligibility.
· Work respectfully and effectively with people from diverse cultural, economic, and geographic backgrounds.
· Demonstrate sound judgment, professional communication, and commitment to responsible lending and borrower protection.
Contractor Requirements
· Perform services as an independent contractor under a written agreement that defines assigned products, delegated authority, service levels, compensation, invoicing, confidentiality, data security, insurance, record retention, and termination terms.
· Maintain all licenses, approvals, registrations, certifications, insurance, equipment, and business requirements applicable to the contracted services.
· Stay current on guideline changes, industry regulation changes, investor updates and system enhancements to maintain productivity and compliance.
· Disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest and refrain from reviewing any file in which impartiality could reasonably be questioned.
· Do not subcontract, transfer, or permit unauthorized access to NCC work or borrower information without prior written authorization.
· Comply with NCC security controls, approved communication methods, system-access requirements, and incident-reporting procedures.
· The contractor is responsible for taxes, insurance, and business expenses.
Work Environment and Availability
· Services are primarily performed remotely in a secure and confidential workspace.
· The contractor must maintain reasonable availability during agreed business hours for file questions and urgent escalations.
· Occasional travel or in-person meetings may be requested and will be outlined in a written agreement.
Compensation
Compensation will be established in the independent contractor agreement and may be structured as a per-file fee, hourly rate, monthly retainer, or other agreed method. Payment terms should address initial reviews, condition reviews, withdrawn or incomplete files, rush requests, quality corrections, travel, and invoicing requirements.
Equal Opportunity and Native Preference
Native Community Capital is committed to equal opportunity and a respectful, inclusive working environment. Contractor selection will be conducted in accordance with applicable law, funding requirements, and organizational policy. To the extent legally permitted, preference may be provided to qualified Native American-owned businesses or Native American professionals.
Disclaimer
This description summarizes the anticipated scope of contracted underwriting services and does not create an employment relationship, guarantee a minimum volume of work, or replace the final independent contractor agreement. NCC may adjust assignments, products, delegated authority, or service requirements based on operational needs, program requirements, funding, and contractor performance. The final agreement and actual working relationship must be reviewed for compliance with applicable independent-contractor classification requirements.
Contractor Selection
Contractor(s) shall be selected consistent with qualifications in this Position Description. This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job duties or require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter detailing their qualifications, hourly rate and interest in the position.
Application Deadline: October 30, 2026
THIS CONTRACT JOB DESCRIPTION REPLACES ALL PREVIOUS JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR THIS POSITION.
Pay: $50.00 - $75.00 per hour
Expected hours: 1.0 – 40.0 per week
Application Question(s):
- Describe your experience with tribal trust-land lending, allotted and restricted lands, homesite leases, title status reports, leasehold mortgages, and Bureau of Indian Affairs or tribal realty processes.
Experience:
- residential manual mortgage underwriting: 10 years (Required)
Work Location: Remote
