Mortgage Operations Director at Rettie & Co. · Edinburgh

Key details

Job Title: Mortgage Operations Director Reports to: Head of Sales & Financial Services Department: Financial Services

About the role

The Mortgage Operations Director is an operational leadership role created to support the next phase of Rettie Financial Services’ development. The purpose of the role is to lead the day-to-day operation of the mortgage and protection business, working closely with advisers, administrators, colleagues across the wider Rettie business, and relevant central functions to improve conversion, service delivery, workflow discipline, training, customer outcomes and income performance. The role will also support coordination with marketing where this helps improve visibility, customer engagement and referral activity, and will help identify external referral opportunities that can broaden the reach and commercial impact of Financial Services.

The role is expected to be highly visible across the business, with frequent in-person travel to all physical Rettie locations. A core part of the role will be spending time with teams, observing workflow, supporting branch engagement, delivering training, reinforcing standards and helping advisers and branch colleagues convert opportunities effectively.

Key responsibilities

Operational leadership

• Lead the day-to-day operating rhythm of the mortgage and protection function.
• Coordinate adviser and administrator workload, priorities and case progression.
• Drive consistency of standards across lead handling, customer contact, fact-find quality, application progression and follow-up.
• Ensure service standards are clear, understood and actively managed.

Visibility, travel and branch engagement

• Travel frequently to all physical Rettie locations to support branch teams and advisers in person.
• Spend regular time with branch leaders and front-line teams to improve referral quality, conversion and customer feedback loop.
• Deliver practical team training, refreshers and coaching sessions across locations.
• Reinforce Financial Services standards, service expectations and customer outcome requirements through visible leadership.

Adviser and administrator support

• Provide practical day-to-day support to advisers and administrators.
• Identify bottlenecks, stalled cases and operational barriers, and help resolve them quickly.
• Support consistency, pace and accountability across the customer journey.

MI and performance management

• Produce and maintain weekly and monthly MI covering referrals, contact rates, conversion, pipeline, case progression, service performance and adviser activity.
• Translate MI into clear actions and improvement plans.
• Escalate underperformance, service risks or recurring issues promptly.

Customer outcomes and control

• Maintain focus on customer service, clear communication and good outcomes.
• Escalate complaints, potential breaches, vulnerable customer concerns and service failures promptly.
• Support appropriate record keeping, action tracking and evidence of operational oversight.

Continuous improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve process, service and productivity.
• Support implementation of MAB process updates and internal operating changes.
• Promote consistent ways of working across the function and across all locations.

Key requirements

• CeMAP qualified, with a strong working knowledge of mortgage and protection advice processes;
• Strong operational leadership experience in mortgage, protection or a closely related financial services environment;
• Credibility working directly with advisers, administrators, branch leaders and front-line sales teams;
• Ability to travel regularly and lead visibly across multiple physical office locations;
• Strong organisational and workflow management capability;
• Ability to use MI to drive practical action and accountability;
• Clear and confident communication style, including the ability to train and coach teams in person;
• Practical, hands-on approach to problem solving; and
• Good understanding of regulated operating environments and customer outcome expectations.

Competencies

• Visible and hands-on leadership style;
• Commercially aware;
• People-focused, while maintaining clear on standards;
• Able to motivate others and create positive momentum;
• Comfortable positively and constructively challenging colleagues where standards, pace or outcomes need to improve;
• Comfortable working at pace and across multiple locations;
• Confident following through on actions; and
• Able to balance service, control, training and income objectives.