Principal, Appraisal Underwriting Strategy & Governance

Employee Applicant Privacy Notice Who we are: Shape a brighter financial future with us. Together with our members, we’re changing the way people think about and interact with personal finance. We’re a next-generation financial services company and national bank using innovative, mobile-first technology to help our millions of members reach their goals. The industry is going through an unprecedented transformation, and we’re at the forefront. We’re proud to come to work every day knowing that what we do has a direct impact on people’s lives, with our core values guiding us every step of the way. Join us to invest in yourself, your career, and the financial world. 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: 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. 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. 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. 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. Compensation and Benefits The base pay range for this role is listed below. Final base pay offer will be determined based on individual factors such as the candidate’s experience, skills, and location. To view all of our comprehensive and competitive benefits, visit our Benefits at SoFi page! SoFi provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, breastfeeding, and conditions related to breastfeeding), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age (40 or over), physical or medical disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military and/or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable state or federal law. The Company hires the best qualified candidate for the job, without regard to protected characteristics. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. New York applicants: Notice of Employee Rights SoFi is committed to an inclusive culture. As part of this commitment, SoFi offers reasonable accommodations to candidates with physical or mental disabilities. If you need accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, please let your recruiter know or email accommodations@sofi.com. Due to insurance coverage issues, we are unable to accommodate remote work from Hawaii or Alaska at this time. Internal Employees If you are a current employee, do not apply here - please navigate to our Internal Job Board in Greenhouse to apply to our open roles.