KARA STUDYMIRE
New River,AZ
Summary
As a highly accomplished and visionary leader in business operations, I possess over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. With a proven track record of successfully spearheading strategic initiatives, I excel in optimizing processes, driving organizational change, and cultivating high-performing teams. My expertise in project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement has consistently delivered exceptional results, fostering collaboration across all levels of the organization. As a passionate advocate for continuous improvement, I seek to leverage my diverse skill set and industry knowledge to contribute to the success of a forward-thinking organization.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Closing Operations Manager
LoanDepot
12.2020 - 02.2022
- Collaborates with technical project teams to identify process gaps and work to produce optimal solutions
- Utilizes Tableau for data analytics management
- Developed and implemented efficiency tools and enhanced process flows that led to a reduction in loan cycle time by 25%
- Provides project management support for multiple work streams within Operations, including people, policy, and process
- Participated in UAT for enterprise software transition to Genesys Cloud
- Hired, trained, and cultivated the top performing closing operations team
- Received Leadership award for 2021.
Processing Operations Manager
BBVA
06.2020 - 12.2020
- Managed multiple projects which facilitated the streamline of processes and implemented operational efficiencies
- Provided ongoing support to maintain and uphold compliance programs
- Led a cross functional mortgage fulfilment team in meeting organizational objectives and KPIs
- Managed third party relationships including real estate agents, appraisers, attorneys, title companies and investors.
Contact Center Operations Manager
GTE Financial
05.2019 - 06.2020
- Maintained department knowledge base in SharePoint to include design, creation of new SOPs, and implementing cross-functional knowledge approval process
- Implemented strategies that facilitated the increase of CSAT, NPS, CES, and other critical KPIs
- Scaled contact center from the ground up including strategy development, workforce planning, training, and talent management in an omni channel environment
- Hired, coached, trained, and developed supervisors and omni teams to achieve excellence in service, quality, sales, and productivity.
Real Estate Loan Officer Manager
USAA Real Estate
08.2015 - 03.2019
- Assess training requirements, evaluates individual training needs, and promotes the development of effective team relationships and business partners
- Proactively identifies gaps to improve operational effectiveness by developing training sessions with enterprise partners to capitalize on business opportunities and improve results
- Developed a low performing team (bottom 5%), within 4 months performance level was in the top 10%
- Utilized Salesforce for performance management
- Received Leadership and Service Excellence Award (2016-2018).
Closing Operations Manager
USAA Real Estate
09.2010 - 08.2015
- Collaborated with project teams in planning, development, testing, and implementing the roll out of a new loan origination system
- Created, documented, communicated, and delivered change management roadmap, communication plan, coaching plan, training plan and resistance management plan
- Facilitated regular compliance meetings for the Closing Department which led to a 10% decrease in error rate
- Developed and facilitated training curriculum to optimize operational efficiencies within fulfilment operations.
Sr Mortgage Loan Officer
USAA Federal Savings Bank
09.2007 - 09.2010
- Developed new business relationships through leads generated from strategic client and business partnerships
- Built positive member relationships and resolved all problems throughout the application process after analyzing potential risks and benefits for each loan option
- Maintained productivity in the top 5% of peer group to include volume, quality, and member satisfaction
- Analyzed borrower's financial statements, credit, and property appraisals to determine lending feasibility.
Bank Counselor
USAA Federal Savings Bank
07.2005 - 09.2007
- Identified borrower financial needs and recommended/established products to include, consumer loans, deposit accounts, credit cards, investments, and insurance
- Maintained knowledge of current market conditions, products, services and competitors through ongoing research and analysis to ensure effective sales strategies
- Complied with regulatory requirements including the Bank Secretary Act, AML, US Patriot Act, Privacy Act and Community Reinvestment Act.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Business Management -
University of Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ05.2011
Skills
- Strategic Planning
- Team Leadership
- Customer Experience (CX)
- Operations Management
- Project Management
- Change Management
- Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
Certification
Certified Scrum Master - Scrum Alliance (2022)
Timeline
Closing Operations Manager
LoanDepot
12.2020 - 02.2022
Processing Operations Manager
BBVA
06.2020 - 12.2020
Contact Center Operations Manager
GTE Financial
05.2019 - 06.2020
Real Estate Loan Officer Manager
USAA Real Estate
08.2015 - 03.2019
Closing Operations Manager
USAA Real Estate
09.2010 - 08.2015
Sr Mortgage Loan Officer
USAA Federal Savings Bank
09.2007 - 09.2010
Bank Counselor
USAA Federal Savings Bank
07.2005 - 09.2007
Bachelor of Science, Business Management -
University of Phoenix
Certified Scrum Master - Scrum Alliance (2022)
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