Implementation Lead

WHAT IS LOANCRATE?

We started Loancrate to make home-buying simpler and less expensive for lenders and borrowers. Today, mortgage lenders are stuck running their companies on software products built 20 years ago. These products are slow, unstable, and don't lead to material improvements in efficiency. When using these systems, the average human cost to originate a loan is still over $11,000.

Loancrate builds AI-native tooling to automate mortgage workflows. Our ultimate goal is fully automated origination, which has the potential to save lenders over $16B in operating expense per year.

Since starting in 2020, our remote team has enabled our customers to power >$85 billion in new home loans. We care about collaboration, very open communication covering the good & the bad so that we learn from our decisions quickly, and ultimately having fun while we're building. You'll fit in well if you like diving deep quickly!

THE OPPORTUNITY

Mortgage lenders don't switch loan origination systems lightly. An LOS transition touches every workflow a lender has - origination, processing, underwriting, closing - and it has to happen without slowing down the pipeline or losing a single file in the shuffle. We're looking for an Implementation Lead to own that transition from the project-management side: building the rollout plan, keeping every team on track to hit it, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks between sales, our Implementation Consultants, our Customer Success Managers, and the customer.

You'll own the full project plan for each customer implementation - milestones, timelines, who's doing what by when - while our CSMs and Implementation Consultants own the mortgage-advisory and hands-on configuration work with the customer. Your job is to be the person who can look at any implementation on any given day and say exactly where it stands, what's blocking it, and what has to happen next to hit go-live.

Because you’ll be running implementations for a mortgage lending product, you need firsthand experience leading a lender through an LOS transition. You’ve owned the project plan, coordinated the teams and dependencies, and helped take a lender through go-live. We can teach you Loancrate, our tooling, and our approach, but we’re looking for someone who already understands what it takes to keep an LOS transition moving.

This is a foundational role: you'll build the rollout methodology every future implementation follows, set the bar for how tightly we run project management across Customer Success, and be the person who turns "yes, Loancrate can do this" into a lender that's actually live.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own all project management for customer implementations - you're the single point of accountability for the plan, the timeline, and whether an implementation is on track.
• Define rollout milestones and keep every team organized around them - sales handoff, configuration, data migration, UAT, training, go-live - and make sure the Implementation Consultants, CSMs, and the customer's own team are aligned on what's due when.
• Keep Jira and Linear in sync and own regular project updates - maintain accurate statuses, owners, and next steps so customers and internal teams have a clear view of progress without having to chase for information.
• Own the coordination and follow-through for implementation meetings - prepare and distribute agendas, facilitate status discussions, capture decisions and action items, and follow up with owners so next steps keep moving.
• Build a repeatable rollout plan - turn what you learn from each implementation into a playbook and template the next one can start from, instead of rebuilding the plan from scratch every time.
• Flag risks and dependencies early - identify when a milestone is at risk, bring the right people together to resolve blockers, and escalate decisions with clear context and timeline impacts.
• Partner closely with CSMs and Implementation Consultants - you own the plan, they own the mortgage-advisory and configuration conversations with the customer; your job is to keep their work sequenced and on schedule.
• Be the internal voice for process - as we run more implementations in parallel, help Product and Engineering understand where timelines are getting stretched by product gaps versus process gaps.
• Willingness to travel - expect approximately once-a-month domestic US travel to customer sites, with occasional additional trips around key milestones like kickoff and go-live.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Within your first 90 days, you will:

• Be running the project plan for at least one active customer implementation, with milestones defined and Jira/Linear set up to keep the customer automatically informed.
• Have a clear, repeatable rollout plan template that the next implementation can be built from.
• Have run implementation meetings end-to-end - agenda, discussion, and clear next steps - without needing someone else to drive them.
• Have a direct working relationship with the Implementation Consultants and CSMs on your implementations, with a clear, mutually understood division of who owns what.

By the 12-18 month mark, you'll have run multiple lender implementations end-to-end, refined the rollout methodology into something the next hire can pick up with minimal ramp, and be a candidate to help build and lead a broader Implementation/PMO function as we scale.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND BACKGROUND

• Direct mortgage industry experience - you've worked in mortgage, ideally at a lender or mortgage tech company, and understand the origination-to-closing lifecycle well enough to build a realistic project plan around it.
• Hands-on experience with an LOS transition - you've personally been part of migrating a lender from one loan origination system to another (Encompass, Empower, Byte, or similar) and know firsthand what makes that kind of project succeed or stall.
• Strong PMO / program management background - you've run structured, multi-workstream projects with real deadlines and multiple stakeholders, and you default to clear milestones, owners, and status tracking rather than ad hoc coordination.
• Fluency with Jira and/or Linear - you can set up and maintain project tracking that stays accurate without constant manual upkeep, including external-facing visibility for customers.
• Strong meeting facilitation and written communication - you can run a room, keep a steering committee on track, and write status updates that executives and customers can act on without follow-up questions.
• Process-builder mindset - you're drawn to turning one-off project work into a repeatable system, and you document as you go rather than carrying the plan only in your head.
• Bias to action and comfort with ambiguity - we're building this function from the ground up; you'll be designing the process, not inheriting one.
• Collaborative, low-ego operating style - you'll be coordinating closely with CSMs, Implementation Consultants, Engineering, and the customer, and you know how to keep people aligned without owning every piece of the work yourself.
• Proactive, independent workstyle - you keep plans, trackers, agendas, and follow-ups moving without needing someone to remind you; when a decision is needed, you bring the relevant context and options to the right person.

PERKS & BENEFITS

• Robust medical coverage (100% of employee + family premiums covered)
• Vision & dental coverage
• 401(k)
• HSA / FSA
• Access to lender partner’s employee loan program
• Remote-first culture - work from wherever you do your best work
• Flexible time off - we trust you to manage your time

Loancrate is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.