Mortgage Underwriter (Contract Role)

About the role: As a Mortgage Underwriter (Investment Underwriter) on Unison’s Operations team, you will play a critical role in evaluating the risk and soundness of Unison’s residential real estate investments. This position is responsible for conducting thorough due diligence across property valuation, creditworthiness, and income analysis to ensure each investment aligns with Unison’s underwriting standards and risk framework. Unison’s proprietary technology provides underwriters with a comprehensive, data-driven view of each transaction. Senior Investment Underwriters bring judgment, rigor, and experience to complement this technology, applying disciplined analysis and a principled approach to decision-making. As advanced users of Unison’s underwriting tools, you will also contribute to the continuous improvement of underwriting processes and automation initiatives, helping scale the business while maintaining strong risk controls. This is a remote position open to qualified applicants working within the United States. Responsibilities: Perform comprehensive underwriting reviews of residential real estate investments, including property valuation, applicant credit, and income analysis. Review and assess residential appraisals to ensure compliance with Unison underwriting guidelines and valuation standards. Review home inspection reports, identify deferred maintenance or risk factors, and document findings clearly and consistently. Conduct income underwriting, including analysis of documentation and calculation of qualifying income, to support credit decisioning. Serve as an escalation point for complex or higher-risk transactions, providing guidance and sound judgment to teammates and team leaders. Perform quality control reviews and internal audits, including spot checks of completed deals, to ensure consistency, accuracy, and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Provide ongoing feedback to support the refinement of Unison’s proprietary underwriting systems, decisioning models, and operational procedures. Partner with Product, Technology, and Operations teams on automation and tooling initiatives, advocating for data integrity, risk discipline, and regulatory alignment. Stay informed on trends and developments in PropTech, FinTech, and residential real estate, and proactively identify opportunities to improve underwriting quality and efficiency. Contribute to a collaborative team environment by sharing expertise, supporting peer development, and promoting underwriting best practices. About you: Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business, real estate, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. 2+ years of experience in residential mortgage, real estate, or investment underwriting; experience in senior or escalation-focused roles is strongly preferred. Strong understanding of property valuation, credit analysis, income underwriting, and residential real estate risk factors. Experience handling underwriting exceptions and escalations with sound judgment and clear documentation. Highly detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate underwriting decisions and risk considerations. Collaborative, team-oriented mindset with a willingness to mentor and support peers. Comfort working with data-driven tools and technology-enabled underwriting platforms. Why join us? The Unison team draws on a deep and wide range of talent across several disciplines. Visionaries in investment management, product development, and financial technology are joined by innovative real estate and consumer finance experts creating a unique culture. About us: Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through the Unison Agreement, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit www.unison.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. The last few years have been record breaking for Unison. We expanded our offering to 30 states, surpassed the $5B mark in real estate investments and partnered with over 7K customers through our HomeBuyer and HomeOwner programs. This tremendous growth was recognized by the Deloitte Technology Fast500 awards two years in a row as well as being included in the most recent Forbes Fintech50. Unison provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. We recognize that people come with experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require accommodations during the interview process.