VP / SVP, Operations

About Applied Business Software, Inc.,

Applied Business Software, Inc., (ABS), the maker of The Mortgage Office , is the industry leader in private lending and loan management technology. Since 1978, our software has powered thousands of lenders, including private money firms, municipalities, CDFIs, Tribal Nations, universities, franchisors, third-party servicers and other non-bank lenders, helping them streamline, automate, and scale their lending operations with confidence.

About the role

The VP / SVP, Operations is the executive owner of TMO's customer organization, spanning pre-sales engineering, tiered technical support, customer onboarding and delivery, professional services, customer success, and TMO Academy.

This leader owns the customer lifecycle from technical qualification through long-term retention. They are accountable for time-to-value, support quality, professional services margin, and gross revenue retention across the entire installed base.

Reports to the CEO and sits on the executive leadership team. The title (VP vs. SVP) is calibrated to candidate experience and demonstrated scope.

What you'll do

Customer Organization Leadership

• Lead the customer organization end-to-end, develop the management layer underneath, and build the bench needed to scale.

• Own the operating cadence of the customer org: weekly business reviews, monthly health reporting, quarterly planning.

• Manage a blended onshore + nearshore model; expand where it makes sense without compromising customer experience.

Technical Enablement & Support

• Own the tiered support model and drive measurable improvement in first-response time, resolution time, deflection rate, and CSAT.

• Partner with Sales leadership on pre-sales SE coverage, demo quality, and technical win rates.

• Run the Product SME function and TMO Academy as the company's center of gravity for internal and external product expertise - certifications, enablement content, customer training revenue.

• Direct the Force Multiplier / AI Tooling function as the org's internal AI and automation engine.

Customer Delivery & Success

• Own customer onboarding through segment-aligned Go Live motions (SMB and Enterprise), each covering Loan Servicing, Loan Origination, and Fund Management.

• Drive measurable improvement in time-to-go-live, onboarding NPS, and early-life retention.

• Run the post-sale technical solutions function: Forward-Deployed Engineers embedded at strategic accounts, Professional Services for scoped delivery, and Data Solutions Engineers for integration and data advisory.

• Own gross revenue retention as the primary outcome metric for the Customer Success function. Build the playbook, health-scoring, and renewal motion that supports it.

Cross-Cutting Operating Levers

• Define and instrument the customer org's metrics stack: GRR, time-to-value, CSAT, support SLAs, PS utilization & margin, certification volume.

• Partner with Product and Engineering on a continuous feedback loop from the field back into the roadmap.

• Partner with Sales and Marketing on expansion motions, customer references, and pricing/packaging input from the field.

• Stand up the operating reviews, dashboards and drive executive communication.

Outcomes in Year One

• A fully staffed and stable management layer across the customer org.

• Measurable, sustained improvement in gross revenue retention and time-to-go-live .

• A working tiered support model with documented SLAs, clear escalation paths, and CSAT performance worth showing customers.

• TMO Academy operating as a real product line: certifications, training revenue, and a measurable lift in customer self-sufficiency.

Qualifications

Required

• 12+ years leading customer-facing post-sales or operations organizations; 3+ years at the VP level or above.

• Direct experience running two or more of: support, professional services, customer success, onboarding/implementation, technical account management.

• Track record of owning GRR as a primary metric and improving it.

• Experience leading an organization across multiple management layers.

• Strong financial and operational rigor: you build the dashboard, you run the reviews, you hold the line on the numbers.

Preferred

• Direct experience in private lending, mortgage, or specialty finance - prior operating roles at a private lender, debt fund, loan servicer, mortgage originator, or vertical software company serving that customer base. Fluency in the mechanics of loan servicing, origination, draw management, investor reporting, and fund accounting.

• A working point of view on where the private lending industry is going: AI, regulatory pressure, capital markets dynamics, and the operational realities of running a private credit shop.

• Vertical SaaS leadership experience in financial services, lending, or capital markets technology.

• Direct experience building or scaling a tiered support model and a Forward-Deployed Engineer / FDE function.

• Hands-on experience deploying AI tooling inside a customer org - not slideware.

• Experience running a customer education / academy function with certifications.

Style

• Direct, low-ego, operationally precise. Says what you mean.

• Customer-obsessed without being soft on accountability.

• High agency - builds the org, the dashboard, and the playbook without being asked.

• Relentlessly curious - reads the field, the product, and the customer, and keeps learning.

Why Join Us?

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with company funded match.
• Mission-driven company with a 45+ year legacy and industry-leading products trusted by thousands of lenders.
• Collaborative, supportive team known for long tenure, deep expertise, and a culture built on trust and integrity.
• Help modernize and evolve the leading platform in private lending technology.
• Beautiful Huntington Beach office with a tight-knit culture.
• Competitive compensation and room for professional growth.
• Performance-based bonuses.
• Generous PTO.
• Modern workspace with on-site amenities.
• Awesome company Christmas party.

The pay range for this role is:

225,000 - 250,000 USD per year (Huntington Beach, CA)