Associate SME, Pre-Default Division (PDD) Process Improvement, Analytics and Operational Excellence

SME, Associate – Pre-Default Division (PDD) Process Improvement, Analytics and Operational Excellence

Project: USDA Rural Development (RD) Loan Servicing

Division: Pre-Default Division (PDD)

Location: Remote, occasional travel to St. Louis or DC offices may be required.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, core Agency hours between 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM CST (8-hour workdays expected)

Overview:

USDA Rural Development (RD) is the federal government’s investment arm for rural America — providing loans, grants, and loan guarantees to expand access to housing, utilities, broadband, healthcare, and business opportunity in the communities that private markets too often overlook. The Servicing Office (SO) provides loan servicing performance and efficiency for Rural Development (RD) programs through exemplary customer service and fiscal stewardship while cultivating a highly productive workforce. The Servicing Office (SO) manages those loans from the day they close to the day they’re paid off — ensuring families stay in their homes, rural businesses keep their doors open, and communities hold on to the infrastructure investments that keep them running.

USDA RD Servicing Office is embarking on a transformational effort to increase efficiency, elevate performance, and build operational excellence across its divisions and directorates — all in service of better outcomes for its borrowers. This SME reporting to the Head of Pre-Default Division (PDD) will be responsible for the recommendation and implementation of data-driven industry best practices, KPI design, reporting, workflow optimization, and transformation.

Pre-Default Division (PDD):

The PDD supports customers and stakeholders by providing analysis, oversight, and a single point of contact in providing loss mitigation and servicing options to seriously delinquent RD program customers. The PDD represents the agency in upholding loan servicing decisions in the appeal process for SFH Direct programs. The PDD manages and oversees the proper reporting and collection of delinquent debt for RD and FSA.

Experience & Expertise:

• Strategic understanding of USDA SFH-Direct delinquency management, including loss mitigation policy, acceleration oversight, Treasury referral governance, and cross-agency compliance expectations.

• Demonstrated ability to provide high-level guidance and decision support on complex servicing cases, including appeals, serious delinquencies, abandoned properties, and programmatic risk areas.

• Proven experience overseeing or advising on large-scale operational workflows.

• Ability to lead process modernization and efficiency initiatives.

• Strong capability to interpret and apply federal program regulations, ensuring compliance with DCIA, servicing mandates, and audit-ready documentation requirements.

• High-level analytical skills to evaluate trends in appeals outcomes, acceleration volumes, delinquency patterns, and program performance, providing insights for leadership decision-making.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills with experience engaging State Offices, Headquarters, OGC, and other federal partners on policy interpretation and servicing decisions.

• Skilled in developing and maintaining executive-quality reporting, metrics, and briefings to support strategic oversight of delinquent servicing activities.

• Strong communication and leadership presence, capable of guiding teams, influencing cross-functional partners, and representing the division in high-visibility servicing discussions.

• Demonstrated ability to drive future-focused operational improvements, including restarting dormant processes, improving data accuracy, and strengthening end-to-end servicing integrity.

 

Operational & Analytical Skills:

• Ability to evaluate process gaps, recommend operational improvements, and ensure adherence to federal servicing standards.

• Skilled in analyzing foreclosure pipeline reporting, timelines, curing opportunities, and identifying systemic issues.

• Experience developing or reviewing operating procedures and training materials for accuracy and completeness.

• Strong understanding of data integrity requirements, audit readiness, and documentation standards for federal program oversight.

 

Legal & Regulatory Competency:

• Proficient in interpreting CFR requirements, agency guidance, federal claims processes, and legal documentation associated with foreclosure and bankruptcy.

• Experience coordinating with legal counsel, understanding litigation risks, and implementing corrective actions from counsel recommendations.

 

Communication & Leadership:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of drafting guidance, job aids, policy clarifications, and training.

• Ability to collaborate with USDA leadership, quality teams, and cross-functional groups.

• Skilled at representing the program area as the technical expert during internal meetings, audits, and external reviews.

• Ability to support development of branch- level strategies, prioritize initiatives, and align foreclosure/bankruptcy operations with agency-wide goals.

• Skilled in assessing workload, identifying staffing gaps, and recommending resource distribution to maintain efficient, proactive operations.

• Capable of evaluating long-term risks, anticipating bottlenecks, and proposing improvements that move the organization from reactive to proactive posture.

 

Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency:

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, data validation, and the ability to analyze and reconcile servicing or foreclosure pipeline data.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Access or other database tools for reviewing loan-level data, building servicing reports, or supporting QC/QA processes (as referenced in resource needs for servicing-related action plans).

• Strong skills in Microsoft Word for drafting procedural guidance, contractor instructions, training materials, and workflow documentation.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook for communication, collaboration, and record management within the Servicing Office.

• Ability to use the Office Suite to support data accuracy, documentation standards, and reporting requirements across foreclosure, bankruptcy, and default workflows.

• Proficiency with Power BI, including navigating dashboards, interpreting visualizations, filtering and drilling down into portfolio and task-level data, and validating data accuracy. Capable of collaborating on report modifications and understanding how report updates (e.g., weekly/EOM refresh cycles) affect servicing workflows.