Paul Keefer

Team-Oriented Leader & Product Manager

Six Sigma Black Belt 21+ Years Leadership Financial Lending Expert
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Paul Keefer Portrait

Professional Summary

Team-oriented leader with over 21 years of corporate management experience.

With 30 years in financial lending Sales, Operations, and Compliance, I bring a wealth of expertise as a Six Sigma Black Belt in Product Management, Quality Assurance, and Lean Manufacturing. I am adept at driving continuous improvement and managing complex business operations to achieve executive goals, with experience working across the U.S. in both in-office and remote environments.

Core Competencies

💼

Management

Department Management & Executive Alignment

🏭

Manufacturing

DMAIC & Lean Manufacturing (5Ss, 8 Areas of Waste)

🛡️

Compliance

Mortgage Lending Compliance & Risk Management

📉

Analytics

HMDA Reporting, Fraud Audits & Data Analytics

🚀

Product

Product Management & SOP Development

💻

Technical

Encompass Administration & GUI/UX Design (VOC)

📈

Sales

Consumer direct, B2B, and Sales Support

⚙️

Operations

Daily execution, team leadership, and continuous improvement

📋

Project Management

Project Manager, Business Owner, and Voice of Customer (VOC)

Professional Experience

Dec 2024 — Feb 2026

Product Manager

Peak Residential Lending

  • Led product identification and documented build blueprints for financial products.
  • Developed marketing materials and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for operations.
  • Co-Managed HMDA data quality and regulatory reporting.
  • Championed continuous improvement of launched products to support sales and operations teams.
Nov 2023 — Nov 2024

Quality Assurance Team

Edwards Lifesciences

  • Conducted cleanroom inspections and audits to ensure compliance with FDA ISO Class 4 Cleanroom standards.
  • Monitored SOP adherence and redirected staff thereby maintaining quality targets within high-precision medical manufacturing environments.
June 2011 — April 2023

Multiple Corporate Management Roles

Academy Mortgage

  • Served as Product Desk Manager, Credit Authority Manager, Risk Manager, and Post Closing Manager for a national mortgage bank.
  • Performed fraud audits, quality audits, and credit policy exception research for executive leadership.
  • Managed software administration, developed educational job aids, and oversaw loss mitigation processes.
Jan 2009 — June 2010

National Closing & Funding Manager

SecurityNational Mortgage

  • Directed national closing and funding functions, managing and training staff nationwide.
  • Identified process gaps and conducted retraining for Closers and Funders.
  • Collaborated with Warehouse Line management and Funding Desk teams.
Feb 2006 — Dec 2009

President and Owner

The Processing Department, Inc.

  • Managed all aspects of C-Corp entity creation, growth, and operations.
  • Designed business process flows and GUI mockups for custom software development.

Diverse Experience & Skills

Sales

7 years straight commissioned Mortgage Loan Officer sales.

White Collar

23 years corporate management.

Trades

Hobby Homebuilder: Equipment operation, framing, OSHA, blueprint reading, and crew management.

Blue Collar

University of Utah Grounds Crew. Keefer Landscaping co-owner, operator and crew chief.

Light-Blue Collar

9 years photo lab experience: MSDS, OSHA, and precision manufacturing excellence. FDA Cleanroom Quality Assurance.

Software

Custom software development, AGILE, and software admin experienced.

Education

Bachelor of Science, Communications

Emphasis in Public Speaking | University of Utah

Minor in Creative Writing

Certifications

  • Six Sigma Black Belt Certification — David Eccles School of Business
  • Lean Manufacturing Certification — David Eccles School of Business
  • Executive Leadership Series — David Eccles School of Business
  • Licensed Mortgage Loan Officer (UT & NV) — NMLS #308266
  • Eagle Scout, BSA