Job Description

LadderUp is hiring its first Mortgage Readiness Coach. Your job: coach people who cannot qualify for a mortgage today as they work toward qualifying.

No finance background needed. $50,000 to $60,000 a year based on experience, bonus eligible, with a 401(k) and health insurance reimbursement. Hybrid in Toledo, Ohio.

About LadderUp Housing

LadderUp Housing helps renters get ready to qualify for a mortgage. We estimate about 4 million U.S. renter households earn 60% to 120% of area median income and pay rent on time. Credit, debt, and savings gaps keep them from a mortgage today, not their ability to pay.

Our CLIMB platform (Credit, Lifestyle, Income, Mindset, Behavior) gives every client an online portal that tracks their progress. Clients who choose coaching also get a dedicated coach.

Clients come to us directly today, and we are opening channels with lenders and employers. We also own homes in Toledo and Akron that residents rent while they work toward buying. We are a for-profit social enterprise based in Toledo.

The role

You are our first Mortgage Readiness Coach. Inside LadderUp, we call this role CLIMB Coach. You report to our Head of Client Success, who spent a decade in mortgage lending.

You need to be a great coach and teacher, not a finance expert. You coach from our written CLIMB curriculum, and we train you on credit, budgeting, and how lenders make decisions. Your job is to make it stick: build trust, hold people accountable, and keep them moving.

You will coach LadderUp residents and CLIMB members who sign up for coaching. As our lender and employer channels open, you will also coach clients who come to us through them. At 12 months, success looks like this:

• A caseload of 150 to 200 active clients
• Every client on a written plan with a target mortgage-ready date
• A steady stream of clients reaching mortgage ready and deciding whether to purchase a home

What you'll do

• Run a full caseload. Your caseload grows to 150 to 200 active clients over your first year. You meet each client once a month for 30 minutes, mostly by scheduled video or phone. At a full caseload, expect 8 to 10 sessions a day.
• Teach the CLIMB curriculum. Walk clients through budgeting, saving, on-time payments, and building credit. Our written curriculum gives you the material. You make it land.
• Set the plan. At intake, walk each client through the CLIMB portal and review their first credit report. Then map where they stand and set a target mortgage-ready date, with milestones to hit it. Plans take hands-on work today.
• Hold people accountable. Check in, celebrate wins, and step in early when a client stalls.
• Own the data. Log every session in the CLIMB Coach Console. It is a short form we built for coaches, not the long forms you may be used to.
• Hand off ready clients. When a client is ready to apply, tell them in writing that they can choose any lender and should compare two or three. If they want an introduction, you make it, then stay in touch through closing. The lender takes the application, sets the terms, and makes the approval decision.
• Shape the product. We build CLIMB in-house. Your feedback goes straight into what we ship next.

What you bring

Social workers, teachers, and financial coaches: this role was built for you.

• 2+ years in social work, case management, teaching, financial coaching, or a similar role, helping people build new skills or habits over time
• Experience managing a large group at once, such as 100+ students across classes or 50+ clients
• Experience leading one-on-one sessions or classes, in person or by video
• Daily use of software to track progress, such as a CRM, gradebook, or case management system
• Comfort talking about money without judgment, even when it's hard
• Ability to work hybrid from Toledo, Ohio

Nice to have

• Any background in mortgage, banking, or personal finance
• Financial literacy teaching, or a credential such as the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC)

The hard parts

We would rather you know now.

• Volume. 150 to 200 clients and 8 to 10 sessions a day is a real load. Each session also takes prep: you review the client's credit, budget, and savings before you meet.
• Slow progress. Many clients start with a credit score in the 500s, or no score at all. Some miss sessions. Some backslide. Some are further from ready than they hoped, and you will tell them the truth.
• A new subject. You will learn credit and mortgage basics fast. We train you, but the first months are steep.
• Moving tools. We update CLIMB constantly, so workflows will change. The goal is to automate routine tasks, so your time goes to sessions and the prep and follow-up around them.
• Firm lines. We coach, and clients make their own decisions. We never promise score results, file credit disputes, negotiate with creditors, make loans, or recommend loan programs. Lenders set the terms and make approval decisions. You will follow strict consumer protection and fair lending rules on what coaches can say and promise.

Pay, benefits, and location

• Salary: $50,000 to $60,000 per year, based on experience
• Bonus: Eligible for bonus compensation
• Benefits: A 401(k), plus tax-free reimbursement for health insurance premiums and qualified medical expenses (QSEHRA)
• Type: Full-time
• Hours: Includes some evening or weekend sessions for clients who work during the week and/or day
• Location: Hybrid, based in Toledo, Ohio. Almost all client sessions are virtual, even on office days. No travel to our Akron or Warren markets.

How to apply

Apply on LinkedIn, or email your resume and three sentences to apply@ladderuphousing.com with "Mortgage Readiness Coach" in the subject line. Your three sentences: one person you coached or taught, where they started, and where they ended up. Applying on LinkedIn? Put them at the top of your resume. Leave out the person's name and anything else that could identify them.

If you need an accommodation to apply or interview, contact us at apply@ladderuphousing.com.

We use your application only to evaluate you for roles at LadderUp. We never sell it or share it outside our hiring team.

LadderUp Housing is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or ancestry. Nor do we discriminate based on age, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or citizenship status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We encourage people from the communities we serve to apply.

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