Job Description
Head of Credit UnderwritingLocation: WolverhamptonSalary: Competitive + BenefitsType: Full-time, Permanent An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Credit Underwriter to play a pivotal role within a growing lending business. This is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing credit decision-making, managing a team of sanctioners, and working closely with the Head of Business Development to ensure high-quality, compliant lending delivered within agreed SLAs. You will be instrumental in shaping credit policy, improving processes, coaching teams, and ensuring lending decisions reflect both risk appetite and the wider macro-economic environment.
* Lead and manage the team of sanctioners, ensuring consistent, robust and appropriate credit decisions.
* Act as first-line approval for progressing new loan appraisals and due diligence submitted by BDMs.
* Ensure strict adherence to credit policies, funding rules and guarantee scheme requirements.
* Review, update and enhance credit policies, procedures and loan appraisal processes.
* Keep abreast of macro-economic, political and sector-specific risks, adapting credit policy and training accordingly.
* Organise sanctioner availability to ensure SLAs for sanction and release are consistently met.
* Provide coaching, training and development to the BDM team on loan appraisals and credit quality.
* Support the Head of Business Development with the induction and training of new BDMs.
* Provide ongoing training and support to sanctioners to drive consistency and quality.
* Work closely with Portfolio Managers to review problem loans, identify learnings, and implement improvements to credit policy and processes.
* Ensure loan paperwork is prepared accurately, efficiently and within required SLAs.
* Oversee the end-to-end process from sanction through to loan release alongside the Head of Business Development.
* Ensure loans are released efficiently and in line with service standards.
* At the end of each week, document expectations for sanction and release for the following week.
About you:
* Proven experience in credit underwriting within a lending or financial services environment
* Strong people leadership experience, including managing and developing teams
* Excellent understanding of credit risk, loan appraisal and policy governance
* Experience working closely with business development and portfolio management teams
* Commercially astute with the ability to balance risk and growth
* Highly organised with a strong focus on SLAs, process improvement and quality
* Confident communicator, able to influence at leadership level
Why Join?
* Excellent company benefits including - company pension scheme, 28 days annual leave, Healthcare cash plan, car allowance and discretionary bonus
* Senior, influential role with genuine ownership of credit strategy
* Opportunity to shape and evolve credit policy and processes
* Collaborative leadership team and growing organisation
* Clear visibility and impact at board/leadership level