Head of Credit Underwriting

Head of Credit Underwriting

Location:

Wolverhampton Salary:
Competitive  Benefits Type:
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