Lending Associate

Puma Property Finance are looking for two Associate’s to join our Lending team in London.

Puma Property Finance facilitates development loans from £10 million to £100 million to finance residential, commercial and specialist sector projects such as hotels, student accommodation and care homes. With no capital losses to date, we've also been able to attract £1 billion of funding from established institutional investors, to complement the funds raised from our retail investors. We have provided over £2bn of funding to property developments since inception and continue to grow both our retail and institutional capital sources.

We recently entered into a new strategic partnership with Madison International Realty, a leading institutional real estate private equity firm headquartered in New York, which saw Madison acquire a 24.5% stake in Puma Property Finance Ltd and provide a cornerstone investment into our new discretionary debt fund. In addition, we have recently formed a joint venture with leading global investment firm KKR to expand UK living sector lending, providing up to £500m in senior development and stabilisation loans to fund best-in-class residential, build-to-rent and student accommodation schemes.

This is an opportunity for proactive, ambitious and commercial individuals to join our Lending team as an Associate. The Lending team has responsibility for the entire lifecycle of property finance transactions, from initial sourcing to final repayment. This role supports the origination, structuring, underwriting, and management of real estate development loans. The role collaborates closely on investment opportunities, and contributes to high quality credit analysis and execution.

• Support origination activity, including target mapping and early‑stage opportunity assessment
• Assist with reviewing information memoranda for lending opportunities
• Build and maintain cashflow models to evaluate development lending transactions
• Participate in deal structuring discussions, providing analytical and commercial input
• Conduct borrower, sector, and project research to inform underwriting decisions
• Support with the preparation of internal credit papers for approval processes
• Coordinate transaction execution with external professionals, including valuers and project monitors
• Liaise with borrowers to progress KYC, information requests, and closing conditions
• Conduct loan monitoring activities, including reviewing project monitor reports
• Complete internal reporting using proprietary systems and support portfolio oversight
• Attend site visits to understand project progress and risk considerations
• Maintain up-to-date market intelligence, through news monitoring, research and event attendance

• Experience in real‑estate finance, development finance, debt advisory, or related investment fields
• Knowledge of real‑estate development processes and financial modelling fundamentals
• Ability to interpret development appraisals, project information memoranda, and borrower materials
• Experience contributing to credit papers or investment committee materials
• Analytical capability to assess complex documentation from both a legal and commercial perspective
• Familiarity with coordination of external professionals such as valuers and project monitors
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deliver high‑quality outputs within agreed timelines, balancing need for accuracy with pace of work
• Clear and concise communication skills, both written and verbal
• Collaborative working style, with willingness to support colleagues and share insights
• Curiosity to learn about specialist sectors
• Proficiency in Excel (financial modelling) and comfort working with new internal systems

• Kind
• Values-driven
• Adaptable and willing to get stuck into whatever needs doing
• Depth of character and gravitas but operating with humility
• The drive and attitude to excel in a high-performing fast-paced environment whilst maintaining high levels of integrity
• Energy, dynamism, and passion for complex business challenge
• Organised, rigorous and disciplined
• Pragmatic and practical
• Proactive thinker with detail-oriented and creative approach…