Deputy Head of Broker Connect

Job Introduction

Handelsbanken offers a genuinely different approach to banking. We are a local relationship bank providing bespoke, customer‑led banking and wealth management services for personal and corporate customers. Our branch teams build trusted, long‑term relationships with customers in their local communities. With our decentralised ways of working, decisions are made in the branch, close to the customers. Teams decide who they work with and how best to support them, without short‑term sales targets or bonus‑driven incentives.

Instead, we focus on doing what is right for the customer, even when that means prioritising long‑term value over short‑term profit. This approach has underpinned our success for decades. Today, Handelsbanken holds the strongest credit rating among its peer banks, is independently recognised as Europe’s safest commercial bank, and is consistently ranked highly for customer satisfaction and relationship banking.

Our culture is values‑led, shaped by trust, respect, and long‑term thinking. We empower our people to use their expertise, make confident decisions and build long‑term careers. We look for people who share our long‑term vision, want to grow and want to make a meaningful impact in their local community and with the Bank.

Check our Handelsbanken website for further information.

We are currently recruiting for a Deputy Head of Broker Connect; this is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and motivated individual who can balance operational excellence with strategic leadership, helping shape the future direction of our broker proposition.

Broker Connect takes responsibility for handling selected intermediary‑introduced mortgages through their initial lifecycle. Where these opportunities align with our current relationship model and low‑risk credit appetite, Broker Connect manages the mortgage through to drawdown before passing over to the local branch to manage and develop the longer‑term relationship. A strong partnership with our branch colleagues and intermediaries throughout this process is therefore essential.

As we continue to scale our operation to complement local branch activities focused on delivering mortgage growth through intermediaries, an exciting opportunity has arisen to join the team and support the bank on this journey.

The Deputy Head of Broker Connect will play a pivotal player‑manager role within Broker Connect, combining hands‑on mortgage assessment and underwriting expertise with effective people leadership. You will support the Head of Broker Connect in driving the growth of the business, managing broker relationships, assessing new mortgage opportunities and ensuring high standards of credit quality and regulatory compliance.

Broker Connect is located in 101 Barbirolli Square, Manchester head office (BSQ). The successful applicant will be based in BSQ, Manchester and hybrid working can be considered for this role. Flexibility will be required to occasionally travel to our London head office, Woolgate, ensuring regular touch‑points with the team and the ability to attend meetings and team‑building events as and when leadership requests in‑person attendance.

• Leadership & Team Management:
  Lead, coach and develop a team of mortgage underwriters and broker‑relationship specialists to deliver exceptional service and outcomes. Act as a role model for high performance, fostering a collaborative and supportive team culture.
• Support the Head of Broker Connect in setting team objectives, monitoring performance and ensuring delivery against business goals.
• Drive continuous improvement within the team, streamlining processes and enhancing operational efficiency.

• Act as a senior decision‑maker on complex mortgage applications, balancing commercial opportunities with prudent risk management.
• Review and underwrite mortgage applications in line with internal credit policies and regulatory requirements.
• Provide expert guidance to underwriters on complex cases, ensuring consistency and sound judgment across all decisions.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of credit policies to ensure…