Mortgage Underwriting Lead - Credit

Job Title: Mortgage Underwriting Lead - Credit

Location: Manchester

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 neg + Bonus + Banking Benefits

Role Overview

Exciting and newly created leadership opportunity for experienced credit/underwriting professional to join award winning UK Bank. You will be the face of underwriting for the bank with excellent stakeholder engagement skills, managing a team of 12 senior specialist mortgage underwriters. The role is suited to an individual who enjoys working at pace and with a credit background and mindset. Background in specialist residential and buy-to-let sectors.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of specialist underwriters handling high-value and complex mortgage applications
• Structuring and checking complex deals
• Manage underwriting decisions for exposures up to £10 million
• Own delegated underwriting authority and ensure adherence to lending policy and risk frameworks
• Manage mandate frameworks that support responsible lending across specialist residential and buy-to-let sectors
• Deliver strong technical capability within the first line, able to assess relevant areas of portfolio lending, corporate financials and property credit risk
• Act as escalation point for exceptions, appeals, and loan restructuring
• Protect the bank from unexpected bad debt through responsible lending practices
• Build strong relationships with distribution partners and external brokers
• Optimize underwriting KPIs and processes to enhance broker and customer experience
• Monitor bad debt drivers and work with partner teams to strengthen controls
• Partner with credit risk teams to develop and refine credit policy

Essential Experience:

• Proven leadership in property credit underwriting
• Strong credit function and operational management background
• Experience shaping risk and credit policy
• Commercially minded with analytical decision-making skills
• Excellent communication skills and regulatory knowledge
• Track record of developing talent and leading high-performing teams

Regulatory: This is a Conduct role under SMCR requiring background checks.

If you think this is the role for you, please apply now!