Head of Credit & Underwriting – Asset & Leasing | up to £150k | London or Manchester | Hybrid working in Manchester Area

Job description

Role: Head of Credit

Location: Wimbledon or Manchester – hybrid working (3 days in office)

Salary: £120,000 - £150,000 + bonus (10% to 27.5%), pension, benefits

This is a big one - a senior Head of Credit role within a specialist UK lender where you’ll shape how credit decisions are made across the whole Asset & Leasing business. It’s a leadership position with real influence, full ownership of underwriting standards and policy, and a chance to work closely with senior people across the organisation.

You’ll oversee a decentralised credit function of 40+ underwriters across multiple offices, supported by senior credit managers, a central underwriting team and an asset audit function. You’ll sit on Credit Committee, and play a central role in how the bank approaches risk, underwriting discipline and portfolio quality.

This isn’t a narrow role. You’ll lead credit across small, medium and large corporate lending, providing judgement, coaching and direction to teams handling everything from straightforward small-ticket deals through to complex structured facilities. You’ll also guide the development of credit policy, oversee QA, support key projects, and help the business understand how credit appetite translates into day-to-day decisions.

It’s also a role that comes with real responsibility. It’s classified as a Material Risk Taker, which means your decisions genuinely matter, the business trusts you to make calls that have a meaningful impact on the portfolio and the wider group.

So, if you experience in:

• Leading credit and underwriting teams across SME, mid-corporate and large corporate lending
• Exercising a large personal delegated credit authority
• Underwriting complex asset finance and leasing transactions
• Running credit policy, QA frameworks, asset audit and in-life portfolio management
• Supporting major risk projects such as IRB, IFRS9, affordability and model development
• Providing SME credit advice to senior stakeholders and shaping how credit appetite is applied

And have:

• A strong background in commercial or asset finance credit risk with a strong background in Underwriting
• Knowledge of small, medium and corporate SME lending
• Solid understanding of security, legal and documentation risks
• Knowledge of credit scoring models, decisioning frameworks and how IRB fits into lending strategy
• Experience developing and mentoring high-performing credit teams
• The confidence to challenge where needed and the communication skills to bring people with you
• Held a large personal mandate
• A grounded, pragmatic approach to risk, balancing good business with good judgement

Then we want to speak with you – and so will they!

This is a rare opportunity to step into a senior leadership role with real breadth, trust and visibility. You’ll join a business that values collaboration, supports its people, and gives you the space to genuinely influence how credit is run. If you want a role where your experience actually matters and your impact is felt across the organisation, this is the one to look at.

We’re happy to share the full spec or chat through what makes this role such a standout opportunity. Just let us know what works best for you.

Send your CV and we can set up a call to talk around the opportunity in more detail.

info@meetskillful.com / chris.manning@meetskillful.com

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Manchester Area

Type of Contract

Part-time jobs

Published at

28-11-2025

Profession type

Accountancy

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English