Relationship Manager - Credit (Maternity Cover)

Innovate UK; England; On-site; GBP 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Innovate UK seeks a Relationship Manager for maternity cover to oversee an allocated portfolio of customers. This role involves relationship management, risk assessment, and collaboration across teams to support early-stage businesses in the UK. The ideal candidate will have strong financial acumen and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

Flexible working hours

Exceptional pension scheme

Support networks and discount schemes

Qualifications

• Experience in financial services and lending activities.
• Understanding of key financial metrics and analysis.
• Experience in managing effective client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Manage relationships with an allocated portfolio of 50-75 customers.
• Conduct periodic assessments of portfolio risk profiles.
• Manage default and recovery scenarios with professional services.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Strategic awareness

Education

Degree-level education or equivalent experience

Job description

Relationship Manager - Credit (Maternity Cover)

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Relationship Manager - Credit (Maternity Cover)

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Join to apply for the Relationship Manager - Credit (Maternity Cover) role at Innovate UK

This is the Internal Only Recruitment Site for UK Research and Innovation Staff for roles within Innovate UK (UKRI).

Please apply for jobs via this site only if you are employed by UK Research and Innovation (employees with access to Innovate UK's Workday system may apply via the "Careers" application within the system).

If you are not a current UKRI employee you can view vacancies at the externally advertised stage at the links given in the "About Us information on the right". If you wish to apply for the position below, please ensure that you comply with the requirements of the recruitment process by submitting both a full CV and application letter. Ideally, you should also advise your manager of your application.

Applications must be submitted by

20-06-2025

Relationship Manager - Credit

You will be responsible for an allocated portfolio of around 50-75 customers requiring effective and efficient management.

• Please note this advert will close on the 19th June 2025 at 23.59pm.
  
  

Watch our video Why Join Innovate UK? here.

Title: Relationship Manager - Credit

Band: UKRI Band E (UKRI Ts & Cs)

Salary: £45,272 gross per annum

Reports to: Head of Portfolio

Location: Field based

Contract: Fixed Term Until (20/07/2026)

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Context

The Innovate UK Loans Portfolio Management team is responsible for the ongoing credit and operational oversight of the IUK loan book. The portfolio is made up of highly innovative, growth-oriented businesses at the cutting edge of new technologies in the UK.

We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role.

Job Purpose

You will be responsible for an allocated portfolio of around 50-75 customers requiring effective and efficient management. Spotting early signs of distress and finding ways both to support the customer and protect public money will be central to the role. Identifying opportunities to promote and praise success will be equally important.

The role will require a highly proactive and partnership approach with both internal and external stakeholders to protect the existing exposures. A key aspect of the role is to grow and develop relationships with existing Customers while successfully onboarding new customers into the portfolio.

Given the early-stage nature of companies in the portfolio there is a significantly higher risk profile than that of a commercial lender. As a result, there is an expectation that a number of borrowers will default on their loan obligations and the appropriate recoveries process will need to be managed by the Relationship Manager.

You will benefit from the support of Portfolio Analysts to support day to day activities, and as a Relationship Manager, you will be expected to help develop the Analysts within the team to foster a culture in which opportunities for continual improvement and innovation are welcomed.

Key Responsibilities And Accountabilities

• Ensure, manage and develop sustainable relationships with an allocated Innovate UK Loans portfolio
• Complete periodic assessments of portfolio risk profile, reviewing quarterly management information and reporting any changes required to customer credit grading.
• Work in conjunction with external Monitoring Officers to ensure loan funds are being appropriately utilised on designated projects, facilitating any Project or Drawdown Change Requests required.
• Manage default and recovery scenarios, working with third party professional services firms as appropriate, including lawyers, accountants, and administrators.
• Responsible for ongoing reporting to the Head of Portfolio on performance, progress, and issues
• Work collaboratively across the wider IUK Loans function including Credit, Portfolio and Lending Operations teams
• Contributing to the continuous improvement cycle for all portfolio management activities, exemplifying a culture of self-reflection, critical analysis and action
• Undertake training and development to support your personal growth within Innovate UK
  
  

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Shortlisting criteria

(S) Assessed at shortlisting

(I) Assessed at interview

(S&I) Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Person Specification

Experience & Qualifications:

Essential

• Educated to degree-level and/or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline (S)
• Experience in the financial services sector, with an understanding of both operational processes and the delivery of lending/investment activities (S&I)
• Experience of managing effective client relationships (S&I)
• Understanding of key financial metrics and ability to analyse financial statements including balance sheets, P&L and cash flow statements, preferably from a credit risk perspective. (S&I)
• Experience in managing to KPIs within in a tightly controlled environment. (S&I)
• A team player, with the ability to lead by example and collaborate effectively (S&I)
  
  

Desirable

• Experience of administration and recoveries processes. (S&I)
• Interest/background/experience in innovation or research, business competitiveness and technology policy or delivery. (S&I)
• Experience of working with public funds, including managing public money contexts. (S&I)
  
  

Competencies

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:

Thinking and Problem Solving Stakeholder management Communication skills Influencing Self-awareness/self-management Strategic awareness Working with others Project management

Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criterias listed in the person specification.

Travel Requirements

Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel.

Equality, Diversity And Inclusion

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.

UK Research And Innovation

Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/.

Employee Benefits

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Flexible Working

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

Pre-employment Screening

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Applications must be submitted by;

20-06-2025

LNKD1_UKTJ

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Entry level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Sales and Business Development

• Industries

  Non-profit Organizations

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