Senior Credit Underwriter

Softcat; Marlow; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working pattern

Flexible hours

School pick-up flexibility

Job summary

Softcat is seeking an experienced Credit Underwriter to join the Credit Assessment team. You will work with the finance and sales teams to maintain credit risk controls and support a growing IT solutions business.

The role requires at least 5 years in underwriting, strong financial literacy, and exceptional communication. You will review credit terms, assess high-risk customers, and present decisions to internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a similar underwriting role.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build relationships across the business.
• Strong financial literacy and ability to interpret financial information.
• Ability to identify areas for positive change and drive improvements.
• Motivate others and uphold high standards of customer service and engagement.

Responsibilities

• Perform credit checks on new and existing suppliers and customers within DOA.
• Review recommendations from underwriters and provide feedback.
• Assess portfolios with high exposure, conduct regular reviews, and meet with customers to understand the business.
• Assess extended payment term requests with due diligence.
• Articulate credit check outcomes to Account Managers, in writing or verbally.
• Provide analysis and recommendations to internal stakeholders including Group Finance and Board.
• Host team meetings and present industry updates or high-risk customer information.

Skills

Credit underwriting

Exceptional communication

Financial literacy

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Job description

Would you like to kick start your career in a supportive, collaborative and innovative company?

Do you enjoy working as part of an enthusiastic, passionate, and collaborative team?

Join our Credit Assessment team

The credit underwriting and risk team is a business critical, growing, and dynamic team led by the Credit risk Manager who reports into the Head of Credit & Commercial Risk (part of the finance function). The team work closely with the sales team, financial reporting, and various areas of business operations. The credit underwriting team are ultimately responsible for the management, underwriting, and control of credit exposure to the business in what is a rapidly evolving environment.

Success. The Softcat Way.

At Softcat we want to support you at every stage of your career. Whether that means stepping up into a more senior role, taking on more responsibilities in your current role or broadening your skills and experiences in a different department, we encourage all our employees to develop and grow with us.

Your Role

The role will help lead the credit underwriting and risk team supporting our rapidly growing and dynamic IT solutions business. This passionate, highly organised individual will work closely with our finance and sales teams as well as external stakeholders, insurance brokers and customers alike, to maintain credit risk controls within an existing framework and provide a unique service to our customers.

What you'll be doing

• Performing credit checks on Softcat's new and potential suppliers within set DOA.
• Reviewing recommendations of commercial decisions written by Credit Underwriter 1 and 2 and providing feedback where possible.
• Reviewing a portfolio of customers with high exposure or risk levels, ensuring regular reviews are taking place and direct meetings are held with the customer to ensure there is a full understanding of the business.
• Reviewing extended payment term requests at order level, ensuring thorough due diligence takes place.
• Performing credit checks on Softcat's customers base, including new customers, accurately assessing the creditworthiness of the business.
• Clearly and accurately articulate the outcome of a credit check decision to the Account Manager, either verbally or in writing, outlining reasons behind the decision.
• Assessing customers with high credit limits, outside of DOA, providing an analysis of findings and providing recommendation of decision to internal stakeholders including Group Finance Controller, Group Finance Director, Group Chief Executive and the Board.
• Providing support and assistance to the Deputy Credit Risk Manager
• Hosting team meetings and presenting information including industry updates or updates on high-risk/high exposure customers.

What we need from you

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a similar underwriting role
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to develop and maintain relationships with different personalities across the business.
• Ability to identify areas for positive change and implement these.
• Ability to motivate others and instil values that align to the highest levels of customer service while maintaining high levels of employee engagement.
• Self-motivated to improve knowledge with the ability to use what you have learnt to benefit the team.
• Strength of character to stand by decisions and explain to those less familiar with credit risk.
• Ability to take calculated risks with favourable outcomes.
• Demonstrate the ability to think around a subject, considering risk implications of our current policies and procedures.
• Strong financial literacy and ability to interpret financial information and presenting this information in the form of detailed analysis.
• Strong knowledge of key industry and political risks.

Work in a way that works for you

We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone too. In this role, we can offer the following flexible working patterns:

• Hybrid working – 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home
• Working flexible hours - flexing the times you start and finish during the day
• Flexibility around school pick up and drop offs

Working with us

Wherever you work, we want you to experience the freedom and autonomy to realise your potential. You will feel supported by a team that celebrates individuality, encourages different perspectives, and embraces every background.

If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we can provide support or adjustments that you may need throughout our recruitment process or any mitigating circumstance you wish for us to consider. Any information you share on your application will be treated in confidence. You can find out more about life at Softcat and our commitments to diversity and inclusion at jobs.softcat.com/jobs/our-culture/

Here at Softcat, we don't prohibit the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in our application process, as we understand how far it can go to creating a truly equitable candidate experience. That being said, as a culture-driven organisation, we believe that the genuine essence of each person is what truly matters, so we highly encourage you to be as authentically you as possible when submitting your application to showcase your true and whole self.