Senior Credit Underwriter - SME Finance

Chamberlain Career Management; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic real estate finance lender is seeking a Senior Credit Underwriter to join their growing team in London. The role involves assessing complex credit applications, reviewing borrower's financials, and mitigating credit risks. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of SME underwriting experience and strong communication skills. This position offers an engaging and non-corporate work environment where the right individual can thrive and contribute to a robust credit strategy.

Qualifications

• 5+ years SME 'trading' business credit underwriting experience with a lending mandate in a UK bank or lender.
• Self-motivated, able to work under pressure and driven to succeed.
• Strong communication skills both written and oral.

Responsibilities

• Assess complex credit applications to determine serviceability and affordability.
• Conduct in-depth reviews of borrower financials and credit history.
• Identify and mitigate credit risks through sound judgement and data analysis.
• Support the development and coaching of junior team members.

Skills

SME trading business credit underwriting experience

Strong communication skills

Analytical skills

Self-motivated

Job description

• An established, successful, dynamic SME and Real Estate Finance lender who have recently embarked on a substantial UK wide growth and expansion programme
• By combining technology with some good common sense, they take a personalised approach to business lending
• Their lending decisions are often bespoke and it’s this personal touch that makes them different
• A small, ambitious team with diverse backgrounds working in a non-corporate, social environment
• They support each other, learn from each other, and have a lot of fun along the way

The Role

• As a senior credit underwriter, you will be an integral part of the credit underwriting team and contribute to the credit philosophy of the business
• You will be joining a growing team with an entrepreneurial, commercial mindset and make-work attitude
• You will focus on unsecured and secured SME business loans (with possible exposure if appropriate to Real Estate and Asset Finance transactions)
• Successful applicants will be granted a sign-off mandate and be expected to contribute towards streamlining the end-to-end processing of credit decisioning and development of junior team members

Key Responsibilities

• Assess complex credit applications to determine serviceability, affordability, and alignment with the company’s lending policies and risk appetite
• Conduct in-depth reviews of borrower financials, credit history, security, and repayment capacity across a range of lending scenarios
• Identify and mitigate credit risks through sound judgement, data analysis, and consistent application of underwriting standards
• Perform second-level reviews of credit decisions made by junior or peer underwriters as part of the formal four-eye process
• Provide constructive feedback and challenge where necessary to uphold credit quality and ensure consistency across the team
• Support the development and coaching of junior team members through review discussions and knowledge sharing
• Investigate and analyse the root causes of non-performing loans or arrears cases
• Prepare clear, data-backed reports offering insights and recommendations for policy or procedural adjustments
• Collaborate with Risk and Collections teams to track early warning signs and portfolio trends
• Play a key role in monthly Credit Committee meetings, presenting cases, defending decisions, and contributing to broader credit strategy discussions
• Articulate underwriting decisions and portfolio insights to senior leadership
• Maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, including Sales, Risk, and Legal, to support commercially sound and risk-aligned lending
• Identify opportunities to enhance the underwriting process through automation, data tools, or revised workflows
• Contribute to testing, implementing, and embedding new credit systems or technology solutions
• Help build scalable, consistent underwriting frameworks that support both volume growth and credit discipline
• Provide support to ensure the credit team meets service level agreements (SLAs) and turnaround expectations for deal reviews
• Prioritise workload to balance commercial responsiveness with thorough credit analysis
• Step in to support urgent cases or workflow bottlenecks where senior-level input is required

About You

• 5+ years SME 'trading' business credit underwriting experience with a lending mandate in a UK bank or lender
• Self-motivated, able to work under pressure and driven to succeed
• Strong communication skills both written and oral
• Ability to analyse and dissect information and present results in a logical and understandable format for all stakeholders across the business
• Growth mindset and ability to adapt to changing business requirements in a fast-paced business environment