Senior Director - Workout & Restructuring, Trading Businesses

OakNorth; London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking a Senior Director to spearhead strategies for high-risk trading businesses. This pivotal role requires extensive experience in credit restructuring and a proven ability to foster trusted relationships with borrowers and equity sponsors, emphasizing long-term sustainability.

Benefits

Equity participation

25 days holiday

Personalized benefits

Subsidised Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Wellbeing and social events

Volunteering time off

Salary sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience in workouts, special situations, or credit restructuring.
• Ability to work closely with PE sponsors and debt funds.
• Deep understanding of trading business models in distressed situations.

Responsibilities

• Lead engagement with stressed trading businesses focused on restructuring.
• Develop tailored strategies across turnarounds and debt restructurings.
• Provide oversight for high-risk credit governance.

Skills

Commercial judgment

Relationship credibility

Strong communication

Solutions-oriented mindset

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Director to lead our approach to complex and higher-risk exposures across trading businesses. This is a critical role focused on helping borrowers navigate financial stress, restructure effectively, and re-focus their operations on long-term sustainability.

The successful candidate will bring a strong track record of working closely with borrowers, private equity sponsors, and debt funds to design and implement pragmatic recovery strategies. They will combine credit acumen with commercial empathy, acting as a trusted partner to businesses during periods of change or challenge.

The role requires someone who can drive outcomes, maintain credibility with senior stakeholders, and lead complex restructurings from end to end in a fast-moving environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Workout & Restructuring Leadership
• Lead OakNorth’s engagement with stressed and distressed trading businesses, with a focus on restructuring and value preservation.
• Develop tailored strategies across turnarounds, debt restructurings, refinancing's, managed exits, or enforcement where necessary.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with management teams, advisors, and capital partners (e.g. PE sponsors, debt funds).
• Act as the lead internal and external point of contact for complex cases, owning the strategy and execution plan.
• Present recommendations to Credit Committee and other senior forums, backed by sound judgment and commercial rationale.

• Credit Governance & Portfolio Oversight
• Play a senior role in watchlist and high-risk credit governance, shaping early intervention and recovery approaches.
• Provide insight into provisioning, monitoring, and reporting practices for higher-risk credits.
• Contribute to lessons learned from restructuring cases, informing origination and credit appetite in the future.

What we are looking for:

• 10+ years’ experience in workouts, special situations, or credit restructuring, gained in:SME-focused banks, Private equity or debt funds (in portfolio, investment, or value creation teams)
• Financial advisory or turnaround firms
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with PE sponsors, debt funds, and senior borrowers in restructuring scenarios.
• Strong commercial judgment and hands-on approach — focused on helping businesses refocus and stabilise, not just exit.
• Deep understanding of trading business models and operational, legal, and financial levers in distressed situations.
• Board-level presence and relationship credibility — able to influence borrowers, internal stakeholders, and external partners.
• Strong communicator with a pragmatic, solutions-oriented mindset.
• Comfortable operating at pace and with autonomy in a high-performance culture.
• Passion for supporting the UK’s entrepreneurial and trading economy through agile, responsible credit interventions.

Benefits and Perks:

• Equity. We want people to have a stake in the business so that all our interests are aligned.
• 25 days holiday
• Personalized benefits – opt-in to what matters to you
• Subsidised Private Medical Insurance with Bupa
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Wellbeing and social events
• Support causes that matter to you – Volunteering time off
• Salary sacrifice schemes (Cycle to work, nursery, gym, electric car scheme)