Senior Manager - Specialist Underwriting

HSBC; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A large international banking organization is seeking a Senior Manager – Specialist Underwriting in Sheffield. This role involves leading a new team to evaluate complex mortgage applications and develop the specialist lending function. Ideal candidates will have extensive mortgage underwriting experience and be CEMAP certified. The role supports hybrid working with on-site requirements three days a week. Competitive benefits include private healthcare and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Private healthcare

Enhanced maternity and adoption pay

Contributory pension scheme

Qualifications

• Significant experience in mortgage underwriting.
• Experience with complex/self-employed income and loan to value risk.
• Ability to demonstrate strategic thinking within the UK Mortgage Market.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with leadership to enhance the underwriting process.
• Lead a team and provide technical guidance.
• Perform detailed affordability assessments.
• Apply manual underwriting judgement with flexibility.
• Drive engagement and maintain performance SLAs.
• Foster a customer-centric culture and improve underwriting policies.

Skills

CEMAP certified

Mortgage underwriting experience

Strategic thinking

Excellent decision making

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Tools

Credit Lending Originations software (Omiga, MPO)

Job description

If you’re looking for a career where you can make a real impression, join HSBC and discover how valued you’ll be.

HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world, with operations in 64 countries and territories. We aim to be where the growth is, enabling businesses to thrive and economies to prosper, and, ultimately, helping people to fulfil their hopes and realise their ambitions.

We are currently seeking an experienced professional to join our team in the role of Senior Manager – Specialist Underwriting.

This is an exciting new role where you will have the opportunity to take ownership, shape, and expand the function. You will report to the UK Head of Underwriting & Financial Crime Operations. Initially, you will work with our Product and Credit Risk Teams to design and establish the requirements of the operation and then be expected to recruit and lead a team of Specialist Underwriters. The new Specialist Underwriting Team will evaluate complex residential and Buy-to-Let mortgage applications, conduct manual underwriting, analyse affordability, and make risk‑based decisions using good judgement.

Specialist lending represents a material growth opportunity for HSBC given it’s a segment of the market that HSBC has historically been underrepresented in. It is one of the key pillars in the Secured Lending growth strategy as it taps into high‑net‑worth customers aligned to our Premier and Wealth propositions, enables a wider reach within our intermediary channel as well as driving higher return business.

As an HSBC employee in the UK, you will have access to tailored professional development opportunities and a competitive pay and benefits package. This includes private healthcare for all UK‑based employees, enhanced maternity and adoption pay and support when you return to work, and a contributory pension scheme with a generous employer contribution.

In this role you will:

• Collaborate with senior leadership at HSBC to understand the underwriting process and develop a plan for specialist lending within the organization. This involves designing the structure of the team and defining its role within the company.
• Lead and develop your team, working closely with colleagues onshore and offshore to ensure a coordinated approach to enhancing client experience is achieved. Provide technical guidance to their team of Specialist Underwriters and relevant stakeholders.
• Perform detailed affordability assessments, including non‑standard income and complex applicant profiles.
• Apply manual underwriting judgement with freedom to apply common sense without the restrictions of rigid credit scoring.
• Drive the engagement & enablement of the team you will lead and others you may sit within, maintaining performance SLAs in line with agreed expectations.
• Foster a culture of ongoing improvement with a customer‑centric approach, prioritising trust in all your endeavours. Play a role in reviewing underwriting policies and enhancing customer journey processes.

To be successful in this role you should meet the following requirements:

• CEMAP certified, with significant mortgage underwriting experience, coupled with a strong working knowledge of lending types such as BTL Portfolio Landlord Lending.
• Comfortable with complex/self‑employed income, loan to value risk and layered affordability.
• Able to use advanced Credit Lending Originations software such as Omiga, MPO or similar.
• Ability to demonstrate strategic thinking with experience in change and optimisation within the UK Mortgage Market.
• Excellent decision making, analytical and communication skills.

This is a hybrid working role which can be based in Leeds, Birmingham or Sheffield. On‑site 3 days a week.

Opening up a world of opportunity

Being open to different points of view is important for our business and the communities we serve. At HSBC, we’re dedicated to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces – no matter their gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or age. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring careers at HSBC are inclusive and accessible for everyone to be at their best. We take pride in being a Disability Confident Leader and will offer an interview to people with disabilities, long‑term conditions or neurodivergent candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

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