Senior Underwriter

Lovey; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Lovey in Birmingham is seeking a Senior Underwriter to join our credit team. This hands-on role goes beyond a deal: you’ll underwrite larger, more complex SME loans, monitor performance after funding, and influence how we lend.

You’ll work closely with the credit leadership team to shape lending practices as we grow, with a strong focus on data-driven decisions. This full-time, office-based position offers a competitive salary and clear progression.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years underwriting experience in SME or commercial lending.
• Experience lending to asset-heavy businesses such as construction, including contract-based revenue, retentions and work in progress.
• Hands-on portfolio monitoring: annual reviews, early warning indicators and managing deteriorating credits.
• Data-driven approach: confidence-building reports, spotting trends and explaining what they mean.
• Strong financial analysis skills, with the confidence to challenge numbers and assumptions.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including presenting to committee.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite SME loan applications end to end, including complex cases in asset-heavy sectors.
• Analyse financial statements, management accounts, Open Banking data, cash flow and forecasts to build an evidence-based view of affordability and risk.
• Understand how asset-heavy businesses really make and spend money: contract-based revenue, retentions and work in progress.
• Build and maintain portfolio reporting that tracks arrears, defaults and early warning indicators.
• Run vintage, cohort and segment analysis by sector, product and risk grade, and turn the findings into practical recommendations.
• Track underwriting decisions against expectations, including approval rates, overrides and loss rates.

Skills

Underwriting experience

Financial analysis

Portfolio monitoring

Data-driven approach

Communication skills

Risk assessment

Tools

SQL

Python

BI tools (ThoughtSpot)

Job description

About the role

Lovey is a UK lender helping small and medium-sized businesses get the funding they need to grow. We're looking for a Senior Underwriter to join our credit team in Birmingham

This is a hands-on role for someone who doesn't just assess a deal and move on. You'll underwrite larger and more complex loans, keep a close eye on how the book performs after funding, and use what you see to sharpen how we lend. You'll work closely with the credit leadership team and have real input into how the function develops as we grow.

Location: Birmingham, full time office · Reports to: Head of Credit and Risk · Salary: £50,000 - £55,000

Underwriting

• Underwrite SME loan applications end to end, including complex cases in asset-heavy sectors such as construction
• Analyse financial statements, management accounts, Open Banking data, cash flow and forecasts to build an evidence-based view of affordability and risk
• Understand how asset-heavy businesses really make and spend money: contract-based revenue, retentions, work in progress

Portfolio monitoring and analysis

• Build and maintain portfolio reporting that tracks arrears, defaults and early warning indicators
• Run vintage, cohort and segment analysis by sector, product and risk grade, and turn the findings into practical recommendations
• Track how underwriting decisions perform against expectations, including approval rates, overrides and loss rates
• Carry out annual and event-driven reviews on higher-risk exposures
• Work with collections on cases showing stress, using data to agree the right approach early

Shaping how we lend

• Use portfolio insight to recommend changes to credit policy, scorecards and decisioning rules, then measure the impact
• Improving underwriting processes, data quality and the use of automation

About you:

• At least 5 years' underwriting experience in SME or commercial lending
• Experience lending to asset-heavy businesses such as construction, including contract-based revenue, retentions and work in progress
• Hands-on experience of portfolio monitoring: annual reviews, early warning indicators and managing deteriorating credits
• A data-driven approach: confidence building reports, spotting trends and explaining what they mean
• Strong financial analysis skills, with the confidence to challenge numbers and assumptions
• Sound judgement and the ability to hold a clear line on risk while staying commercial
• Clear written and verbal communication, including presenting to committee
• Experience guiding or reviewing the work of others, formally or informally

Nice to have

• SQL, Python or BI tools such as ThoughtSpot
• Exposure to automated decisioning, scorecards or credit policy writing
• Experience in a fintech or fast-growing lender