Senior Credit Underwriter

Senior Credit Underwriter | SME Lending & Commercial Credit Decisioning

Northampton (Office-Based) | £50,000 - £70,000 DOE + Annual Bonus + Private Healthcare + Enhanced Pension + Benefits

Some credit environments are built around scorecards, rules engines and committees.

This one is built around people who can think.

The Opportunity

A high-growth specialist SME lender is seeking a Senior Credit Underwriter to take a central role within its commercial credit function. This is a business where underwriting sits at the intersection of data science, commercial lending and analytical rigour - and where the quality of individual credit judgement genuinely drives portfolio outcomes.

The organisation has invested heavily in proprietary technology, data infrastructure and AI-driven decisioning capability. The underwriting team does not simply operate within that framework - it helps to shape it. Senior Underwriters here carry real sanctioning authority, influence credit policy, and work closely with leadership on complex, higher-value and exception transactions.

Why This Role Stands Out

Challenger banking and fintech lending have produced some of the sharpest credit minds in the UK market. But many professionals at this level find themselves constrained - by risk committees, by rigid automated models that leave little room for judgement, or by growth ceilings in businesses that are scaling faster than their talent frameworks.

This business is different. It values the combination of strong analytical foundations, commercial instinct and practical underwriting experience. It is looking for someone who has developed their credit thinking in a demanding environment - and wants to apply that capability somewhere it will genuinely count.

The Role

• Assess and underwrite complex SME and commercial lending applications with full decisioning authority within delegated limits
• Evaluate financial statements, credit bureau data, management accounts, business plans and risk indicators to form independent lending views
• Manage broker-introduced and own-book applications from initial submission through to decision and documentation
• Handle referrals, exceptions and non-standard cases that require judgement beyond automated scorecards
• Mentor and support junior underwriters, contributing to the development of the wider team
• Contribute to underwriting policy development, credit appetite discussions and process improvement initiatives
• Work closely with the senior credit team, sales function and operations to ensure high-quality lending outcomes

The Candidate

You will be an experienced credit professional who has operated in a demanding, high-volume or complex lending environment. You think analytically, make decisions confidently and can articulate your reasoning clearly to internal and external stakeholders.

• Proven experience in SME lending, commercial credit, asset finance, specialist business finance or equivalent challenger/fintech lending environments
• Strong analytical capability - comfortable interpreting financial accounts, credit data, bureau outputs and risk modelling inputs
• Experience operating with meaningful delegated sanctioning authority
• Able to make and stand behind independent credit decisions under time pressure
• Commercial awareness - understands how lending decisions influence portfolio performance and business growth
• Degree-educated or equivalent intellectual profile (strong analytical A-levels and demonstrable career achievement considered)
• Unrestricted right to work in the UK

Target Backgrounds

Professionals from specialist SME lenders, new challenger banks, fintech lending platforms and technology-enabled business finance environments are particularly encouraged to apply. Asset finance, commercial finance, motor finance and retail banking backgrounds are also highly relevant where candidates have developed strong analytical and judgement-based underwriting skills.

Salary & Benefits

• £50,000 - £70,000 DOE basic salary (dependent on experience and current sanctioning authority)
• Annual performance bonus
• Private healthcare
• Enhanced pension contributions
• Life assurance
• Long-term progression into underwriting leadership and credit management

Location

Northampton. This role is fully office-based. The business operates a highly collaborative credit culture, with senior underwriters, credit leadership and the data science team working in close proximity. This environment is designed to produce better decisions, faster development and more meaningful progression. Relocation assistance is available for exceptional candidates.

If you have built your credit career in a fast-moving lending environment and are ready for a role where your judgement shapes real outcomes - rather than simply being validated by a model - this is worth a conversation.