Head of Underwriting

You will thrive in this role if you balance commercial judgement with responsible risk management, and bring confident, values-driven leadership along with deep expertise in credit risk and mortgage lending. You’ll communicate clearly and credibly with senior stakeholders and committees, build trusted relationships, and lead with clarity, integrity and accountability.

You will also join a supportive and collaborative team where ideas are welcomed, expertise is valued and autonomy is encouraged. This highly visible senior role offers a significant opportunity to influence the Society’s mortgage lending proposition and shape the future of our credit strategy.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Tasks will include:

• Leading the application of our lending policy, ensuring alignment with MCOB and wider regulatory expectations.
• Monitoring credit and conduct risks, using MI to spot trends, emerging risks and opportunities.
• Recommending changes to lending policy and processes based on market, regulatory and portfolio insights.
• Driving operational effectiveness, consistency and quality across underwriting and valuation activity.
• Overseeing key third party relationships linked to underwriting and valuation services.
• Championing continuous improvement of lending processes and the customer and intermediary journey.
• Embedding a strong risk culture and delivering excellent customer outcomes.
• Leading, developing and empowering underwriters to perform at their best.

Essential skills and experience:

• Strong understanding of credit risk management and able to make sound underwriting decisions.
• Proven experience leading underwriting, credit or mortgage servicing teams.
• Sound knowledge of the external property and mortgage market, and regulatory framework.
• Ability to interpret MI and provide clear, proportionate recommendations.

Desirable skills and experience:

• Existing or recent senior leadership role in a bank or building society.
• Experience contributing to senior level committees.
• Direct involvement in lending policy development.
• Exposure to specialist lending (e.g. lending in/into retirement or shared ownership).

• We want to help you develop – we are accredited by the Financial Services National College for the quality of our learning and development practices. No matter your role, there will be opportunities to take on new responsibilities and be involved in projects to further your career.

• We want to look after and reward you - you will receive a generous holiday allowance, contributory stakeholder pension scheme, access to wellbeing programmes, and your birthday off.

• We care about our communities – as well as providing financial services, we get involved in supporting local charities and people. This means regular opportunities to volunteer, fundraise, and help with community events and activities. All employees also receive two paid days of volunteering every year to help causes they feel passionately about.

Learn more on our Life at Newbury page.