Senior Underwriter - Bridging in London

About Allica Bank

Allica is the UK's fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers.

Department Description

The Bridging Department at Allica Bank is a high-energy, specialist lending team supporting established SMEs and professional property investors with fast, flexible short-term finance. Operating within a true challenger-bank environment, the team combines strong credit discipline with pragmatic decision-making, relationship-led lending, and a clear focus on delivering the right outcomes for customers. This is a fast-paced and constantly evolving department where no two days are the same. Deals are time-critical, varied, and often bespoke, requiring commercial thinking, sound judgement, and a willingness to take ownership from day one.

As the Bridging proposition continues to grow, the role and the department evolve week by week offering genuine variety, exposure, and the opportunity to help shape how the business operates. The team is lively, proactive, and highly collaborative. People are trusted to act like owners, take responsibility for their decisions, and work closely with colleagues across Distribution, Credit, Operations, and external partners to keep things moving. There is a strong emphasis on keeping things clear and simple, working at pace, and removing unnecessary barriers to getting good deals done without compromising on risk or governance.

True to Allica's values, the Bridging Department is built on teamwork, transparency, and doing the right thing for customers and the Bank. Ideas are welcomed, expertise is respected, and individuals are encouraged to challenge constructively, improve processes, and contribute to the continued success of a growing SME-focused lender. This is an environment for people who enjoy momentum, thrive on responsibility, value collaboration, and want to make a real impact in a challenger bank that is genuinely building something different.

Role Description

The purpose of this role is to underwrite larger and more complex borrowing requests across Allica Bank's Bridging proposition, received via a variety of origination channels. The Senior Underwriter will assess and structure lending proposals in line with the Bank's approved Credit Policy, risk appetite, and asset strategy, while supporting the delivery of fast, high-quality outcomes for SME and professional property clients.

The role covers a broad range of asset classes within the Bank's portfolio, including (but not limited to) residential investment properties, commercial and semi-commercial assets, and refurbishment transactions involving staged drawdowns. Senior Underwriters are expected to hold a Delegated Lending Authority mandate and to provide oversight and recommendations on approvals, policy exceptions, and escalated cases, including appeals, within their delegated authority. In addition, Senior Underwriters will act as a signatory for cases falling within lower lending mandates.

Underwriters take full ownership of each deal from initial application through to completion. This includes managing and responding to all underwriting and legal requisitions, working closely with brokers, solicitors, valuers, intermediaries, and internal stakeholders to resolve issues efficiently and progress transactions. As a senior member of the team, the role contributes to the ongoing development of the Bridging proposition, working closely with Relationship Management, Credit Risk, Operations, and other stakeholders to continuously refine processes, appetite, and ways of working in line with Allica's challenger-bank culture.

Principal Accountabilities

• Assess and underwrite larger and more complex credit applications within personal delegated authority, in line with all regulatory requirements, the Bank's credit appetite, and approved underwriting policies, utilising appropriate credit data, financial analysis, and risk assessment tools.
• Produce clear, accurate, and concise written credit papers, providing well-reasoned recommendations to the Credit team for applications falling outside personal discretion or credit policy, and escalating cases as required to the appropriate Delegated Lending Authorities.
• Undertake regular control checks and ongoing monitoring to ensure the Bank's risk management, governance, and customer information requirements are always met, escalating immediately any identified issues, breaches, or areas of concern.
• Manage and take full ownership of the end-to-end application process, from initial application through to completion, liaising effectively with brokers, valuers, asset managers, solicitors, and internal stakeholders to ensure appropriate security is in place and all lending is fully documented prior to drawdown.
• Work closely with the wider team to support effective management of the overall credit risk environment, including portfolio performance, concentration risk, and the ongoing development and refinement of credit policy.
• Liaise effectively with applicants, brokers, valuers, and other third parties to obtain additional information required to support robust and timely credit decision-making.
• Deliver an excellent level of service to customers, brokers, and Relationship Managers, building and maintaining strong, professional relationships in line with the Bank's values and customer experience standards.
• Ensure full compliance with all mandatory policies, regulatory requirements, and credit procedures, always maintaining strong internal controls and governance.
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement across the Bank and the Bridging Underwriting team, taking ownership for delivering enhancements and setting a positive example through appropriate behaviours and adherence to the Bank's values.
• Where applicable, complete monthly assurance and quality assurance dip-testing on cases agreed for direct reports, providing clear feedback, guidance, and development support as required.

Personal Attributes & Experience

• A highly accomplished underwriter with strong experience in manual underwriting within the Bridging sector, demonstrating a deep understanding of the competitive landscape, market dynamics, and evolving trends in short-term property finance.
• Strong credit and financial analysis capability, including the assessment of financial accounts, budgets, and cashflow forecasts, with the confidence to apply sound commercial judgement, make balanced risk decisions within personal discretion.
• Proven experience of confidently escalating complex cases and presenting at Credit Committee, demonstrating accountability, clarity of thought, and ownership of decisions.
• Clear, confident communicator with strong analytical, verbal, and written skills, able to explain risk, structure, and rationale effectively to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Highly organised with excellent time-management and prioritisation skills, able to thrive in a fast-paced, changeable environment.
• A collaborative team player who builds strong, trusted relationships across Distribution, Operations, Credit, and senior management, as well as with external partners including intermediaries, valuers, and solicitors.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to doing the right thing for customers and the Bank, with a thorough understanding of regulatory requirements, internal policies, procedures, risk controls, and service level expectations.
• Flexible, adaptable, and responsive to business needs, willing to adjust priorities and ways of working to meet SLAs and deliver excellent customer and broker outcomes.
• Established working knowledge of Treating Customers Fairly (TCF), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and Conduct Risk.
• Confident user of technology, with experience of CRM systems and strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word to support effective analysis, reporting, and decision-making.

Working at Allica Bank

At Allica Bank we want to ensure our employees have the right tools and environment in which to succeed in their role and in support of our customers. Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so our benefits are designed with you in mind:

• Full onboarding support and continued development opportunities.
• Options for flexible working.
• Regular social activities.
• Pension contributions.
• Discretionary bonus scheme.
• Private health cover.
• Life assurance.
• Family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity leave.

Don't tick every box? Don't worry if you don't have all the skills or requirements listed on the job description. If you think you'll be a good fit, we'd still love to hear from you!

Flexible working

We know the '9-to-5' isn't right for everyone. That's why Allica Bank is fully committed to flexible and hybrid working. Please let us know what is best for you and, if we can, we will do our best to accommodate.

Diversity

We're a diverse bunch here at Allica, with all kinds of experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. Our openness and differences make us stronger, and we want everybody to feel comfortable bringing as much of themselves to work with them as they like.