Head of Unregulated Bridging in Slough

Head of Unregulated Bridging

Caravel are working with a fast-growing challenger bank that’s entering a really exciting phase of growth. With a significant balance sheet and private equity backing from a major global investor, they’re doubling down on growth, Following a recent strategic review, the bank has unified its mortgage and bridging businesses under a single leadership team, with a clear plan to build a meaningful presence in the unregulated bridging and buy-to-let markets.

This role sits right at the heart of that plan.

They’re now seeking a Head of Unregulated Bridging — someone who knows this market inside out, and who wants the chance to build a business from the ground up, properly supported by capital, structure, and intent.

Why consider this opportunity?

This is the kind of mandate that doesn’t come around often.

• Scale and backing: The bank already has a £4bn+ balance sheet and institutional backing from one of the world’s leading private equity firms, giving it the capital and stability to grow without the funding pressures faced by many specialist lenders.
• Blank canvas: Their presence in unregulated bridging is currently small, so this is a genuine opportunity to shape the strategy, team and culture from scratch — with full support from the board and the new Commercial Director.
• Clear strategic intent: The bank has taken a hard look at its approach, recognised that it previously applied a “regulated” mindset to unregulated lending, and has designed a smarter, better-resourced plan to get it right this time.
• Commercial advantage: With a lower cost of capital than most non-bank lenders, they’re able to compete aggressively on pricing while maintaining sensible risk discipline.
• Empowered leadership: You’ll have the freedom to hire, influence product direction and pricing, and work closely with experienced BDMs to drive growth.

The Role

You’ll lead and grow the Unregulated Bridging Team.Working alongside the senior leadership team, your remit will include:

• Developing the unregulated and refurbishment proposition, targeting experienced property investors and developers with loans typically up to £2.5m.
• Building broker relationships and supporting sales teams in structuring and pricing deals.
• Exercising your lending mandate to ensure the right balance between commercial growth and credit discipline.
• Managing and monitoring the loan portfolio to ensure performance and risk remain within appetite.
• Driving operational improvement, including the bank’s digital strategy for heavy refurbishment lending.
• Developing and coaching your team to create a high-performance, customer-focused culture.

What They’re Looking For

• 10+ years of property lending experience, including at least 5 years in unregulated bridging.
• Strong underwriting capability, ideally with an active lending mandate.
• Experience in refurbishment lending, including heavy refurb.
• Comfort operating in the smaller-loan end of the market (£200k–£5m).
• Commercially minded with solid broker relationships and a proven ability to grow a loan book.

The Package

• Salary: £Will share on application / enquiry – includes good base + bonus
• Benefits: 25 days holiday + 2 wellbeing days, contributory pension, private medical insurance, income protection, life and critical illness cover, and other flexible perks.