Director in Manchester

Director, Origination – Structured Lending(North of England)

Location: Manchester or Leeds

The Opportunity

A leading UK private credit provider is establishing a dedicated Northern origination presence to support its structured and leveraged lending platform. This is a foundational hire, you will be the senior face of the business across the North of England, building and owning a regional deal pipeline from the ground up.

The platform provides bespoke term debt facilities typically ranging from £1m–£30m to support management buyouts, shareholder equity release, buy-and-build strategies, and acquisition-led growth for owner-managed and sponsor-backed mid-market businesses. The product sits between traditional senior bank debt and equity, offering higher leverage, flexible repayment profiles, and no equity dilution.

What You\’ll Do

• Originate and develop a proprietary deal pipeline across the North of England, covering Manchester, Leeds, Yorkshire, the North East, and the wider Midlands corridor
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with private equity sponsors, debt advisors, corporate finance boutiques, and legal advisors active in the Northern mid-market
• Lead initial deal screening, structuring discussions, and term sheet negotiations for leveraged and structured lending transactions
• Work closely with credit, legal, and portfolio teams to progress transactions from origination through to completion
• Represent the business at regional events, industry forums, and in direct conversations with management teams and shareholders
• Contribute to product development and regional strategy as the Northern platform scales

What We\’re Looking For

• Demonstrable experience originating or executing leveraged, structured, or acquisition debt transactions in the UK mid-market (MBOs, buy-and-build, recapitalisations, equity release)
• Deep familiarity with cashflow-based lending structures such as; unitranche, stretch senior, structured term debt, or transitional facilities
• An established network of intermediary and sponsor relationships, ideally with meaningful coverage across the North of England
• Strong technical credit and structuring skills with the ability to assess risk, negotiate terms, and present investment cases
• Entrepreneurial mindset – comfortable building something from a standing start, not just inheriting a book
• 10+ years of relevant experience across any combination of: direct lending funds, bank leveraged/acquisition finance teams, alternative credit platforms, or debt advisory (with a desire to move to the principal side)

Backgrounds that are particularly relevant include: private debt origination, bank leveraged finance, structured finance, growth capital lending, financial sponsor coverage, and debt advisory for mid-market transactions.

Process

Applications treated in strict confidence. The hiring business will be disclosed at first interview stage to shortlisted candidates. To express interest, please apply directly or send a brief note outlining your relevant experience.