At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead credit risk strategy for Retail and SME lending, ensuring growth and compliance.
- Company: Join a large UK lender with a flexible working culture in Central London.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary and the opportunity for impactful leadership.
- Other info: 6-month contract with line management responsibility and career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in credit decisioning and drive sustainable growth.
- Qualifications: Senior leadership experience in credit decisioning and lending portfolio strategy required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Gresham Hunt have partnered with a large UK lender who are looking to appoint an Interim Head of Credit Risk covering their Retail and Commercial SME lending portfolios. The role is based in Central London with a high degree of flexible working.
This is a senior, hands-on leadership position with end-to-end accountability for credit strategy from acquisition and underwriting through to portfolio performance and decisioning architecture. You'll be central to delivering sustainable growth, strong risk-adjusted returns, and regulatory compliance across the lending book.
Responsibilities:
- Defining and owning the first-line credit risk strategy across SME and Consumer lending, balancing risk appetite with growth, capital efficiency, and profitability
- Leading the roadmap for credit decisioning transformation including next-generation decision engines, credit risk models, customer journeys, and data capabilities
- Owning and optimising credit decisioning frameworks: policy, scorecards, affordability models, and manual underwriting approaches across acquisition and servicing
- Acting as Senior Relationship Owner for key third-party credit data and decisioning providers, covering performance, commercials, and strategic alignment
- Maintaining scalable, resilient, and future-proof credit architecture and platforms
- Providing clear leadership across underwriting, portfolio management, modelling, and decisioning strategy
- Holding accountability for credit performance across the full lifecycle: originations, account management, line management, collections, and recoveries
Experience Required:
- Senior leadership experience owning credit decisioning and lending portfolio strategy
- A track record of accountability for credit performance at scale
- Experience leading large-scale credit decisioning transformation projects
- Proven ability leading multi-disciplinary teams within regulated financial services environments
- Comfort delivering transformational change alongside day-to-day BAU performance
- Degree or equivalent professional qualification; advanced credit/risk qualifications advantageous
Contract Details:
- 6-month interim engagement
- Line management responsibility
Interim Head of Credit Risk (Retail and SME) - 6 month contract employer: Gresham Hunt
Gresham Hunt is an exceptional employer located in the vibrant Greater London area, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation. Employees benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, allowing for significant career growth while working alongside industry leaders in a supportive environment. With a focus on building strong relationships across various departments, this role provides a unique chance to make a meaningful impact within the organisation.
