Head of SME Lending

hackajob is collaborating with Metro Bank to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. At Metro Bank, we believe the best banking experience starts with people who genuinely care. We're not just delivering banking services - we're building trust through authentic connections. Here, our people come first; our colleagues are part of a team that values individuality, collaboration, and long-standing relationships. We are also all about balance so most of our jobs offer the opportunity for hybrid working built around your role and home life, wherever possible.

What You Will Do

• Define and lead first-line credit risk strategy across SME and Consumer lending, balancing risk appetite with growth, capital efficiency, and profitability objectives.
• Own the credit decisioning transformation roadmap, including decision engines, risk models, customer journeys, and data capabilities.
• Drive innovation in credit decisioning through advanced analytics, automation, and digital solutions.
• Develop and optimise credit decisioning frameworks, including policies, scorecards, affordability models, and underwriting strategies across acquisition and servicing.
• Act as Senior Relationship Owner for key credit data and decisioning partners, ensuring strong performance, commercial value, and strategic alignment.
• Maintain scalable, resilient, and future-ready credit architecture and platforms.
• Shape enterprise-wide credit strategy, product development, and customer propositions as a senior leadership stakeholder.
• Provide leadership across underwriting, portfolio management, modelling, and credit strategy teams.
• Hold accountability for credit performance across the full customer lifecycle, including originations, account management, collections, and recoveries.

And... we are a bank so risk is a part of everything we do. We love people who take responsibility, do the right thing for customers, colleagues and Metro Bank and have the ability to call out any concerns.

What You Will Need

• Experience leading credit risk and decisioning strategies across SME and Consumer lending, balancing risk, growth, customer outcomes, and regulatory requirements.
• Expertise managing credit performance across originations, account management, collections, recoveries, and portfolio monitoring.
• Proven track record delivering credit transformation programmes across decisioning, underwriting, risk models, data, and digital journeys.
• Strong ability to drive portfolio growth, profitability, capital efficiency, and customer outcomes through data-led strategies.
• Extensive knowledge of lending products and the development of credit strategies that support commercial and customer objectives.
• Proven leadership of large teams with the ability to influence executive stakeholders, regulators, and strategic partners to deliver business outcomes.

Our promise to you…

We will make sure that you are well-rewarded by providing you with a competitive salary, discretionary annual bonus, and a wide range of benefits, including generous holiday allowance, attractive pension scheme, healthcare, life assurance, and a number of colleague discounts! We will give you the training to ensure you succeed in your role and plenty of internal opportunities to progress your career (around 40% of our recruitment comes from internal promotions!

Diverse teams really are the best teams. We know that candidates (especially women, research tells us) may be put off applying for a job unless they can tick every box. We also know that 'normal' office hours aren't always doable, and while we can't accommodate every flexible working request we are happy to be asked. So if you are excited about working with us and think you can do much of what we are looking for but aren't sure if you are 100% there yet… why not give it a whirl? Good luck!