Lead Underwriter - SME Lending

Social network you want to login/join with: We’re seeking a highly skilled and commercially minded Lead SME Underwriter to take ownership of underwriting processes across a rapidly scaling lending platform. You’ll be instrumental in shaping the credit strategy, driving high-quality credit decisions, and balancing risk with the needs of a fast-moving commercial environment. This is a rare opportunity to join a fintech scale-up at a key stage in its growth and have a direct impact on lending performance, risk appetite, and automation. Key Responsibilities Lead end-to-end underwriting for SME customers, including reviewing financials, credit data, bank feeds, and behavioural insights to make informed decisions. Refine and apply the credit policy, ensuring decisions align with risk appetite and commercial strategy. Collaborate with Sales, Product, and Risk to ensure credit decisions are scalable, fast, and customer-friendly. Support development of automated underwriting models and contribute to data-led decisioning improvements. Manage exceptions and borderline cases, applying sound judgment in fast-paced scenarios. Monitor portfolio performance and suggest changes to policy or processes based on emerging trends. Act as the subject matter expert on SME credit, coaching junior underwriters or operations team members. Contribute to credit committee discussions and support investor/lender reporting where required. Requirements: Proven experience in SME or commercial underwriting, ideally in a fintech, alternative lender, or challenger bank. Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret financial statements, bank data, and credit reports. #J-18808-Ljbffr