Head of Credit Monitoring & Approval - Real Estate

This well-established international bank, celebrating over five decades of successful operations in key international markets, operates with a strong foundation of traditional values and modern banking practices. With a presence across 11 countries and four continents, it provides a broad range of financial services tailored to corporate, commercial, and personal banking needs. The institution maintains a global footprint through branch offices, subsidiaries, service companies, and representative offices spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Its services include FI, capital markets, trade finance, wealth management, Real estate banking, and treasury solutions.

This role reports to the Head of Credit, who in turn reports to the Chief Risk Officer / SMF4.

Responsible for ensuring credit quality at the approval stage, monitoring the ongoing credit dynamics of the credit portfolio at a macro and micro level post sanction and the compliance of credit risk with Group policy and local regulatory guidelines. The jobholder will be able to demonstrate a full understanding of the UK regulatory environment and the principles of secured commercial lending with particular emphasis on the SME segment of the UK market. Responsible for keeping up to date the Bank’s credit approval framework, including establishing the independent credit risk approval process to identify, assess, monitor, measure and control credit risk at the front end application stage; coordinate with all control functions to obtain updates on regulatory and operational changes pertaining to the bank’s credit risk; create KPIs for credit risk portfolio performance and team efficiency and effectiveness; facilitate the development of clearly defined & updated policies & procedures for credit approval; manage key credit reporting internally to UK & Zurich and external reporting to Auditors, regulators and relevant stakeholders; assume responsibility for the timely review of process/products/credit facility applications; provide timely and accurate information to the external and internal auditors and the compliance function as and when required.

Responsibilities:

• Establish structured end to end independent review process for Credit Approval Unit
• Establish key performance metrics for the Credit Approval Unit – relating to Risk Mitigation, Quality & Comprehensiveness of Review & Efficient & Effective Processing of Credit proposals.
• Objectively assess credit proposals, identifying key risk issues and researching a reasoned conclusion. •Approve credit proposals within delegated authority.
• Take ownership of reporting requirements internally and externally in relation to the monitoring of credit facilities.
• To organise and or participate in Credit Committee meetings to review and make recommendations relating toproposals.
• To minute credit decisions in CCC meetings, recommend urgent credit requests to CCC members through circulation, andcommunicate credit decisions to CAD in an efficient and effective way.
• Review credit policies and procedures and update them in line with Group requirements, industry trends, regulatoryrequirements, improved risk management & risk mitigation.
• Provide support to the Head of Credit, including deputising and representing the department at both Country and Global Credit Committees.
• Assess a variety of real estate lending proposals, including commercial and residential buy-to-let (BTL) loans, commercial mortgages, and trade finance facilities.
• Lead and manage the Credit Monitoring Team and the Credit Approval Unit, overseeing a team of six.
• Review and recommend enhancements to credit policies and processes to increase operational efficiency.
• Serve as a voting member of the Country Credit Committee and the Watchlist Committe.