At Nationwide, we put our members at the heart of everything we do and every role, no matter what it’s doing, has a part to play in this. The Secured Credit Risk team is responsible for managing the asset quality of the Society’s mortgage portfolios, including defining and maintaining lending policy, ensuring robust governance, and providing expert credit risk advice across the business.
The Policy & QA team plays a critical role in ensuring that our lending framework remains aligned to risk appetite, regulatory expectations and customer outcomes. We combine expert judgement, data-led insight and strong governance to support effective decision-making and maintain high standards across our lending operations.
We now have an exciting opportunity to join our Policy & QA team to help shape and evolve our secured and unsecured lending policies and governance framework.
So, if you have a passion for doing the right thing in the right way for our members, enjoy influencing outcomes and want to operate at the heart of credit risk decision-making, this may be the role for you.
We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best.
At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this job, you'll be assigned to our nearest regional hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events in one of our office sites. This is anticipated to be once per month in Swindon. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.
Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.
Responsibilities
What you’ll be doing
This role focuses on the design, oversight, and governance of secured and unsecured credit policy, ensuring that lending standards remain robust, appropriate, and aligned with both internal risk appetite and external regulatory expectations. It involves leading policy reviews and change initiatives, taking ownership of delivery while maintaining a clear understanding of business priorities and risk requirements. The role also includes producing high-quality committee papers that clearly articulate policy proposals, supported by balanced, evidence-based analysis and well-reasoned recommendations, as well as using data and expert judgement to identify emerging risks and shape policy within the organisation’s control framework.
A key element of the position is maintaining strong governance and regulatory oversight. This includes supervising QA activity and using insights gained to inform policy improvements and strengthen Credit Risk Underwriting oversight. The role requires leading and delivering effective governance processes, including annual policy reviews, ensuring alignment with responsible lending expectations and regulatory standards. It also involves coordinating responses to regulatory and internal assurance requests, such as due diligence exercises, complaints, and oversight forums, ensuring all outputs are accurate, comprehensive, and aligned to expectations.
In addition, the role has a strong leadership focus, involving the coaching, development, and support of analysts to promote best practice in policy review, analysis, and documentation. It contributes to building a high-performing, collaborative team through effective leadership, continuous knowledge sharing, and a focus on excellence in delivery. Through these responsibilities, the role plays a key part in strengthening policy governance, enhancing risk management frameworks, and supporting sustainable, responsible lending practices across the organisation.
About you
As a minimum you’ll have:
Leadership or coaching experience within a risk or policy environment
A strong credit risk background, ideally within secured or unsecured lending
Deep understanding of lending policy and credit decisioning processes
Experience of developing or reviewing credit policy and governance frameworks
Strong analytical and judgement skills, with the ability to draw balanced conclusions from complex information
Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience engaging senior stakeholders
Ability to lead initiatives independently and manage multiple priorities effectively
A proactive and solution-focused mindset, with a strong focus on delivering good customer outcomes
Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:
Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes
You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.
Qualifications
The extras you’ll get
There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:
25 days holiday, pro rata
Access to private medical insurance
A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
Access to an annual performance-related bonus
Training and development to help you progress your career
A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society
We forge our own path at Nationwide.
As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.
If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.
At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.
We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.
What to do next
If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.
We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.
The hiring manager for this role is Joe Gardiner and the main recruitment contact is Sameena Rehman
Contact Details:
Nationwide Building Society Recruitment Team
