Head of Large Value Underwriting

Propel Finance was established in 1996 to provide flexible and accessible finance to SMEs across the country. Today, we are one of the UK’s largest independent finance houses, delivering leading finance solutions through technology and teamwork. Our successful partnerships model, including Barclays Corporate and Santander, alongside an expanding direct and intermediary network, means we are in a significant phase of growth. We have a strong appetite to lend, and we make complex credit decisions in a way that is faster, more commercial, and less constrained than traditional banking environments, while maintaining strong credit discipline.

Role responsibilities

• You will lead the assessment and approval of large-value and complex credit proposals across all origination channels, setting the standards for how we evaluate risk, structure transactions, and maintain portfolio quality.
• You will define and evolve underwriting frameworks that support growth, ensuring decisions are commercially grounded, consistent, and aligned to the business’s evolving risk appetite.
• You will sit on the Credit Committee and other key governance forums, acting as a senior decision-maker on high-value exposures and influencing broader credit strategy, policy direction, and portfolio outcomes.
• Lead and approve large-value credit and asset finance transactions, exercising the highest personal underwriting authority and ensuring clear, well-documented decision rationale.
• Set and embed underwriting standards, frameworks, and risk appetite for complex, high-value deals across all origination channels and asset classes.
• Act as a senior decision-maker within key governance forums (e.g. Credit Committee, Transactional Credit Committee), influencing credit strategy and ensuring policy adherence.
• Oversee portfolio quality and performance, including monitoring large exposures, conducting stress testing, and recommending actions based on risk trends.
• Direct the management of stressed and underperforming assets, including workout and recovery strategies, ensuring fair customer outcomes and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with senior stakeholders across Sales, Underwriting, and Risk to optimise decisioning processes, credit policy, and asset management practices, including input into automation and scorecard effectiveness.
• Deep expertise in credit risk, including advanced financial and cashflow analysis, with the ability to assess and structure large, complex transactions across diverse asset classes.
• Strong technical understanding of credit decisioning frameworks, sanctioning systems, and complex group structures within corporate and asset finance environments.
• Extensive experience in corporate banking or asset finance, with a track record of operating at senior decision-making level on high-value exposures.
• Highly analytical and commercially astute, able to interpret complex data, generate insights, and make clear, risk-based recommendations.
• Strategic problem-solver with executive-level judgement, combining technical rigour with pragmatic decision-making and strong stakeholder influence.

Why Propel

We have a great working environment, and we’re an ambitious business. We achieve so much because of our people. Everyone in the business, no matter their team or role, can shape the outcome, share ideas, make suggestions, and have their voice heard. It’s a truly collaborative place to work.

Location and working model

This role can be based out of either our London or Newport offices. We operate a hybrid working model, with the expectation of 2 days a week in the office, allowing a flexible approach to work and personal commitments.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• 2 additional days holiday after 5 years’ service
• Birthday day off
• Opt in Private Medical Insurance
• Subsidised gym membership
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Buy Annual Leave Scheme
• Half-day seasonal shopping
• Auto-enrolment pension – 3% employer contribution subject to eligibility
• Life Assurance 3 x basic salary
• Company events and reward schemes

We are proud to be a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme and are committed to improving workplace inclusion.