Underwriting Manager in Manchester

Ryft is an FCA-licensed payment platform on a mission to make payments a source of growth for marketplaces and digital platforms. Built specifically for UK and European businesses, we handle everything from automated split payments and seller onboarding to compliance so our clients can focus on scaling.

About the Role

We’re hiring an Underwriting Manager to lead and shape our underwriting function as we scale. This is a foundational hire you’ll be coming in to build, not just manage. You’ll take ownership of the end-to-end underwriting process across the Ryft platform: leading a team of underwriters, defining how we assess partner risk, and building the frameworks and controls that allow us to grow our merchant portfolio without compromising on quality. Equally, you’ll work closely with our commercial team to ensure risk decisions are made quickly, clearly, and with an eye on enabling growth, not blocking it. This role requires someone who can operate at two levels simultaneously: hands‑on enough to roll up their sleeves and restructure a process, and senior enough to set the strategic direction for the function.

If you’ve built or significantly scaled an underwriting team at a PSP, acquirer, or marketplace platform, we want to hear from you.

What you’ll do

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of underwriters setting clear expectations, supporting day‑to‑day decisions, and building a high‑performing function over time.
• Handle escalations from the team on complex or high‑risk partner cases, providing clear guidance and a documented rationale.
• Own headcount planning for the underwriting function as the business scales, making the case for resource when needed.
• Audit and rebuild underwriting processes end‑to‑end, identifying gaps, reducing friction, and implementing clear, consistent procedures across the team.
• Develop and maintain underwriting policies, risk appetite frameworks, and decision‑making criteria that are practical, scalable, and audit‑ready.
• Define SLAs for onboarding turnaround times and partner support, and hold the team accountable to them.
• Drive automation and tooling improvements that allow the team to scale without proportional headcount growth.
• Own the underwriting risk framework for the Ryft platform including KYC, CDD, AML controls, and merchant risk categorisation.
• Ensure all underwriting activity is conducted in line with FCA regulatory requirements and Ryft’s internal policies.
• Monitor portfolio‑level risk on an ongoing basis, identifying concentration risk, emerging trends, and areas requiring intervention.
• Work with compliance and legal to keep policies current as the regulatory environment evolves.

Commercial Partnership

• Act as the primary risk counterpart to the commercial team providing fast, well‑reasoned decisions that support deal velocity without creating undue exposure.
• Be a trusted voice in senior discussions about partner pipeline, growth targets, and risk appetite, pushing back where necessary and offering creative solutions where possible.
• Represent underwriting in cross‑functional forums and contribute to product and platform decisions that have a risk dimension.

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience leading an underwriting or merchant risk team within a PSP, acquirer, or payments platform with a track record of building and improving the function, not just running it.
• Deep understanding of merchant underwriting, KYC/CDD, AML obligations, and the FCA regulatory environment.
• Experience working at the risk‑commercial interface, someone who can hold a firm position on risk while remaining solutions‑oriented and commercially aware.
• Demonstrable experience designing or overhauling underwriting processes, policies, and frameworks from scratch or near‑scratch.
• Strong people manager who’s hired, developed, and performance‑managed underwriting teams, and you know what good looks like.

Nice to have

• Experience in a PayFac, marketplace, or platform payments model.
• Familiarity with scheme monitoring programmes and acquiring bank relationships.
• Exposure to underwriting automation, tooling, or decision‑making platforms.
• Experience hiring into a team and scaling headcount in line with business growth.