Lead Credit Risk Analyst in London

Contract Type: Permanent | Full Time

Location: London, Bradford and Petersfield.

Working Pattern: Hybrid (usually a couple of days a week in the office). We welcome part-time and flexible arrangements and will aim to match your current flexibility where possible.

What We Offer

• Holidays: 25 days (rising to 30) + buy/sell up to 5 days + swap up to 4 bank holidays.
• Pension: Up to 10% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Leave: Enhanced maternity (post-probation), 4 weeks’ paternity, and paid neonatal & carers leave.
• Workations: Work abroad for up to 20 days a year in approved countries.
• Birthday Leave: Your birthday off—paid.
• Volunteering: 2 paid volunteering days.
• Learning: Access to LinkedIn Learning for all colleagues.
• Financial Wellbeing: Free Snoop Premium subscription.
• Healthcare: Self-pay Denplan & optional Private Medical Insurance.

The Role

As a Lead Credit Risk Analyst, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and optimising credit origination strategies across our Vehicle Finance portfolio. Working closely with the Credit Risk Manager, you’ll have end‑to‑end responsibility for originations at the point of application, delivering insight‑driven analytical solutions that directly influence lending decisions. You’ll lead sophisticated test‑and‑learn activity to refine scorecards, cut‑offs and decision rules, explore new and alternative data sources, and ensure lending strategies strike the right balance between growth, portfolio profitability and responsible lending, while maintaining strong credit quality.

You and your Team

You’ll be part of a collaborative, forward‑thinking Credit Risk team that values curiosity, rigour and clear storytelling with data. We’ll look to you as a trusted expert—someone who can dive deep into large datasets using SQL and Python, translate insight into actionable recommendations, and confidently present proposals to senior stakeholders and governance forums.

As a Lead Credit Risk Analyst, you will:

• Develop expert understanding of the customer management lifecycle, including all aspects of decisioning and customer touch points.
• Drive the optimisation of lending decisions through test and learn initiatives to identify champion strategies.
• Investigation and development of new data sources to be used for analysis and decisioning.
• Support business growth and portfolio profitability while ensuring a balance between risk, reward and responsible lending, and controlling credit quality and performance.
• Ensure lending decisions are accurate and appropriate through close tracking and monitoring.
• Perform inquisitive and innovative analysis and provide logical recommendations resulting in customer and/or business benefits.
• Devise, initiate and deliver complex analytical/data driven projects fully incorporating Customer and business implications throughout.
• Responsible for automating and streamlining processes to maximise integration, effectiveness and efficiency.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years’ experience in analytical role and within a credit risk environment.
• Present, both written and verbal, clear and concise results using aggregated data, highlighting key trends, opportunities/risks and make recommendations.
• Strong experience using SQL and Python to extract, manipulate, and analyse large datasets, build automated and repeatable analytical solutions, and deliver clear, actionable credit risk insights to stakeholders.
• Advanced level experience in decisioning systems.
• Experience of scorecard cut-off setting and strategy optimisation through decline rules.
• Ability to present analysis and proposals to Senior Management and various committees.

Offers are subject to standard background checks (credit, fraud and employment references).

Who we are

At Vanquis, our purpose is simple: to deliver caring banking that helps people make the most of life’s opportunities. Founded in 1880, we’re now a FTSE All Share specialist bank supporting over 1.7 million UK customers with responsible, tailored lending. We’re proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work and recognised by the Financial Times as one of the UK’s Best Employers 2025 — ranked top 50 nationwide and seventh in Banking & Financial Services. We’re also proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, actively supporting veterans, reservists and military families. Guided by our values — caring for people, pulling together, finding better ways and getting the right things done — we’re building a workplace where colleagues feel connected, valued and empowered. Alongside competitive pay, we offer meaningful benefits, salary reviews, a discretionary bonus scheme and continued recognition. We’re invested in your development too. With the right support and hands-on learning, you’ll grow your skills, shape your career and realise your ambitions.

How We Hire

We use AI to help organise applications and surface early matches, but all decisions are made by humans. Please apply authentically — especially during interviews. If you need assistive technology or reasonable adjustments (including the use of AI tools), please let the Talent Acquisition team know in advance and we’ll be happy to support you. Where we have reason to believe AI has been used inappropriately, we reserve the right to withdraw a candidate from the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunities

Vanquis Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value everyone’s unique background, identity and experience, and we’re committed to a workplace where all colleagues can thrive. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please contact careers@vanquis.com and we’ll be happy to help.