• Provide authoritative Second Line oversight of specialist property, SME, corporate and other complex credit exposures.
• Set and challenge credit policies, underwriting standards, delegated authorities, rating approaches, concentration limits and exception frameworks.
• Challenge material credit proposals and portfolio strategies independently, including structure, leverage, security, borrower cash flow, covenants, exit strategy and downside protection.
• Oversee portfolio quality, risk-adjusted returns, early warning indicators, watchlists, arrears, forbearance, recoveries, provisioning and problem debt strategies.
• Ensure stress testing captures relevant borrower, collateral, sector, refinancing and concentration risks.
• Maintain clear separation between origination, underwriting, sanction, portfolio management and independent risk oversight.

Prudential risk, ICAAP and stress testing

• Provide effective oversight and challenge of capital adequacy, liquidity and funding risk, market risk, interest rate risk and concentration risk.
• Lead the risk contribution to ICAAP, ILAAP, recovery planning, enterprise and reverse stress testing, and wider prudential assessments.
• Advise on the capital and risk implications of strategic growth, new products, funding structures and balance sheet changes.
• Oversee the risk implications of Basel 3.1, regulatory capital treatment and other prudential developments.
• Challenge impairment and provisioning judgements, including IFRS 9 assumptions and forward-looking risk assessments.

Non-financial risk and resilience oversight

• Oversee the Bank’s frameworks for operational, conduct, compliance, technology, cyber, third-party, outsourcing and strategic risk.
• Provide independent assurance over operational resilience and business continuity arrangements, including whether plans remain current and appropriately tested.
• Challenge the adequacy and embedding of controls, risk registers, incident management and remediation activity.
• Provide independent assurance on key operational risks and work across functions to ensure identified gaps are addressed.

Governance, Board and regulatory engagement

• Act as principal risk adviser to the Board, Board Risk Committee, CEO and Executive Committee.
• Chair the principal executive risk forum and contribute to Credit, Asset and Liability, and other governance committees as appropriate.
• Deliver concise, forward-looking risk reporting covering appetite, portfolio performance, concentrations, stress outcomes, emerging risks and management actions.
• Lead risk-related engagement with the PRA and FCA, including regulatory reviews, visits and inspections, and ensure commitments are delivered to the required standard.
• Provide early warning and advice on regulatory change, assess implications and support effective implementation.
• Exercise the independence, authority and judgement expected of the SMF4 role.

New products and strategic initiatives

• Provide independent risk oversight of new lending products, structured finance opportunities, funding structures, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, technology transformation and new market entry.
• Ensure material risks, control requirements, capital impacts and operational dependencies are appropriately assessed before implementation.

Risk function leadership

• Build and lead a high-quality Second Line team with the technical capability required by bank’s business model.
• Maintain an appropriate balance of specialist credit, prudential, enterprise and non-financial risk capability.
• Set clear objectives, accountabilities and development plans for the function.
• Ensure the function remains proportionate, responsive and capable of challenging the business effectively.

Experience and technical expertise

Essential

• Current or previous experience as a Chief Risk Officer, Deputy CRO, Chief Credit Officer, Head of Credit Risk or equivalent senior risk leader in a UK regulated bank, building society or specialist lender.
• Deep specialist credit expertise, particularly in property-backed, SME, corporate or complex secured lending.
• Demonstrable experience assessing complex transactions, including borrower cash flow, leverage, security, collateral, covenant protection, refinancing and exit risk.
• Strong portfolio risk experience spanning concentrations, stress testing, early warning indicators, watchlists, impairments, recoveries and problem debt.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management, risk appetite, governance and the operation of an effective Second Line function.
• Demonstrable experience of ICAAP, capital adequacy, stress testing and prudential risk oversight.
• Experience engaging directly and credibly with the PRA and FCA.
• Proven Board and committee experience, with the ability to communicate complex risk issues clearly and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing specialist risk teams.

Highly desirable

• Experience within a challenger, specialist or digital bank operating through a period of material growth.
• Knowledge of structured finance, portfolio acquisitions, warehouse structures or securitisation.
• Exposure to capital optimisation, balance sheet management, recovery planning and regulatory change programmes.
• Experience assessing M&A, strategic partnerships, new products or new market entry.

Leadership attributes

• Commercially minded while maintaining clear independence and objectivity.
• Credible with regulators, non-executive directors and executive colleagues.
• Strong judgement, intellectual rigour and the courage to challenge constructively.
• Pragmatic, proportionate and solution-oriented, without compromising risk standards.
• Able to move comfortably between detailed credit matters, enterprise-wide risk and strategic Board discussions.
• Collaborative and influential, with the ability to build a strong risk culture across a fast-growing organisation.