Product Development

• Provide credit-risk input into the design of BNPL, instalment-credit, and credit-line products.
• Review pricing, fees, repayment structures, customer journeys, and contractual terms from a credit-risk perspective.
• Conduct product-risk assessments before launch.
• Assess whether products are appropriate for their intended target markets.
• Ensure that product design does not encourage unaffordable or unsustainable borrowing.
• Support the development of appropriate customer disclosures and explanations.

Portfolio Monitoring

• Develop management information and reporting for the consumer-credit portfolio.
• Monitor approval rates, utilisation, arrears, defaults, losses, recoveries, and customer outcomes.
• Establish early-warning indicators and portfolio-risk thresholds.
• Monitor portfolio performance by customer segment, merchant, product, acquisition channel, and credit strategy.
• Identify emerging risks and recommend corrective action.
• Produce regular reports for senior management, the Risk Committee, and the Board.
• Support financial forecasting, impairment modelling, and expected credit-loss calculations.

Arrears, Forbearance, and Collections

• Develop the firm’s arrears, forbearance, and collections strategy.
• Ensure customers in financial difficulty are treated fairly and receive appropriate support.
• Define appropriate contact, repayment-plan, breathing-space, and vulnerability procedures.
• Oversee third-party collections or debt-servicing providers where applicable.
• Monitor collections performance and customer outcomes.
• Ensure that collections practices comply with FCA requirements and the Consumer Duty.

Governance and Oversight

• Act as the principal subject-matter expert for consumer credit risk.
• Establish clear ownership and escalation routes for credit-risk decisions.
• Support Risk Committee and Board discussions relating to consumer lending.
• Maintain appropriate credit-risk policies, procedures, and delegated authorities.
• Work with Compliance Monitoring and Internal Audit to test the effectiveness of credit controls.
• Support regulatory reporting and notifications relating to the consumer-credit business.
• Provide training to relevant employees on credit-risk requirements and responsible lending.

Essential Experience

• Previous experience of leading or materially supporting an FCA consumer-credit authorisation or Variation of Permission application.
• Strong knowledge of UK consumer-credit regulation and the FCA regulatory framework.
• Experience working for a regulated lender, bank, fintech, payment institution, electronic money institution, or BNPL provider.
• Practical experience of consumer-credit underwriting, affordability, and creditworthiness assessments.
• Experience developing credit-risk policies, strategies, and governance arrangements.
• Experience monitoring a consumer-credit portfolio and producing credit-risk management information.
• Understanding of arrears, forbearance, vulnerability, and collections requirements.
• Experience working with senior management, regulators, external advisers, and cross-functional teams.
• Strong understanding of Consumer Duty and its application to consumer-lending products.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of BNPL, instalment-credit, revolving-credit, or point-of-sale finance products.
• Experience working within an authorised electronic money institution or payment institution.
• Knowledge of the interaction between the Electronic Money Regulations, Payment Services Regulations, and FSMA consumer-credit requirements.
• Experience implementing automated credit-decisioning or credit-scoring systems.
• Experience using credit-reference-agency, open-banking, or fraud-prevention data.
• Knowledge of IFRS 9, expected credit losses, or consumer-credit impairment modelling.
• Experience overseeing outsourced underwriting, servicing, or collections arrangements.
• Experience launching a new regulated lending product.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Excellent understanding of credit-risk principles and responsible lending.
• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical policies and controls.
• Strong written communication and regulatory drafting skills.
• Sound judgement and the ability to challenge commercial proposals constructively.
• Ability to explain complex credit-risk matters clearly to senior stakeholders.
• Strong project-management and organisational skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage several regulatory and operational priorities.
• High standards of integrity, accountability, and attention to detail.

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent professional experience in finance, economics, risk management, law, mathematics, statistics, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Relevant professional qualifications in credit, risk, compliance, or financial services would be advantageous.

Key Performance Measures

• Successful submission and progression of the FCA consumer-credit application.
• Timely implementation of the consumer-credit risk framework.
• Effective management of credit losses, arrears, and portfolio performance.
• Compliance with the firm’s credit-risk appetite and regulatory obligations.
• Quality and accuracy of credit-risk management information.
• Positive customer outcomes, including for customers experiencing financial difficulty.
• Effective identification, escalation, and remediation of emerging credit risks.