W Talent
Head of Risk and Underwriting
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Founding UK Risk & Underwriting Manager
Embedded SME Lending Fintech | London (remote initially, co-working provided) | £80,000–£95,000 + vESOP + potential bonus
Private & Confidential: WTalent is exclusively retained on this search.
The opportunity
Our client is a fast-growing European embedded-finance and lending platform that has just secured a significant UK platform partnership. The wider operation can largely be supported from its European headquarters, but risk and underwriting needs dedicated local ownership. That is where you come in.
This is a founding hire for the UK market and, for the time being, the only full-time employee based in the UK. You will build the UK credit risk and underwriting function from the ground up, with real autonomy, direct access to senior leadership and a genuine stake in the outcome.
You will report to the CFO, who currently oversees credit risk and underwriting, and work closely with the Risk, Compliance, Data and operational teams in Berlin.
The role (approximately 70% hands-on, 30% strategic)
- Own and develop the UK credit risk policy and underwriting framework
- Operate within lender credit boxes and underwrite SME loan applications
- Establish UK-specific policies, processes and procedures where they are not yet fully built
- Monitor portfolio and credit performance, identifying emerging areas of risk
- Produce and own relevant reporting, with support from the wider team
- Partner with German colleagues across Risk, Compliance and Data
- Act as the key UK-based risk and underwriting contact as the market develops
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About you
We are looking for someone who has built or established something before, not simply operated within a mature, existing framework.
Essential
- Strong SME lending experience, ideally within fintech, embedded lending, neo-banking, revenue-based finance or a closely related environment
- Strong analytical and reporting capability, comfortable with BI and visualisation tools and able to own or shape your own reporting structure
- Excellent communication skills. You will be working remotely and independently in the UK, so building strong relationships with colleagues in Germany and communicating clearly across functions is critical
Highly desirable
- Experience from a direct competitor or closely adjacent business in the UK SME finance space
- Experience setting up policies, processes or credit frameworks in a start-up or scale-up environment
We place far more weight on relevant experience than on years served. Someone with 8+ years in the right niche could be an excellent fit, and more experienced candidates are equally welcome where the fit is strong.
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What's on offer
- Base salary of £80,000–£95,000, with flexibility for an exceptional candidate
- Participation in the company's virtual employee stock option plan (vESOP)
- Potential performance-related bonus
- Co-working space access while the UK presence is established
- Regular travel to Berlin, fully supported by the company
- The chance to shape a function and a market from day one
Working model and timing
A fully remote role with a preference for access to London. The company already has a UK entity with payroll and employment infrastructure in place, so there is no setup delay. This is a priority hire with a start date as soon as possible. Both permanent candidates (notice periods understood) and strong contractor or interim profiles who can move quickly will be considered.
Interested?
Apply via LinkedIn or contact WTalent directly for a confidential conversation. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence and no details will be shared with our client without your permission.
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