Underwriting Manager
5 days ago
City of London
Title Underwriting Manager Department Underwriting Reports to Head of Underwriting Location London Direct Reports Senior Underwriters, Underwriters Why Join Us? • Tech‑led, modern lending – join a lender operating at the cutting edge of the mortgage market, using technology, automation and data‑driven decisioning to improve speed, transparency and outcomes., • Build and shape, not just run BAU – a genuine opportunity to help build something as the business scales, shaping standards and creating a stronger underwriting engine rather than inheriting a fixed operating model., • Leadership with real impact – a senior role where your decisions, direction and improvements will be felt quickly and visibly across the business., • Growth shares – a rare and meaningful opportunity – an exciting chance to hold growth shares, offering a stake in the future success of the company that is not typically available in traditional underwriting roles., • Grow with the company – ideal for an underwriting leader who wants to develop alongside a fast‑growing business and be rewarded for the value they help create over the long term. LiveMore exists to challenge the unfair NOs in the mortgage world. That’s why our mission is to empower mortgage brokers to lend more by turning NOs into YESs. By doing that whenever we can, we help our customers live more and be ready for all that’s yet to come. We are a technology-driven, rapidly scaling mortgage lender, embedding innovation and data-led solutions across every aspect of our business. As a modern, forward-thinking firm, we are at the forefront of the market, redefining how lending is delivered through technology and continuous innovation. Using our unique LiveMore Mortgage Matcher® and LiveMore Maximum Borrowing Calculator decision engine technology, we excel at overcoming challenges involving affordability, risk and Consumer Duty. We innovate for customers and mortgage brokers in need, where others don’t – like with LiveMore’s current mortgages ‘up to’, ‘into’ and ‘in’ retirement. LiveMore is an innovative company with ambitious plans, and we know that our people are the key to achieving our goals. As evidence of our growth, last year, we were recognised as one of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the UK by the Business Leaders 500 and we will lend in excess of £600m this year. We live by four core behaviours that shape our culture and guide our success: • Commitment – going the extra mile for brokers, customers, and colleagues., • Agility – adapting quickly, embracing innovation, and staying ahead in a dynamic market., • Humility – valuing collaboration, listening actively, and learning continuously., • Openness – communicating transparently and welcoming diverse perspectives. If these behaviours resonate with you, you’ll thrive here. About the Role We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Underwriting Manager to lead our mortgage underwriting function. This is a senior, hands-on role combining team leadership, complex underwriting expertise, and operational optimisation. You will be responsible for managing the end-to-end underwriting team, maintaining high credit quality standards, and driving efficiency, consistency, and scalability across underwriting operations. As Underwriter Team Manager, you take ownership of the complete mortgage application journey, from initial receipt to issuing offers, with a sharp focus on operational excellence, clarity, and scalable underwriting performance. Lead the Underwriting team’s daily operations, ensuring consistently high-quality and timely decisions, while strengthening broker relationships and collaborating effectively with Sales. Remove ambiguity in policies and processes to ensure clear and, consistent outcomes. Drive improvements in turnaround times, productivity, and broker experience, all whilst actively managing team workflow, pipeline, performance, and capacity to support business growth and deliver a robust, scalable underwriting operation. Inspire and influence the team to perform at a level they didn’t think possible, while embedding a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance. Key Responsibilities Leadership & Team Management • Lead and manage a team of mortgage underwriters (junior to senior levels), • Act as the senior referral point for complex and high-value cases, and escalated to Head of Underwriting as appropriate, • Set performance standards, KPIs, and service level expectations aligned with the Underwriting strategy, • Foster a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative cultureCollaborate closely with the Head of Underwriting on strategy, risk appetite and standards for performance, quality, and decision‑making. Operational Efficiency & Process Improvement • Drive continuous improvement across underwriting processes to increase efficiency and reduce turnaround times, • Identify bottlenecks and implement scalable solutions (automation, workflow optimisation, etc.), • Work closely with Head of Underwriting to refine policies and processes, • Ensure effective pipeline management and resource allocation, • Manage daily workflow, allocate cases, monitor SLAs, and resolve operational issues with a focus on efficiency. Underwriting Oversight • Personally underwrite complex and non-standard mortgage applications, • Ensure all lending decisions align with internal credit policy and risk appetite, • Maintain strong quality standards across the team and underwriting decisions, • Provide guidance on underwriting judgement and policy interpretation, • Collaborate closely with the Head of Underwriting on risk appetite, credit oversights and underwriting strategy., • Collaborate closely with the Underwriting Training Lead on quality training and coaching, • Ensure adherence to policy, regulatory frameworks, and exception governance while maintaining a strong control environment aligned with the Head of Underwriting’s approach and framework., • Escalate as appropriate to the Head of Underwriting as senior escalation point for complex, high‑risk or policy‑edge cases, Performance Management & Development • Conduct quarterly performance management reviews and end of year reviews and create tailored improvement plans to build capability and expertise. The underwriting team benefits from a dedicated Underwriting Training Lead, who will feed into your performance reviews from a training and quality assurance view. Stakeholder Management • Collaborate with brokers, distribution teams, and internal stakeholders to deliver excellent service, • Act as a key contact for escalations and service-related issues, • Act as escalation point for broker referrals, • Partner closely with Sales/BDM teams to optimise conversion and broker satisfaction., • Ensure adherence to policy, regulatory frameworks, and exception governance while maintaining a strong control environment in collaboration with the Head of Underwrting, • Process Effectiveness: Review existing processes, identify and contribute towards process enhancement and efficiency Technology & Innovation • Embrace a technology-driven approach to underwriting, leveraging systems, automation, and data to enhance decision-making and efficiency, • Identify opportunities to utilise AI and digital tools to streamline underwriting processes, reduce manual intervention, and improve turnaround times, • Bring innovative, practical ideas on how technology can be used to improve accuracy, consistency, and scalability within underwriting, • Act as a change leader, promoting adoption of new tools, systems, and ways of working across the team, • Stay informed on emerging trends in mortgage technology and AI, and translate these into actionable improvements Governance & Compliance • Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and internal governance frameworks, • Maintain robust documentation and decisioning standards Required Skills and Experience • Significant experience in mortgage underwriting, including complex cases, • Proven experience managing or mentoring underwriting teams, • Strong knowledge of UK mortgage lending regulations and credit risk principles, • Demonstrated ability to improve operational efficiency and processes, • Excellent decision-making, judgement, and attention to detail, • Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, • track record of driving performance within a Specialist Mortgage environment, • Credible technical authority – Proven track record and technical understanding of complex income, adverse credit and non-standard property. Ability to apply judgement, guide and lead where cases fall outside advertised criteria., • Operational Excellence in a Scale Up Environment – Overall responsibility for UW pipelines, SLA’s and overcoming volume-based service demands, • Excellent communicator and able to provide clear and concise recommendations to the Credit Committee at transaction level, ensuring strong rationale provided, • Experience in contract variations such as Porting and Product Transfer and post offer mortgage conditions, • Existing lending mandate essential up to £750,000 in residential lending, • Data Insight – Utilising data to make informed evidence-based decisions, • Adaptable and comfortable working in a fast-evolving, tech-driven business, • Strong understanding of how underwriting systems, automation, and workflows can be optimised through tech and AI, • Demonstrated openness to innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement Benefits • Growth shares., • Annual performance bonus (cash and growth shares)., • High-quality working environment in a central London office in the heart of Fitzrovia., • Hybrid working (3 days per week in office)., • 30 days’ holiday, plus UK bank holidays., • Private health cash reimbursement plan., • Employee pension contribution of 5% and employer contribution of 3%., • Salary-sacrifice pension scheme, saving marginal rate on contributions, • Salary-sacrifice nursery voucher scheme, as above., • Employee assistance programme.
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