Head of Lending
23 hours ago
City of London
Rockbourne has been appointed help appoint a Head of Lending to lead, scale, and institutionalise our clients' lending operations. This is a rare opportunity to join a high-growth, tech-enabled investment platform backed by significant family office and institutional capital, and to build a lending business that will scale significantly in the near term. Working directly with the CEO and non-exec leadership, you will take full ownership of the end-to-end lending lifecycle, drive origination and underwriting standards, and play a pivotal role in shaping one of the UK’s next-generation challenger lenders. What’s in it for you? Impact • You will be responsible for the entire lending lifecycle – from origination and underwriting through execution, monitoring, and repayment – directly shaping the business' credit standards, loan book quality, investor confidence, and growth trajectory., • You will protect and enhance a zero-default, zero-arrears track record while scaling AUM exponentially in the coming years. Culture • A dynamic, entrepreneurial, high-energy environment where you will operate with significant autonomy., • Flat structure, tight-knit team, and clear accountability. Independence is essential – there is nowhere to hide, and excellent judgement is expected. Growth • The firm is entering a phase of accelerated expansion with increasing deal flow, institutional capital coming in, and a modern digitised lending platform being rolled out., • You will help build the team, define processes, and position the platform to rival the UK’s specialist lenders (HTB, UTB, Shawbrook, etc.)., • You will have the opportunity in the future to become part of the C-Suite in the business. Autonomy • You will own lending end-to-end: underwriting, credit approval, structuring, monitoring, relationship management, and team development., • Your decisions will shape the firm's identity, performance, and investor credibility. The Role: Origination & Relationships • Build strong relationships with brokers and repeat borrowers., • Increase deal flow and ensure rapid, high-quality execution., • Represent the business externally with confidence and credibility. Underwriting & Credit • Lead all underwriting, diligence, credit approvals, and structuring., • Maintain rigorous, judgment-led credit disciplines., • Ensure the business continues to deliver on yield while maintaining zero defaults. Loan Execution • Oversee documentation, CPs, drawdowns, covenants, and loan monitoring., • Ensure compliance with governance, investor expectations, and risk frameworks. Portfolio Management • Maintain a stable, high-performing loan book., • Manage developments, construction milestones, extensions, arrears, and exits. Technology-Enabled Lending • Leverage the business's new digitised lending platform., • Reduce manual processes and streamline workflows. Team Building & Leadership • Hands-on at first; build and mentor a high-performance team as AUM scales., • Contribute to long-term platform design and process institutionalisation. Stakeholder Communication • Communicate clearly with investors, credit committee, internal teams, and external partners., • Inspire confidence and uphold the business's reputation for disciplined, high-quality lending. About You: • 5+ years of real estate debt experience., • Strong underwriting, credit analysis, and risk assessment skills., • Understanding of bridging and development finance (or ability to get up to speed quickly)., • Strong knowledge of loan documentation, covenants, and real estate credit structures., • Confident and articulate communicator—credible with brokers, borrowers, and investors., • Judgement-led decision maker with backbone., • Able to operate independently in a lean, fast-paced environment. Salary & Package: • Salary: £125,000–£175,000 (DOE), • Bonus: 50–100% of base (performance dependent)