Shape the future of lending at Darlington Building Society
We're looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Underwriting to lead our underwriting function, ensuring we continue to deliver excellent customer outcomes whilst maintaining a strong and sustainable lending portfolio.
As a member of our Senior Leadership Team, you'll play a key role in shaping lending strategy, supporting the Society's growth ambitions and driving a high-performing underwriting team. You'll balance commercial opportunity with responsible lending, helping us deliver exceptional service to both members and intermediary partners.
This is an exciting opportunity for a senior underwriting professional who thrives on leadership, continuous improvement and making informed decisions in a changing mortgage market.
What you'll be doing
- Leading and developing our underwriting teams, creating a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous learning.
- Owning the Society's underwriting approach, ensuring lending decisions align with our risk appetite, policy framework and regulatory requirements.
- Working closely with colleagues across Sales, Products, Finance, Risk and Operations to shape and deliver our lending strategy.
- Monitoring underwriting quality, service levels and operational performance, identifying opportunities to improve processes and customer outcomes.
- Providing oversight of complex lending decisions and maintaining delegated lending authorities across the underwriting team.
- Using management information and market insight to identify trends, monitor risk and support decision making.
- Leading change initiatives across lending operations, helping the Society adapt to evolving customer, regulatory and market demands.
- Acting as a senior subject matter expert on mortgage lending, underwriting policy and credit risk.
What we're looking for
We're seeking an experienced underwriting leader with a strong understanding of mortgage lending, risk assessment and regulatory requirements.
You'll have:
- Significant experience in mortgage underwriting, including specialist or complex lending.
- Strong leadership skills with a track record of coaching, developing and motivating high-performing teams.
- Excellent judgement and decision-making capability, balancing commercial objectives with prudent risk management.
- Strong knowledge of mortgage regulation, including MCOB requirements, Consumer Duty and customer outcome principles.
- Experience using data and MI to drive performance, identify trends and make informed decisions.
- The ability to influence and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.
- A strategic mindset, with the ability to turn business objectives into practical outcomes.
- A passion for delivering excellent service to members, brokers and colleagues.
Why join Darlington Building Society?
At Darlington Building Society, we're proud of our mutual values and our commitment to supporting our members, communities and colleagues.
In return, you'll receive:
- Salary of £70,628 - £80,632 per annum
- Generous holiday entitlement
- Pension scheme with employer contribution (matched up to 10%)
- Death in service benefit
- EV salary sacrifice scheme
- Health cash plan
- Access to wellbeing support and employee assistance services
- A supportive and collaborative working environment
- The opportunity to help shape the future direction of a growing and ambitious mutual
Our Values
Everything we do is guided by our values:
Be Better - always looking for ways to improve and grow.
Be Trusted - doing the right thing for our members, colleagues and communities.
Be Yourself - bringing your authentic self to work every day.
If you're an experienced underwriting professional looking for an opportunity to influence strategy, lead high-performing teams and make a real impact, we'd love to hear from you.
PLASE NOTE IF YOU DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY ON OUR ATS YOUR APPLICATION MAY BE ADDED TO OUR SYSTEM
Pay: £70,628.00-£80,632.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid volunteer time
- Private medical insurance
- Referral programme
- Sick pay
- Store discount
- Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Darlington (Durham, North East Region)
