Head of Credit Risk

Head of Credit Risk | Fast-growing SME lender | London (hybrid) We are working with a fast-growing lending business seeking a Head of Credit Risk to lead on growth strategy. This is a senior leadership role where you'll work closely with the CEO and COO on how the business balances growth with risk. What you'll do: You'll own how the business evaluates, prices and manages credit risk across the full customer lifecycle. That means writing the credit policy and underwriting framework, and setting the risk appetite, portfolio limits and key risk indicators that guide every lending decision. You'll track how the portfolio performs by cohort, segment, product and acquisition channel, building the early-warning indicators and reporting that spot emerging risks before they show up in losses. Using both internal and external data, you'll keep refining the scorecards, models and decisioning behind every approval, and work with Product, Data and Technology to make credit decisions faster, sharper and more automated. You'll also build and lead the credit team, setting clear objectives, mentoring your people and staying hands-on with analysis and individual credit calls when it matters. What you'll bring:

• 7+ years in credit risk, ideally in SME lending, including experience at a lending fintech
• Strong understanding of credit risk principles, methodologies and regulatory requirements
• A track record of building and running credit risk strategy in a fast-moving environment
• Experience leading and developing a team of credit risk professionals
• Comfort working hands-on with data and BI tools such as Power BI or Looker, rather than only reviewing reports
• A genuine interest in lending and what technology can do for it You'll be able to:
• Balance credit performance against growth, rather than optimising for one at the expense of the other
• Read complex data and turn it into decisions, not just reports
• Build a team culture that blends sharp credit judgement with analytical rigour and curiosity If it sounds like you, drop me a message and I'll share who the company is and talk you through the role. lauren@blockmb.com