Underwriter - Owner Occupied and BTL

At StrideUp, our mission is to empower our customers to achieve their financial and homeownership goals. We provide flexible and ethical home finance solutions, focussing on those underserved by mainstream banks. Our product enables Muslims to buy a home in a way that’s ethical, interest-free and aligned with their religious values.

You’ll be playing a key role in supporting StrideUp to achieve its growth ambitions by working with the Underwriting Team Manager, together with other key stakeholders of StrideUp, to ensure the customer’s journey is as smooth as possible. We want to make the process of buying a home as stress free as possible.

We are looking for an experienced Underwriter whose expertise and dedication will facilitate the realisation of homeownership dreams, while upholding the highest standards of risk assessment and regulatory compliance. In addition, you will have knowledge and skills to underwrite BTL applications from a single BTL, portfolio, HMOs / MUBs and through to expat clients.

Requirements

• Reporting directly into the Underwriting Team Manager as part of a team
• Maintaining a working pipeline of applications from DIP through to Offer (BTL and Owner-Occupier Applications)
• Reviewing and assessing DIPs submitted via the intermediary and direct to consumer portals, ensuring accuracy of the decision to accept or decline while adhering to SLAs
• Completing and analysing credit searches
• Working closely with our Advisor and Intermediary Support teams to ensure the customer’s journey is as smooth as possible
• Ongoing review of the Owner Occupied and BTL policies, and challenge the status quo to provide the best possible outcomes for our customers
• Accurately assess customer eligibility and risk factors associated with each Buy To Let or Home Purchase Plan application
• Working with facts and evidence not assumptions
• Make well-informed underwriting decisions based on the credit policy and underwriting guidelines and where appropriate provide the correct decision, including the declining of an application
• Maintain a pipeline of both BTL and Owner Occupier applications from Valuation through to Offer Requirements
• Held and maintained a lending mandate of at least £250,000
• Minimum of 3 years of Underwriting experience in Owner-Occupied Mortgages and BTL applications
• Working knowledge of regulatory requirements (e.g. MCOB, Financial crime / AML, and Consumer Duty)
• Mortgage industry awareness
• Experience of managing a pipeline of cases
• Working knowledge of analysing CRA data, reviewing valuations, AML, DPA and Fraud prevention
• Working in an environment where service levels and productivity are key
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Benefits

• Exposure to all areas of a fast-growing business with opportunity to grow and develop
• 25 days annual holiday
• 3% pension contribution
• Monthly socials
• Central London head office (this is a hybrid role with an expectation of a minimum of 1 day per month in the office, however during the initial onboarding, availability will be expected to satisfy business requirements)
• Friendly and informal start-up environment with a focus on performance and impact