Lending Operations Manager - 12 week interim
Posted Today by Waterhouse-Kern Associates
Negotiable
Undetermined
Undetermined
London Area, United Kingdom
Summary: The Lending Operations Manager role is an interim position at a modern bank focused on supporting SME businesses during a transitional period. This hands-on role is responsible for coordinating operational continuity in deal completions and managing the loan book servicing. The manager will work closely with internal teams and third-party suppliers to ensure efficient progression of credit-approved deals and effective management of existing loans. The position requires a strong understanding of lending operations and a proactive approach to operational improvements.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage and progress credit-approved deals from approval through to drawdown, ensuring timely and accurate completion.
- Provide day-to-day, hands-on oversight across the completions pipeline, identifying and resolving delays or bottlenecks.
- Liaise closely with Lending Managers, Underwriters, Legal, Compliance, solicitors, and valuers to deliver a seamless end-to-end process.
- Conduct and oversee KYC and AML checks, ensuring all regulatory and internal requirements are met prior to drawdown.
- Complete and oversee credit searches and loan data entry, maintaining high standards of accuracy and data integrity.
- Support the ongoing servicing and performance management of the loan portfolio across its lifecycle.
- Oversee covenant monitoring and reporting, ensuring ongoing compliance with borrower obligations and internal policies.
- Support loan lifecycle events including extensions, redemptions, restructures, and variations, ensuring outcomes align with risk appetite and commercial requirements.
- Assist with arrears management, collections, and early-stage enforcement activity, working closely with internal teams and external partners to achieve timely resolution.
- Act as a central coordination point between teams during the transition period, supporting clarity of ownership and smooth handovers.
- Use internal systems (including nCino) to track workflows, maintain accurate records, and support MI and reporting.
- Provide hands-on operational support to project, transformation, or remediation activity as required.
Key Skills:
- Extensive experience in financial services with strong hands-on knowledge of lending operations and loan servicing.
- Bridging lending experience is essential; exposure to other lending products is advantageous.
- Strong practical understanding of both completions/drawdown and post-completion portfolio servicing.
- Solid working knowledge of KYC and AML requirements within lending operations.
- Experience supporting covenant monitoring, extensions, redemptions, arrears, or collections activity.
- Proven ability to act as a coordination or “bridge” role within operational teams, particularly during periods of change or increased workload.
- Experience managing relationships with third-party suppliers such as solicitors, valuers, and collections partners.
- Confident user of loan origination and servicing systems, with a strong focus on data quality and workflow management.
- Highly execution-focused, organised, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Our client, a modern bank supporting SME businesses is looking to hire a Lending Operations Manager on an interim basis to support them through a period of change. This is a highly hands-on role, acting as a central coordination point to maintain operational continuity across deal completions and the ongoing servicing of the loan book. The role will support the efficient progression of credit-approved deals through to drawdown, while also ensuring the effective management of existing loans, including covenant monitoring, servicing activity, and issue resolution. Working closely with internal stakeholders and third-party suppliers, you will help minimise disruption to service levels, protect customer outcomes, and support short-term operational improvements and project delivery.
Key Responsibilities:
- New Business & Completions
- Manage and progress credit-approved deals from approval through to drawdown, ensuring timely and accurate completion.
- Provide day-to-day, hands-on oversight across the completions pipeline, identifying and resolving delays or bottlenecks.
- Liaise closely with Lending Managers, Underwriters, Legal, Compliance, solicitors, and valuer's to deliver a seamless end-to-end process.
- Conduct and oversee KYC and AML checks, ensuring all regulatory and internal requirements are met prior to drawdown.
- Complete and oversee credit searches and loan data entry, maintaining high standards of accuracy and data integrity.
- Portfolio Operations & Servicing
- Support the ongoing servicing and performance management of the loan portfolio across its lifecycle.
- Oversee covenant monitoring and reporting, ensuring ongoing compliance with borrower obligations and internal policies.
- Support loan lifecycle events including extensions, redemptions, restructures, and variations, ensuring outcomes align with risk appetite and commercial requirements.
- Assist with arrears management, collections, and early-stage enforcement activity, working closely with internal teams and external partners to achieve timely resolution.
- Operational Delivery & Change Support
- Act as a central coordination point between teams during the transition period, supporting clarity of ownership and smooth handovers.
- Use internal systems (including nCino) to track workflows, maintain accurate records, and support MI and reporting.
- Provide hands-on operational support to project, transformation, or remediation activity as required.
Required Skills & Experience
- Extensive experience in financial services with strong hands-on knowledge of lending operations and loan servicing.
- Bridging lending experience is essential; exposure to other lending products is advantageous.
- Strong practical understanding of both completions/drawdown and post-completion portfolio servicing.
- Solid working knowledge of KYC and AML requirements within lending operations.
- Experience supporting covenant monitoring, extensions, redemptions, arrears, or collections activity.
- Proven ability to act as a coordination or “bridge” role within operational teams, particularly during periods of change or increased workload.
- Experience managing relationships with third-party suppliers such as solicitors, valuer's, and collections partners.
- Confident user of loan origination and servicing systems, with a strong focus on data quality and workflow management.
- Highly execution-focused, organised, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.