Senior Risk Underwriter (Senior Mortgage Underwriter)

We are looking for an experienced Mortgage Underwriter in our busy prime lending team who can manually assess higher risk and complex mortgage applications to ensure that they are within our risk appetite. You’ll need to be able to support and coach colleagues as well as uphold exemplary customer service standards. 

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, at either our Swindon or Northampton office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll achieve a £1m lending mandate and apply this across a range of residential propositions, using your judgement and experience to make fully reasoned underwriting decisions that reflect the need to maximise new business whilst protecting the integrity of our mortgage book. The lending mandate associated with the role carries the authority to make exceptions to lending policy. You will resolve solicitor queries resolving issues as they arise to ensure the best possible customer experience.

The role will require you to coach and support colleagues in your own team, as well as across the wider business, using your detailed criteria and industry knowledge. There will sometimes be challenges to your decisions and you’ll need to stay resolute unless new and substantive information is provided, always communicating your lending decision in a way that will be understood.

About you

• You’ll need to have held a lending mandate and have experience of manually underwriting complex mortgage applications (large loans would also be an advantage). You must be able to investigate, identify and consider the risks associated with each application and use personal judgement to make holistic lending decisions.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of the mortgage industry including regulatory requirements and industry best practices
• You’ll be a strong communicator with a track record for managing stakeholder relationships while underwriting to the highest standard.
• An individual who can self-motivate and thrive under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy and providing excellent customer service.

Our Customer First behaviours are all about putting customers and members at the heart of how we work together. You can strengthen your application by showing the behaviours that resonate with you, and how you might have already demonstrated these.

• Say it straight - This is about being honest and direct with good intent and saying what needs to be said in the room. It’s also about being clear, precise, and using language that we and, importantly, our customers and members can understand.
• Push for better - This is about aiming high and constantly looking for better in how we work together and serve our customers and members.
• Get it done - This is about prioritising what will have the greatest impact, being decisive and taking accountability for delivering on the end-to-end outcome.

We know applying for jobs can sometimes feel like you’re sending an application into a black hole. We review each application individually. So, it’s a good idea to call out your most relevant experience on your application to give yourself the best chance.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• A personal pension – if you put in 7% of your salary, we’ll top up by a further 16%
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
• Life assurance worth 8x your salary
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Access to an annual performance related bonus
• Access to training to help you develop and progress your career
• Gympass – Access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• 25 days holiday, pro rata

What makes us different

Nationwide is the world’s largest building society. With over 15 million customers, we have a relationship with almost a quarter of the UK’s population. We’ve got the scale to compete with the big banks, but we’re not a bank.

As a building society, we’re owned by our members – that’s our customers who have their current account, mortgage or savings with us. It means we can do things differently to deliver our Purpose – Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.

When you work at Nationwide, you can experience that difference for yourself. You’ll be part of a high-performing, purpose-driven organisation that offers rewarding career experiences and a highly competitive range of benefits to match. You’ll also be joining us at an important time as we seek to reach more and more people in the UK. We want everyone in the UK to know that they don’t have to bank with a bank. They can choose a modern mutual instead.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up to date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

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