SME Credit Analyst
Confidential Client | SME Lending / Alternative Finance (Start-Up)
Location: London (Hybrid - 3-4 days in office)
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Salary: Competitive + Bonus + Equity Participation
About the Business
Our client is a well-funded, early-stage SME lending business with ambitious plans to build a high-quality UK loan book from the ground up. Backed by experienced entrepreneurs with a strong track record of building and scaling successful businesses, the firm is focused on providing fast, flexible, and responsible funding solutions to underserved small and medium-sized enterprises.
With an initial loan book of approximately £2m and clear plans to scale significantly over the coming years, this is a unique opportunity to join at founding stage and play a key role in shaping the credit function, underwriting standards, and risk framework of a growing lending platform.
The Opportunity
The SME Credit Analyst will take ownership of end-to-end credit assessment for SME lending applications. This is a hands-on underwriting role requiring strong financial analysis skills, sound commercial judgement, and the ability to make well-reasoned lending recommendations.
You will work closely with the founding team to evaluate borrower risk, structure lending facilities, and help define credit policies and processes as the business scales. This is a rare opportunity to have direct influence on how a lending business is built and operated from day one.
Key Responsibilities
Credit Underwriting & Analysis
- Conduct full credit assessments of SME loan applications.
- Analyse financial statements, management accounts, and cash flow information.
- Assess affordability, repayment capacity, and overall business viability.
- Evaluate sector risks, market conditions, and borrower-specific factors.
- Assign credit risk ratings and recommend appropriate lending structures.
Financial Analysis
- Spread and normalise financial accounts, identifying key trends and risks.
- Build and interpret cash flow models, including stress testing scenarios.
- Analyse working capital cycles, liquidity positions, and seasonal fluctuations.
- Review bank statements and supporting documentation to validate financial data.
Credit Decisioning & Documentation
- Prepare detailed credit papers with clear lending recommendations.
- Present findings to credit stakeholders for approval.
- Conduct due diligence including company searches, director checks, and credit bureau reports.
- Review security documentation including guarantees, debentures, and collateral arrangements.
Process & Policy Development
- Contribute to the development of credit policies and underwriting frameworks.
- Assist in building credit scorecards and decision-support tools.
- Identify opportunities to improve underwriting efficiency and scalability.
- Support portfolio monitoring and early identification of credit risk indicators.
Candidate Profile
Essential Experience
- 3-5+ years' experience in SME or commercial credit underwriting.
- Strong experience analysing SME financial statements and cash flows.
- Proven ability to write and present credit papers for approval.
- Experience working within SME lending, challenger banks, alternative lenders, or specialist finance providers.
- Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or equivalent experience.
Desirable Experience
- Experience in SME lending products such as term loans, revolving credit, invoice finance, or asset-based lending.
- Exposure to secured lending structures.
- Experience in start-up or scale-up environments.
- Knowledge of Open Banking or alternative credit data sources.
- ACA / ACCA / CFA (ACA strongly preferred but not essential).
Skills & Attributes
- Strong numerical and analytical ability with excellent attention to detail.
- Commercial mindset with pragmatic decision-making ability.
- Confident working directly with borrowers and external stakeholders.
- Strong written communication skills, particularly in credit paper writing.
- Ability to manage multiple applications and prioritise workload effectively.
- Interest in leveraging technology or AI tools to improve underwriting efficiency.
- High integrity and commitment to responsible lending.
What's on Offer
- Competitive base salary aligned to experience.
- Performance-related bonus structure.
- Equity / share options in a high-growth lending business.
- Hybrid working model (3-4 days in London office).
- Significant autonomy and influence over credit strategy and policy.
- Opportunity to grow into a senior credit leadership role as the business scales.
Why This Role?
This is a rare opportunity to join a founding credit team within a fast-growing SME lender at an early stage of its journey. You will have real ownership over underwriting decisions, direct exposure to borrowers, and the chance to shape how a lending business operates as it scales from a small initial loan book into a significant UK credit platform.
