Head of Mortgage Lending Operations

When we started Kensington we were the first specialist lender to offer mortgages to people the high street turned down. Over 25 years later, we're the UK's leading specialist mortgage lender still blazing a trail offering people the chance to get a mortgage.

Where high street lenders see black and white, we've always used our expertise and manual underwriting capability to see the shades in between. In a market where changing lifestyles mean more people are falling outside the traditional mortgage criteria, it's an approach that can make a real difference to people who want to own a property.

It's what we call the Kensington Difference.

Kensington Mortgage Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barclays Bank UK PLC from 1 March 2023, and the principal activity of the Company is the origination and servicing of mortgage assets. The Company is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority for regulated activities.

Overall Purpose of Job

Lead on all aspects of mortgage lending underwriting, completions, and intermediary boarding.

This will encompass:

1) leading circa 90 people across a manual underwriting brand

2) implementing efficiencies

3) assuring a well-controlled operation is always maintained.

4) defining and raising the performance standards within the team to uphold SLA targets and delivering a strong customer service capability.

5) contributing to Company strategic initiatives.

Key Accountabilities

• Ensure there is an efficient, scalable lending capability that delivers superior customer service.
• Reviewing key processes and customer/broker journeys and assuring they are regulatorily compliant, efficient, and scalable; designing new processes as required. At the same time, processes should be orientated to strong customer fulfilment.
• Review and consider opportunities to deploy automated and digital solutions to improve the customer journey.
• Ensure that credit policy is followed and regularly reviewed to look for opportunities to change and enhance what we have today.
• Establish clear controls across lending operations and develop or maintain audit procedures to monitor the quality of output to ensure adherence to set policy and procedures.
• Establish and develop a highly skilled, diverse, and motivated team to meet the needs of the business, attracting, inducting, developing, and retaining, talent for the future and ensuring the highest standards of performance, customer focus, professional conduct, ethics, integrity, and control across the lending function.
• Leading the team through new lending system processes and procedures that deliver the customer requirements and the corporate strategic agenda.
• Adhering to (and exceeding) key operational SLA’s relating to customer satisfaction, fulfillment times and quality.
• Ensure that all activities are conducted within budget.
• Liaise with other functions and departmental heads to understand all aspects and needs of operational development, and to ensure they are fully informed of operational objectives, purposes, and achievements.
• Review productivity and ensure that performance standards are set and regularly reviewed across the area.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills

• Experience in financial services and mortgage lending
• Customer Experience - Effectively employs customer insight tools and techniques to consistently drive value for customers.
• Experience working in a highly regulated environment.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet targets.
• Change Management and have exposure to working in an environment which is constantly driven to apply improvements. Capable of managing change at all stages, i.e., establishing clear vision, enrolling others to change and executing change.
• Planning and prioritising
• Leading high performing team Skilled at using benchmarks and people management techniques to harness the potential and mobilise the energy of individuals.
• Driving the strategic initiatives by interpreting an agenda into clear action plans and processes.

Our employees are critical to our success. We work hard to ensure that Kensington Mortgages is a great place to work. We recognise the difference it makes to our business when people challenge themselves and take advantage of the development opportunities available so we try and support everyone however we can.

We also recognise the fact that people seek work life balance and continuously develop our benefits offering to create an inclusive and supportive culture where differences that exist between us all are recognised, understood and valued.

If you want to make a Difference, apply now.