Business Unit: Risk, Secured Portfolios
Salary: up to circa £52,500 depending on experience
Location: Remote – Flexible with some requirement to attend office/HUB/ Store
Contract Type: Permanent

Join Virgin Money as we transform our team into one that is ready to meet the challenges of the future, setting us up to support our ambition to disrupt the status quo and turn traditional banking on its head. We’re also transforming how we work, offering our colleagues more choice, control and flexibility to live and work how they choose with A Life More Virgin. We’ve exciting opportunities within our Credit Risk function as we look to strengthen our capabilities to support our future ambitions to become a digital bank. We’re on the lookout for highly motivated individuals with a burning passion for what they do, a lust for learning and innovation, and are looking to work with likeminded people. If this sounds like you, then keep reading!

Here’s what it means for YOU:

• 38.5 days annual leave for all colleagues (including bank holidays and pro rata if part-time)
• Five extra paid well-being days per year
• A 35-hour working week
• 20 weeks paid, gender neutral family leave (52 weeks in total) for expectant parents and those looking to adopt
• Market leading Pension & Private Medical Insurance
• Flexible benefits including Cycle to Work, Wellness & Health Assessments and Critical Illness
• Ability to work anywhere in the UK (where the role allows)

And you get these Red Hot Rewards from day one!

We’re on the search for a talented Credit Risk Senior Specialist to join our Credit Risk Strategy team in our secured portfolio. The team is responsible for delivering insight on acquisition strategies and portfolio performance. There is also remit to lead, drive, and deliver the development of strategic solutions, with the aim of digitising and automating customer onboarding processes.

You’ll report into a Credit Risk Manager and provide insight to the Risk Management Leadership Team, Risk committees and the wider business as required, including the Commercial, Finance and Customer Experience teams. No day will be the same as you collaborate with a range of stakeholders, ensuring analysis of risks and opportunities is converted into tangible improvements within Credit Risk.

Your core responsibilities will be;

Analysing credit data, presenting findings and creating solutions from the analysis. You’ll be a self-starter, using your own initiative to drive enhancements, bring new ideas, and provide ongoing challenge.

Our Strategy team is responsible for – proactive management of the Buy to Let and Residential Mortgage Credit Strategies covering the end-to-end Credit Lifecycle (Origination, cut-off management, affordability assessment, further lending criteria, cross product pre-approval), managing approvals with key stakeholders. You’ll consider risk and reward of credit strategies and policies to ensure performance meets guardrails, leveraging data to optimise strategies & policy rules. You will pursue growth opportunities to support and drive business growth including the execution of complex projects as required.     

Day to day you’ll:

• Work collaboratively with Credit Strategy owners, Commercial and Operational colleagues to identify improvements that maintain regulatory compliance, improve efficiency, or provide additional value to the business
• Provide input into the scoping, design, development and implementation of Credit Risk strategies and associated policies
• Lead, on behalf of the Credit Risk Managers, the provision of meaningful insight, making recommendations to Senior Management, representing the team at relevant meetings and committees
• Demonstrate a collaborative approach with Risk Appetite Statement management, working together with Risk teams and the wider business
• Develop and maintain a relationship with the Credit Risk teams at an operational and senior level to ensure that best practice is shared
• Work in a timely manner to constructively shape outcomes and service business needs
• Demonstrate maintenance of our internal Governance frameworks, policies and Regulatory guidelines and ensure this framework is embedded in the business to ensure sound risk practices are adopted
• On behalf of the Credit Risk Manager lead the delivery of internal department culture and processes that drive the right customer outcomes
• Challenge existing processes, seeking continuous improvement by reducing complexity and increasing efficiency
• As required, provide deputising support for the Credit Risk Manager 

There are a few essentials you need to bring to either of these opportunities… 

• Strong analytical experience and a proficient SAS (statistical analysis software) user. Must also be an adept user of the MS Office suite
• Extensive experience in Credit Risk Management with vast knowledge of the UK mortgage market  
• Ability to relay information, both written and verbally, to differing levels of seniority, in a clear, concise, and confident manner
• Ability to critique and challenge the Credit Acquisition strategies using SME knowledge
• Capability to operate effectively with senior leaders, and represent VM with external stakeholders and stand up to robust challenge
• Ability to prioritise effectively and manage various management expectations, supporting Senior Analysts and Analysts to do the same, delivering multiple workstreams in a fast-changing environment
• Deputise for senior colleague (Credit Risk Manager) as required
• Extensive experience in influencing change in a positive and collaborative manner, turning ideas into practical solutions
• Proven experience in challenging other teams work through meetings and discussion forums, using strong influencing skills and Credit Risk SME knowledge
• An excellent understanding of the analytical techniques, data and systems used in credit risk management
• Knowledge, experience and understanding of the wider Risk function and insight requirements
• Proven ability to build strong networks and relationships with internal and external parties

We'd love you to have (but not essential)...

• Understanding of the Legal and Regulatory framework and agenda
• Strong understanding of the operations of a Risk function
• Understanding of Credit Models and Scorecards
• Proven track record of high professional standards, self-motivation and achievement / results driven

We really need you to have the skills and experience listed in the ‘There are a few essentials you need to bring’ section above, but the rest is just our wish list, so please don’t let that put you off applying, we’d love to hear from you!

Inclusion at Virgin Money

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do here at Virgin Money. It’s good for you, it’s good for us and it’s amazing for our customers. We know that great minds don’t think alike, so we rely on your diverse thoughts, feelings, beliefs and backgrounds to be the best we can possibly be. Got any questions about this or need some support with your application? We’d love to hear from you so get in touch with our careers team at careers@virginmoney.com.

Now the legal bit…

Living A Life More Virgin allows our colleagues to be based anywhere in the UK (if the role allows it) but we will need to you to confirm you have the Right to Work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include a credit and criminal record check, as well as providing 3 years' worth of satisfactory references.