City + Capital are currently representing a pioneering property development finance lender who have retained our services to appoint an experienced Head of Origination to their dynamic team, at an exciting period of expansion. 

The Company  

Our client is a London-based real estate finance lender, providing development finance, bridging loans and mezzanine debt to support high-quality residential and mixed-use projects across the UK.  

With deal sizes ranging from £1m to £10m, they expertly serve small to mid-sized developers building residential and mixed-use schemes across the UK. Their ability to structure flexible deals and move at pace, has established them as a trusted partner for developers seeking fast access to capital in time-sensitive environments. 

Since their launch, our client has experienced remarkable growth, securing their position as a disruptive force in the alternative lending space and consistently expanding their loan book year-on-year with ambitious plans for continued scaling.  

This trajectory has created an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Head of Origination to join a fast-growing, entrepreneurial team where they can directly influence strategic direction.  

Role Overview  

As Head of Origination your primary responsibility will be to lead and grow a dynamic team of experienced Lending Directors, with the ultimate objective of achieving lending & revenue targets that you will agree with the board. 

You will be responsible for recruiting to grow your team in line with demand, as well as setting and executing the origination strategy that ensures the team are identifying the right types of opportunity from brokers and borrowers for funding.  

As a senior team member, you will collaborate closely with other departments to drive performance. You will combine closely with the underwriting and portfolio teams on deal progression and execution, as well as department such as marketing, who can assist in raising personal and team brand awareness in the market. 

This is a ‘Player/Manager’ role where you will lead from the front and play a key role in facilitating the progress of larger and more complex application. You will originate to support team targets and will be the key point of contact for external loan stakeholders, including legal and QS.  

You will also be instrumental in developing and optimising lending processes, credit policies, and deal documentation that support the lenders service delivery and outcomes, and will liaise closely with the board on longer term commercial business strategy and approach.  

This may include considerations around expansion in to new markets, new products to meet market demand or principle growth planning, in line with future goals. 

Responsibilities  

• Grow, manage and develop a team of Lending Directors to achieve set targets  
• Devise and deliver origination strategies that achieve the requisite applications  
• Act as ‘Player/Manager’ to support commercial business & growth objectives  
• Support the team in the structuring and execution of real estate loans  
• Act as the senior point of contact for all brokers & borrowers working with the firm 
• Contribute actively to the management committee and present to credit  
• Add value to aspects such as product and market development in line with growth 
• Ac as first line of defence in terms of credit and business risk  
• Actively seek to improve and streamline businesses processes to enhance results  
• Ensure origination practises are in line with regulatory or governance standards 
• Work closely with marketing, finance, risk, operations and portfolio management  

Candidate Requirements  

The ideal candidate for this role will be highly experienced in development finance lending and will have a strong understanding of the lending cycle for complex development loans.  

Our client is ideally looking for a Head of Origination that can demonstrate a strong track record of leadership or mentorship of a front line lending team. You will be confident when devising and executing origination strategies to achieve agreed lending targets & will have an exceptional capacity to understand what a good deal looks like, to structure complex real estate enquiries and to support decisions from a credit risk perspective.  

This role would suit someone with an entrepreneurial flair as this aligns with the working style & culture of the business and will support cross department collaboration & decision making. You will possess exceptional relationship skills, capable of being our client’s respected and trusted face in the market.   

You will be commercially astute, bringing both strategic thinking & hands-on execution capabilities to support the needs of clients and the team.  

• A proven track record of leadership or mentorship in the development finance space 
• A proven track record in originations and achieving lending targets and objectives  
• Confident when delivering on origination strategies that drive the required applications  
• Highly commercial and capable of understanding what a good deal looks like  
• A strong understanding of the credit risk principles that underpin good lending  
• Excellent communication skills & the capacity to motivate team and stakeholders  
• Strong deal assessment and structuring skills   
• A working knowledge of portfolio management  
• Ambitious and keen to grow with the firm 

On Offer   

Our client is ideally looking to pay up to c£135k as a basic salary for the ideal individual, relevant to experience.  Higher offers could be considered for exceptional direct experience in this role.   

Salary will be complemented by access to our client’s equity plan & bonus scheme too, which will drive significant annual earnings based on team and personal performance.  

Notably, the company is growing and has a preference to promote internally, where opportunity is available. They are keen to build a team for the long term, offering excellent potential to progress salary and career standing within, as excellent performance is delivered and the business continues to expand.   

This is a highly collaborative firm so you would expect to split your working week between client visits, home and the London office.  

Next Steps  

There is a reasonable amount of urgency to fill this position in line with objectives.  

Due to the nature of the role & opportunity, we do not expect it to be on the market for long!  

If this role does sound like one that you are both qualified for and interested in, then we look forward to your application as soon as possible.  

Once we have reviewed your application we will be in touch with an update.   

We look forward to hearing from you.  

The City + Capital Team