Business Credit Strategy Manager

Business Unit:  Chief Credit Office
Salary range: £60,000 - £75,000
Location:  Hybrid - with occasional travel to one of our key hubs
Contract type: Permanent

Live to inspire change. Live a life more Virgin.

Our Team
Our Business Credit Insight and Innovation team plays a pivotal role in shaping our lending strategy across Business lending. We're looking for a Credit Risk Manager to join our team and help us innovate and continue to grow responsibly while ensuring our lending meets customer needs and regulatory standards.

We’re looking for a strategic thinker and risk expert to join our Business Credit Insight & Innovation team as a Credit Risk Manager – Business Credit Strategy. This role is pivotal in shaping and overseeing the credit risk strategy for our business lending portfolio, including strategic finance, asset and invoice finance, and national sector lending.

You’ll be at the heart of our efforts to drive sustainable growth, ensure robust governance, and deliver insight-led decision-making across the business lending lifecycle.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the development and execution of innovative credit risk strategies across origination, portfolio management, and credit decisioning, particularly for larger and more complex commercial lending.
• Monitor and shape the business lending portfolio in line with risk appetite, policy, and regulatory expectations.
• Deliver insight and rationale to support lending decisions at key governance forums, including Credit Risk Committee, Business Portfolio Quality Review, Transactional Oversight Working Group, Business Loss Forum and Transactional Credit Committee.
• Influence the evolution of the Business Risk Appetite Statement and contribute to the commercial and financial planning of the business franchise.
• Collaborate across 1LoD and 2LoD to identify control gaps, growth opportunities, and ensure alignment with the Group’s strategic ambitions.
• Contribute to major transformation initiatives such as climate risk, data strategy, and system enhancements.

We need you to have

• Has extensive experience in business lending and credit risk strategy at a senior level.
• Extensive experience of SME and Mid corporate credit risk management at both transactional and portfolio level.
• Understands regulatory frameworks (e.g. Basel) and has a strong grasp of risk appetite and policy.
• Can influence senior stakeholders and present complex insights with clarity and impact.
• Brings strong analytical, decision-making, and communication skills.
• Is confident navigating ambiguity and driving change in a fast-paced environment.

It’s a bonus if you have but not essential

• Familiarity with VM’s credit products, systems, and risk models (especially PD models).
• Experience with credit risk MI, reporting, and system architecture.
• Experience of business lending within an IRB credit environment.
• Broad knowledge of Risk Management disciplines and three lines of defence model in place across the Group.

Red Hot Rewards 

• Generous holidays - 38.5 days annual leave (including bank holidays and prorated if part-time)​ plus the option to buy more. 

• Up to five extra paid well-being days per year​.  

• 20 weeks paid, gender-neutral family leave (52 weeks in total) for expectant parents and those looking to adopt.  

• Market-leading pension.  

• Free private medical cover, income protection and life assurance.  

• Flexible benefits include Cycle to Work, wellness and health assessments, and critical illness.  

And there's no waiting around, you'll enjoy these benefits from day one. 

If we’re lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early. Please ensure to submit your applications as soon as possible.  

Say hello to Virgin Money
Virgin Money is so much more than just a bank. As part of the Nationwide group, together we're the UK's first full-service mutual bank serving millions of retail and business customers and all driven by our purpose; Banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. With us, you’ll be part of an organisation uniquely positioned to make a difference to the lives of customers, communities and broader society and embark on a collaborative, customer obsessed, and fun-filled career journey. Embrace the weekdays, enjoy fantastic perks, and make a meaningful positive difference. Time to discover what it means to be part of the first mutual full-service banking provider.  

Be yourself at Virgin Money
At Virgin Money, we celebrate everyone. We have fun, think big, and relentlessly include each other, all in pursuit of our purpose: Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.  We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.    

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion.  If you need any reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition team careers@virginmoney.com

Please note: If we receive a high volume of eligible applications, we may need to prioritise candidates whose skills and experience most closely align with the role, while still ensuring fair and equitable consideration for all applicants.

Now the legal bit
Although some of our roles allow you to be based anywhere in the UK, we'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. 

If you're successful in securing a role with us, there are some checks you need to complete before starting. These include credit and criminal record checks and three years' worth of satisfactory references. If the role is part of the Senior Manager Regime and Certification Regime, it requires enhanced pre-employment checks – we'll ask for six years of regulatory references, and once in the role, you'll be subject to periodic employment checks.