Deputy Head of Commercial Real Estate

City + Capital are currently representing a highly respected commercial real estate finance lender who are experiencing outstanding growth. They are keen to appoint an experienced & knowledgeable Deputy Head of CRE who will take ownership of the management & performance of the CRE operation.

The Company

Our client is a leading player in the specialist lending sector and operates across a broad range of property finance markets, supporting property investors and developers with access to funds for key real estate projects.

The lender has grown substantially in recent years, driven by exceptional funding & an innovative approach to product development & meeting the needs of the core customer. Our client is targeting a huge increase to their CRE loan book in the coming period, to deliver on exciting growth objectives and to cement their position in the market.

As a result, they are keen to bolster their senior management team with the addition of a Deputy Head of CRE who will inherit and grow the CRE operations team, as outlined below.

Role Overview

As Deputy Head of CRE you will be responsible for the management and oversight of the CRE department's core operations and upon joining you will be expected to inherit & grow a team of case managers, underwriters and portfolio specialists/relationship managers to support deal flow, assessment, structuring and execution.

Our client operates a large national sales force who drive originations of CRE loans for your team to review and manage. You will be 'hands on' with your support to the team when handling larger, more complex CRE enquiries.

You will work in conjunction with the credit department and departments such as legal, risk, compliance and completions to move deals to funding and will present to credit committee, wherever required.

Another key element of the role is supporting the portfolio management and successful redemption of CRE loans. You will respond to issues and opportunities within the existing customer book to drive loan restructuring, refinancing or new borrowing, as well as handling any matters where loans or assets fall into disrepair, and require recovery.

Ultimately, you will be part of the management team that are responsible for achieving annual lending and growth objectives and will play a leading role in all things CRE, including aspects such as product development and commercial strategy.

Responsibilities

• Inherit & grow a team of case managers, underwriters, RMs & portfolio managers
• Responsible for the activity and performance of the CRE loan operation
• Manage the department through growth and scale accordingly to achieve commercials
• Devise and execute strategies with the Head of CRE
• Oversight of the loan pipeline, driving activity within the underwriting team
• Support deal assessment, structuring & execution of larger, more complex loans
• Liaise closely with internal departments, such as legal, risk, completions and credit
• Grow your team in scale with the business, demand and book
• Assist with the development and implementation of policies and procedures
• Oversight of the CRE loan book, monitoring loan activity and driving outcomes
• Support existing borrowers looking to restructure, refinance or access new loans
• Play a key role in presentations to the credit committee
• Support aspects such as CRE product development, launches and reviews
• Support the Head of CRE in developing and optimising the CRE growth strategy & results

Candidate Requirements

• Must be experienced in Commercial Real Estate lending
• A proven track record of team management, leadership or mentorship
• Excellent CRE underwriting & credit principles, confident at each stage of the loan cycle
• A strong communicator and able to collaborate with internal & external stakeholders
• An exceptional attention to detail & highly numerical in approach
• Strategic in approach, able to prioritise and keep multiple plates spinning
• Happy to be 'hands on' to support complex transactions/guide the team from the front
• Ambitious and keen to drive career forward as CRE team grows

Whilst experience is important, the ideal individual for this role will thrive in a fast paced and growing environment and will embrace both change and progress equally. You will be proactive in your approach, a natural leader and will blend the capacity to be strategic seamlessly with the need to 'roll up sleeves' for the team to meet delivery objectives.

On Offer

Our client is ideally looking to pay between £100k - £130k as a basic salary for the ideal individual, which will be relevant to experience. Higher offers may also be considered for an exceptional operational leadership track record in the CRE market.

Salary will be complemented by access to our client's favourable bonus scheme too, which will significantly increase annual earnings.

Critically, when we combine the importance of CRE growth, the broader business objectives and our clients' strong & proven promote from within policy, this is also role that comes with plenty of opportunity where excellent performance is delivered.

It is expected that as the loan book grows, so will the hierarchy that supports it - so for ambitious types, this could be the start of a long and successful journey.

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, you 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