Senior Director or Director, Debt Finance - Structured Finance
ABOUT US
At OakNorth, we're on a mission to empower ambitious businesses and the communities they serve. Since 2015, we've lent over $21 billion across the UK and US, helped create more than 58,000 new homes and 36,000 new jobs, and supported hundreds of thousands of personal savers — all while driving economic growth in the markets we serve.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Our Debt Finance team sits at the heart of OakNorth’s lending business. Sitting alongside our real estate finance team, leverage finance team, and fund finance team, this newly established role in structured products supports OakNorth’s mission of providing financing to specialist lenders and non-bank finance providers, including securitisations within specialty finance. We structure lending against underlying loan portfolios, working with colleagues across Credit, Legal and Transaction Management, and Portfolio Management.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Senior Director or Director in Debt Finance, you will originate, structure and execute financing for specialist lenders and non-bank finance providers, with a focus on securitisations within specialty finance. You will lead deals from the initial client conversation through credit approval, documentation and completion. The role combines new business development with detailed credit and structuring work, drawing on your understanding of securitisation and the underlying loan portfolios.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Build relationships with specialist lenders and advisers to identify and win new business.
- Lead the structuring and execution of lender finance transactions, with a focus on securitisations within specialty finance.
- Assess loan portfolios, deal structure, borrower financial strength, underwriting standards and servicing capabilities. Model cash flows and downside scenarios to assess repayment risk.
- Negotiate pricing, advance rates, eligibility criteria, concentration limits, cash waterfalls, covenants and performance triggers.
- Work with internal colleagues to prepare credit papers and present proposals for approval. Work with Legal and Transaction Management to ensure documentation reflects the approved terms.
- Stay close to clients and work with Portfolio Management on deal handovers, reporting, amendments and refinancing.
- Meet agreed lending and credit-quality objectives, working with Risk, Treasury, Finance and Operations on the requirements for new transactions.
YOU'LL BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU HAVE…
- A track record of originating, structuring and completing lender finance or structured finance transactions, with practical securitisation experience.
- A detailed understanding of asset-backed lending structures, including portfolio eligibility, advance rates, cash waterfalls, security and intercreditor arrangements.
- Experience analysing loan portfolios, stress-testing cash flows and assessing counterparty and servicing risk.
- An established network of specialist lenders, non-bank finance providers and advisers, and a record of winning business through those relationships.
- Experience writing credit papers, presenting to credit committees and negotiating financing documentation.
- Commercial judgement, a clear understanding of risk-adjusted returns and a willingness to work through the detail of a deal.
- Experience working within a bank or regulated lending environment, with exposure to credit policy, capital requirements and governance frameworks.
- Experience lending against different asset classes or developing new structured lending products.
BENEFITS & PERKS
- Equity — we want everyone to have a stake in the business so our interests are aligned
- 25 days holiday plus personalised benefits — opt in to what matters to you
- Subsidised private medical insurance with Bupa
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
- Wellbeing and social events, plus in-house Barista Bar in the London office
- Volunteering time off to support causes that matter to you
- Salary sacrifice schemes — cycle to work, nursery, gym, and electric car scheme