Head of Credit Risk & Underwriting - Embedded SME Lending

Head of Credit & Underwriting - Embedded SME Lending
Berlin (hybrid) | Permanent

An established, high-growth fintech lender is looking to appoint a Head of Credit & Underwriting to build and lead its EU underwriting function.

Head of Credit & Underwriting - Embedded SME Lending
Berlin (hybrid) | Permanent

An established, high-growth fintech lender is looking to appoint a Head of Credit & Underwriting to build and lead its EU underwriting function, supporting SME and merchant lending across multiple European markets.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, develop and scale a high-performing credit and underwriting team in Berlin, including setting structure, roles and progression paths.

• Own day-to-day underwriting and credit approval for SME and merchant lending across several European markets.

• Define and continuously refine underwriting strategy, credit policies and risk appetite, ensuring they support commercial ambitions while maintaining portfolio quality.

• Partner closely with data science and product teams to shape scorecards, decision engines, testing roadmaps and automation initiatives.

• Act as a senior point of contact for commercial, partnerships and operations, enabling new products, geographies and platform relationships in a controlled way.

• Monitor portfolio performance, identify early warning signals and lead changes to limits, criteria and strategies where needed.

• Ensure underwriting processes, documentation and governance meet relevant regulatory and internal standards.

• Represent credit and underwriting in senior forums and external discussions where required (e.g. partners, funders, boards/committees).

About you

• Significant experience in credit risk and underwriting within SME, business lending, merchant cash advance, BNPL, cards or adjacent lending products.

• Proven track record leading or playing a senior role in a credit or underwriting team, ideally in a fintech, digital bank or high-growth lender.

• Strong understanding of data-driven decisioning, scorecards and automated underwriting, and comfortable working closely with analytics and product teams.

• Experience operating across multiple European markets is advantageous.

• Fluent English; additional European languages are a plus.

If you meet the above set criteria, please apply or send a copy of your CV to

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates