Mortgage Underwriter Team Leader

Admiral Mortgages are looking for a Mortgage Underwriter Team Leader to join their growing Specialist Mortgages team!

About us

Admiral Money is the dynamic lending arm of Admiral Group, offering personal loans, motor finance, and second charge mortgages since 2017. We’re building something special for our customers and are looking for curious, driven individuals ready to learn, take on challenges, and make an impact.

We’re proud to be a certified Great Place to Work for over 25 years, with recognition for Women and Wellbeing. Our inclusive culture empowers everyone to Be You.

Need support during the recruitment process? Just let us know – we’re here to help.

The Role 

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a small, ambitious team that’s committed to doing things differently. Our vision is to revolutionise the secured lending industry by driving innovation, enabling unparalleled speed of lending, and building strong partnerships. We’re looking for people who are passionate about finding better ways and want to be part of the solution.

We’re seeking an experienced and motivated Mortgage Underwriter Team Leader to lead and support a team of underwriters within our Homeowner Loans department. This role is key to ensuring lending decisions align with company policies, regulatory requirements, and risk appetite, while maintaining excellent customer service standards. The ideal candidate will combine strong technical underwriting expertise with proven leadership skills to drive performance, ensure compliance, and contribute to the growth of our homeowner loan portfolio. You’ll join a friendly, supportive team that values collaboration and strives for the best outcomes.

Please note: This is a hybrid role based in our Cardiff office, with a minimum of two days per week onsite. Working hours are flexible within Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and develop a team of mortgage underwriters through coaching, mentoring, regular one-to-ones, and ongoing training.
• Review and authorise complex homeowner loan applications in line with credit policy, risk frameworks, and regulatory standards.
• Act as a referral point for escalated or challenging cases, providing clear guidance and sound decision-making.
• Support the Underwriting Manager in shaping and improving underwriting policies, procedures, and risk controls.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Sales, Risk, Compliance, and Servicing to resolve queries, enhance processes, and deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Ensure compliance with FCA, PRA, and other relevant regulatory requirements, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and changes.
• Foster a positive team culture that values integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Required Skills/Experience

• Preferably CEMAP qualified.
• Proven experience as a mortgage underwriter with in-depth knowledge of Second Charge or Specialist lending.
• Previous experience in a leadership or supervisory role within financial services or homeowner loan underwriting.
• Strong understanding of credit risk assessment, affordability, and regulatory requirements (FCA, PRA, AML, GDPR, etc.).
• Excellent analytical and decision-making skills with strong attention to detail.
• Effective communicator with the ability to influence and support team members at all levels.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage workloads, prioritise tasks, and deliver against deadlines.

Admiral: Where You Can

We take pride in being a diverse and inclusive business. It's a place where you can Be You, and show up as you are. We’re committed to fostering a people-first culture where everyone is accepted, supported, and empowered to be brilliant. You can, Grow And Progress at a pace and direction that suits you, Make A Difference for our customers and each other, and Share in Our Future with all colleagues eligible for up to £3,600 of free shares each year after one year of service.

Everyone receives 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) when they join us, increasing the longer you stay with us, up to a maximum of 38 days (including bank holidays). You also have the option to buy or sell up to an additional five days of annual leave.

We’re proud of our people-first culture. In fact, we've been recognised as a Great Place to Work for Women, a Great Place to Work for Wellbeing, and an overall Great Place to Work for over 25 years! We’re fully committed to making sure your progression is not slowed or halted by barriers related to race, gender, age, sexuality or any of the protected characteristics.

Our fantastic benefits make sure our colleagues have a great work-life balance; You can view some of our other key benefits here.

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