Job Description
Our client is a very well-capitalised, internationally connected banking institution with a long-standing presence in the UK market. The organisation operates with institutional governance, disciplined risk management and a relationship-led culture, supporting clients across a broad range of commercial sectors. As part of its continued growth within the UK Commercial Real Estate market, the firm is seeking to appoint a Relationship Manager to support the Head of Commercial Real Estate in originating, structuring and managing lending relationships across the sector. This is an opportunity to join a high-performing, credit-disciplined platform with strong internal infrastructure and an established client base. Particular areas if interest within CRE verticals are financing for Hotels, Student Accommodation, Offices, Residential Portfolios, and Development Finance. The role is a 1 year immediate start maternity contract, which could be extended.
Job Purpose
To support the Head of Commercial Real Estate in developing and managing both prospective and existing client relationships, delivering against financial and non-financial targets while operating within internal governance frameworks, regulatory standards and prevailing best practice.
Key elements of the role include:
- Preparing detailed credit applications and annual reviews that appropriately assess industry, market and borrower risk.
- Managing KYC and onboarding processes for new and existing clients.
- Coordinating internally and externally to ensure timely and accurate execution of facilities.
- Supporting negotiation and documentation of lending facilities.
- Assisting with monitoring of watchlist and impaired credits.
- Maintaining high standards of relationship management and service delivery.
Internal Stakeholder Relationships
- Commercial Real Estate team
- Credit
- Corporate governance committees
- Operations (Retail and Non-Traded)
- Treasury
- International relationship teams
- Compliance
- Private Banking
External Relationships
- Commercial Real Estate clients
- External legal advisers
- Valuers and professional advisers
Financial Crime & Compliance Responsibilities
- As a client-facing function, the team operates as first line of defence in mitigating financial crime risk.
Responsibilities include:
- Adherence to internal Financial Crime policies and procedures
- Conducting robust KYC and due diligence in line with risk classification
- Escalating high-risk matters to appropriate senior stakeholders
- Ensuring timely completion of onboarding and periodic reviews
- Identifying and reporting suspicious activity
- Supporting transaction monitoring queries
- Completing mandatory financial crime training
- Managing compliance-related queries in a timely and professional manner
Key Responsibilities
- Proactively manage and develop Commercial Real Estate relationships
- Deliver rigorous, well-structured written credit analysis for new transactions and annual reviews
- Manage documentation, regulatory and accounting aspects of transactions
- Coordinate credit approval processes and internal stakeholder engagement
- Maintain disciplined portfolio oversight
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Real Estate, Finance or related discipline
- 5-7 years' experience in Commercial Real Estate relationship management
- Strong UK CRE exposure across asset classes including:
- Hotels
- Student Accommodation
- Offices
- Residential Portfolios
- Development Finance
- Experience within an institutional lending environment is highly desirable
- Strong understanding of commercial real estate market dynamics and financial products
Core Competencies
- Strong credit and analytical capability
- Structured approach to complex transaction analysis
- High attention to detail and numerical accuracy
- Ability to operate independently and meet tight deadlines
- Commercial judgement balanced with risk discipline
- Professional integrity and commitment to regulatory standards
- Confident stakeholder engagement in a multi-cultural environment
Technical Skills
- Advanced financial analysis capability
- Strong spreadsheet proficiency (financial modelling advantageous)
- Market awareness (macro, sectoral and capital markets developments)
- In-depth understanding of the UK Commercial Real Estate sector
