About us

More than ever before, borrowers need a lender that will react and respond when they are faced with financial complexity. Vida is the mortgage lending specialist with a clear focus on helping more customers in their home ownership journey, unravelling complex situations, and making the process clear and simple.

Working exclusively with expert intermediary partners, Vida combines cutting-edge technology with skilled and caring people to deliver an efficient and differentiated customer experience. With over 11,000 customers we have lent over £2.1bn since our launch in 2015, but we want to do more. By continuing to invest in technology, people, and process to ensure we deliver a market leading proposition that helps more people with a wider range of home buying needs.

We are flexible and efficient; we cut through complexity and never accept second best.

At Vida, we always keep our promises, what you see is what you get, and it will never change. Put simply, Vida helps those who are typically ignored by high street banks to get life moving.

With three offices in Egham, London, and Skipton, we bring teams together regularly to collaborate but empower our colleagues to have more choice around when and where they work on the days they are not in the office, with colleagues working remotely in various locations across the UK.

Our Values

Our values lie at the heart of everything we do and provide a frame of reference for the behaviour we expect to see in our people every day. Refreshed in 2020, we look for these qualities when hiring new talent into the organisation, and they underpin our approach to personal development and performance management for all our people. We are:

Visionary - We innovate and break old habits, thinking big and pushing boundaries together as one team.

Inclusive - We value each other’s differences and work to see people for who they really are.

Dynamic - We are flexible and fast, cutting through complexity and never accepting second best.

Authentic - We are honest and genuine, what you see is what you get.

Role main purpose

The Finance team is responsible for the financial integrity of the Belmont Green business. This involves the preparation of management, statutory and regulatory reports and the maintenance of underlying accounting records within a robust financial controls framework. Preparing financial forecasts, analysis and strategic plans in a dynamic business environment is a core part of the Finance team’s role.

Financial Planning & Analysis Managers are responsible for supporting the delivery of financial forecasts, plans and financial analysis that enhances management’s understanding of the key financial business drivers that will deliver the growth and future sale of the business.

Key Responsibilities

•  Lead on the detailed cost modelling and ownership of the operating cost forecast for the business.
• Act as a business partner on costs to all areas of the business, reporting on performance and providing insightful financial analysis to support management decision making.
• Develop relationships with all areas of the business to understand and challenge changes in the cost base across the business.
• Work with the Financial Control team to ensure reporting of actuals and forecasts are aligned, consistent messages are delivered to business management and process improvements are made on dataflows.
• Support in the preparation of materials for presenting financial forecasts and analysis to management.

Knowledge & Experience

•  Experience of financial modelling in a financial services environment is preferable but not essential.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified or in exceptional circumstance part-qualified, with a strong academic background.

Leadership Skills and Personal Qualities

• A high level of determination, willingness and flexibility to deliver to a high standard against tight deadlines.
• Be able to present financial data to a high standard in a clear and concise format.
• Very strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Communicates in a constructive, positive and respectful manner that demonstrates respect.

Our Culture

As an equal opportunities employer, Belmont Green and Vida are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us. We believe diversity enables better business outcomes. We also believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, ensures better outcomes for all staff. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Benefits

Belmont Green and Vida offers comprehensive benefits package to support our employees’ professional and personal needs, these are:

• Agile Working
• Annual Leave - 28 days annual leave rising to 30 days (1 extra day per full year worked)
• Buy Annual Leave
• Birthday - We provide staff their birthday off to celebrate in style
• Vitality - Private Medical (Single cover) with Vitality as a ‘Benefit in Kind’ including discounts and health incentives
• Health MOT - Annual health checks with Vitality representative
• Free eye tests
• Free flu jabs
• Pension - up to 10% employer contribution after probation.
• Season Ticket Loan - We understand that some staff will need to rely on public transport in order to attend their work location. This benefit is intended to help staff cover the costs of a season ticket.
• Life Assurance - Offering 4 x basic salary
• Group Income Protection Insurance
• Annual Bonus - (company and personal performance related)
• Volunteering opportunities
• Car Parking - Free parking at Egham and Skipton offices.
• Education and Further Learning - We are keen believers in continuous professional development (CPD) and are committed to the development of all employees for the mutual benefit of the individual and furthering the business ability and needs. We encourage both professional qualifications and courses that are directly relevant to your current position and/or career path.
• Employee Referral Incentive Scheme

About us

Belmont Green provide mortgage solutions operating through its “Vida Homeloans” brand for Buy to Let (BTL) and residential borrowers (ROO) who find themselves underserved elsewhere. Our borrowers range from Buy to Let investors, to the self-employed and customers with multiple jobs. Our business model and strategy are underpinned by our core purpose to ‘Help More People Find a Place to call Home’.

We are here to help the under-served, especially those with more nuanced personal circumstances or borrowing needs who are not able to access a mortgage from a mainstream mortgage lender. Working exclusively with intermediary partners, we combine cutting-edge technology with skilled and caring underwriting expertise to solve complex customer problems.

As a business with an aspiration to become a bank and grow over the coming years, we recognise the important of having a clearly articulated culture strategy and the need to actively manage how it embeds in the business together with the behaviours which exemplify it.

As a recognised Best Companies Top 100 mid-sized company to work for in the UK and a finalist at the Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Awards, we take pride in our diverse workforce, championing both ethic and gender diversity through our EDI commitments.

Having met the target set by being a member of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter we have 50% of senior management roles filled by women.

With offices in Egham, London, and Skipton, we bring our teams together regularly to collaborate and empower our colleagues to have more choice around when and where they work on the days they are not in the office, with colleagues working remotely in various locations across the UK.

Our Culture

We are proud to have built a culture founded on an ethos of caring, and that sits at the heart of our Vida Values, driving the way we run our business, support our customers and other stakeholders on a daily basis.

We genuinely care about delivering the right outcomes for all of our stakeholders who we consider through the cultural framework as our customers, colleagues, company and communities that we operate in.

By Joining Vida you will have a sense of belonging in what is a diverse and collaborative environment, where you will be empowered to take responsibility for driving delivery.

We embrace a diversity of backgrounds and experiences in our people, in the deeply held belief that better outcomes are achieved for customers when our colleagues are better placed to empathise with and understand their unique circumstances. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Role Overview:

The role is part of the Credit Risk function, which sits in the Company’s 2nd Line of Defence, and is tasked with the development and ongoing maintenance of the Credit Risk Management Framework, which includes Credit Policies; Retail Credit Concentration Risk Policy; Lending Mandates & Exceptions Policy; Responsible Lending Policy, as well as being responsible for leading and supporting the Credit Risk Strategy of the business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the Company’s agreed aims and objectives balancing risk/ reward within approved risk appetite.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver the goals and objectives.
• Contribute to the design, development, implementation, and adherence to the risk appetite statement.
• Develop, operate and be accountable for the Credit Risk Strategy and Policy for Residential and Buy to Let lending (1st & 2nd charge mortgages); the Responsible Lending Policy; the Lending Mandates & Exceptions Policy, the Retail Credit Concentration Risk Policy ensuring all are reviewed as a minimum, on an annual basis (or as otherwise agreed), in line with the risk appetite statement.
• Build strong and lasting internal and external stakeholder relationships, and, at all times, present the Company’s values in a positive manner.
• Supporting the CRO on the reporting and presentation of key credit risk related matters to ERC and BRC.
• As a Subject Matter Expertise (SME) in Credit Policy and Risk assessment, influence the Company’s Warehouse Funders to agree to policy changes.
• Manage the Credit Committee process, including the supporting reporting and secretariat responsibilities.
• Using excellent communication skills and knowledge, influence change with key stakeholders and senior management to ensure the Company maintains its position as a challenger lender balancing the needs of responsible lending with the fair outcome for customers, and the business aims.
• Embrace, and be an advocate for, change, to ensure the Company continuously improves its policies, processes and procedures.
• Be a strong leader, who can successfully build, lead, motivate and develop a team of knowledgeable policy and quality control analysts.
• Support the wider operations and customer service areas in embedding a risk culture and risk management ethos that balances the need of the Company whilst focusing on customer service.
• Always employ discretion when party to sensitive and commercial information.
• Using your skill and knowledge, show strong judgement when considering applications for mortgage lending providing guidance to the underwriting/ sales functions as required.
• Where appropriate support the 2nd line QC monitoring activities to support the 2nd line assessment of compliance with the Credit Policies; Responsible Lending Policy; Mandates & Exceptions Policy; Retail Credit Concentration Risk Policy, and the quality of lending decisions.
• In conjunction with colleagues within Credit Risk, review the performance of the mortgage portfolio, learning from trend analysis how the different elements of credit policy are impacting performance.
• Assist colleagues within Credit Risk and the wider Company and servicer.
• Play an active part in meetings, supporting the Credit Risk ethos of the Company.
• Bring to the attention of the Chief Risk Officer any aspects/ concerns that may, or will, bring the Company into disrepute through poor lending decisions or colleague behaviours.
• Adhere to the governance controls put in place by the Company.
• Lead a team of individuals to include regular performance reviews and monitoring and annual appraisal reviews.
• Act as a role model for colleagues throughout the Company, guiding those who are less experienced.

On a temporary basis, covering the period when the existing Head of Portfolio Credit Risk is on maternity leave (expected to return from maternity leave in April 2025), the following responsibilities are applicable:

(The Head of Portfolio Credit Risk manages the Credit Risk Analytics team. The position holder will ideally have a very strong background in analytics, SAS, and Credit Risk within a mortgage lending institution, preferably with experience covering the full customer lifecycle, including new lending, account management, fraud prevention and debt management).

•  Responsible for maintaining and improving the Credit Risk Appetite Framework (including the annual review of the credit risk appetite framework).
• Supporting the CRO on the reporting and presentation of key credit risk analytics and associated findings / conclusions / recommendations at ERC and BRC.
• Responsible for the delivery of standard and bespoke reports for presentation to senior management and governance committees.
• Accountable for reviewing the performance of the mortgage portfolio and, in conjunction with Credit Risk colleagues, learning from trend analysis how different elements of credit policy impact performance.
• Acts as a SME and key contact for Credit Risk analysis-related projects and questions.
• Shows strong leadership, successfully building, motivating and developing the credit risk analytics capability.
• Provides analysis / insights and recommendations for changes and enhancements to Vida’s product range, application process, strategy design, debt management activities and operational processes.
• Manages models owned by Credit Risk Analytics, including the affordability expenditure model, ensuring regular reviews are completed with stakeholder collaboration.
• Embraces and advocates for change to ensure the continued development of credit risk reporting and analytics.
• Responsible for working directly with business and operational teams to implement business critical strategy improvements including, but not limited to: credit policy, credit limit management, risk-based pricing and collections activities.

Requirements:

• Experience in similar role.
• Outstanding understanding and knowledge of mortgage lending including underwriting, operations, customer services, special servicing, and mortgage compliance.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey information to various levels of management and colleagues in a clear and concise manner.
• Be able to influence stakeholders.
• Expertise in credit risk management.
• Be a self-motivator and able to work independently with attention to detail.
• Ability to make sound decisions and propose recommendations to mitigate or reduce risk to the Company.
• Strong internal and external stakeholder management skill.
• Proven and excellent leadership skills.
• Have, and can demonstrate, problem solving capabilities.
• Able to handle complex tasks simultaneously.
• Hold or have recently held a higher lending mandate.
• Have strong and working knowledge of regulatory requirements.

Our Values

Our values are well established and recognised throughout our organisation. They provide a frame of reference for the behaviours expected from our colleagues every day.

We find ways to break old conventions, especially those which cause exclusion or customer harm. We look for these qualities when hiring new talent into the organisation, and they underpin our approach to personal development and performance management for all our people. At the heart of this is the fact we care about our Customers, Our Colleagues and our Communities. We are:

Visionary - We innovate and break old habits, thinking big and pushing boundaries together as one team

Inclusive - We value each other’s differences and work to see people for who they really are

Dynamic  - We are flexible and fast, cutting through complexity and never accepting second best

Authentic - We are honest and genuine, what you see is what you get

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees’ professional and personal needs. Further details can be provided upon application.