Retail Lending Associate

OVERVIEW

At DF Capital, we champion banking for ambition. As an award-winning provider of commercial finance and savings, we empower depositors and small businesses with financial solutions tailored to fuel their growth. Headquartered in Manchester, our team of over 100, serves thousands of customers across the UK, transforming savings into new opportunities for businesses to thrive.

We’re passionate about helping our customers succeed. As we expand our retail and commercial lending products, we remain committed to meeting their evolving needs and supporting their ambitions every step of the way.

OUR STORY

Founded in 2016, DF Capital was born with a focus on distribution finance - providing dealers, distributors, and manufacturers with the funding they need to stock, display, and sell products, without straining cash flow.

Since then, we’ve delivered over £3.5bn of funding across diverse sectors. From motorhomes and machinery to motorbikes and lodges, we’ve financed all shapes and sizes of commercial vehicles and automobiles (no planes or trains - yet). We listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange in 2019.

BECOMING A BANK

In 2020, we became a fully authorised bank, extending our offering with savings products for retail depositors. We’re proud of our strong customer service, consistently achieving high satisfaction scores - like our current average rating of 4.8/5 from 1,200+ reviews, which also earned us a Platinum Trusted Service Award. The deposits we receive fuel UK businesses through our commercial lending, creating a virtuous cycle of growth.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED

Our goal is simple: to be the best bank - for our customers and each other. We put customer needs first, continuously looking to improve our proposition on their feedback. We aim to help more customers in more ways while continuing to deliver exceptional service.

How do we achieve this? By hiring people who care deeply about doing the right thing, we’ve been recognised as ‘World Class to Work For’ by Best Companies, and we're proud of our inclusive, sustainable, and progressive workplace.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are entering another exciting chapter of the DF Capital story, as we look to turbo-charge our ambitions and significantly scale the business. If you're passionate about providing great customer experiences, developing great propositions and want to be part of building a winning and positive sales culture, then we want to hear from you.

OUR CULTURE

DF Capital is a very special place to work. We have an amazing team who commit themselves each and every day to bring our ambitious growth plans to life. We’ve achieved much on our journey so far, but we believe we have our best days ahead of us.

We’ve established a unique culture that is built on a virtuous circle where engaged and empowered employees who are powered by a shared purpose deliver great outcomes for our customers, our communities, the environment and ultimately our shareholders. This is why we are rated a world class place to work and are amongst the best companies to work for in the UK.

THE ROLE

The Retail Lending Associate is an exciting new role, you'll be at the heart of delivering a seamless activation and payout process for our customers and dealers, ensuring all documentation and requirements are met before completing any deal. Your contribution will be critical in supporting our growing consumer and business asset finance offerings by delivering the activities that allow for activation while also providing a personal touch for both dealers and customers to ensure a consistent DF Capital experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

At DF Capital, we're passionate about providing our employees with the right training and support to excel in their roles and future careers. We believe that with the right attitude and drive, success is inevitable. This role offers the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, agile environment where customer-centricity and agility are at the core of everything we do.

Other duties may be assigned outside of the following duties and responsibilities:

• Serving as the primary point of contact for DF Capital’s Asset Finance dealer network, providing customers with updates on the progress of funding applications, along with tailored support and valuable information to meet their needs
• Keep customers informed in real-time about deal progress, offering proactive support and timely updates.
• Act as the first point of escalation, resolving queries and complaints swiftly to ensure great customer experiences
• Proactively engage with customers and dealers to ensure deals are completed efficiently while meeting all lending requirements.
• Collaborate with the Commercial team to ensure we can adapt quickly to evolving customer needs.
• Review and ensure the accuracy of asset documentation and checklists, delivering fast, seamless processes for all lending activities.
• Build strong, personalised relationships with customers, understanding their needs and expectations to provide tailored, timely solutions.
• Work cross-functionally with Credit, Customer Services, and Onboarding teams to create an efficient, frictionless customer experience.
• Adhere fully to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), executing tasks with agility and precision.
• Process inbound documentation swiftly and accurately, ensuring terms are met without delay.
• Prepare outbound documentation to confirm funding requests with customers and dealers promptly.
• Activate assets in the system, ensuring payments and contractual documentation are processed within agreed SLAs.
• Analyse reconciliation breaks, working closely with Finance and Cash Operations to resolve issues and streamline processes for quicker outcomes.
• Collaborate with internal teams to overcome processing delays and maintain seamless customer funding timelines, delivering market-leading service.
• Deliver right-first-time actions and services, ensuring a low error rate and high customer satisfaction.
• Support the smooth running of the department by completing any additional tasks requested by the line manager to meet customer needs effectively.
• Work within a shift pattern to be able to support our dealers and customers with a 7 day a week service.

At the very heart of every DF Capital employee is a shared identity and belief in what we are and what we do. It’s about how we see ourselves and what is important to us. You will live our brand values. As such you will be an approachable, empathetic problem solver, with exemplary communications skills. You will avoid the use of unnecessary jargon and display an adaptable, “can-do” attitude.

The Retail Lending Associate plays a critical role in supporting customers, both businesses and consumers, with the support of the Retail Lending Operations Manager. You will be the daily contact for your clients and be responsible for reviewing and processing client’s requests for funding. You will be responsible for ensuring the deals run smoothly and adhere to the DFC Lending Policy. You must demonstrate several core skills when working at pace - ability to work methodically and with an eye for detail, an ability to communicate with a variety of customers from small to medium sized businesses or consumers of all kinds, have a competent understanding of operational processes and practices, with proven skills in prioritisation and organisational skills. The role currently is working

Monday to Friday within DF Capitals standard working hours however this has the potential to expand to a 7 day working week as the proposition grows and demand increases.

Required experience

• Excellent eye for detail
• Ability to organise and work independently
• Customer Service excellence
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Superior problem-solving abilities
• Self-motivated
• Instinctively curious
• Ability to set and manage priorities
• Detail and process-orientated with a focus on accurate and timely outcomes
• Exceptional service orientation
• Ability to operate in a team-orientated, collaborative environment
• Exceptional energy levels
• Able to use data to inform and drive decision making

• 10% Employer pension contribution
• 30-day annual leave entitlement plus Bank/Public Holidays
• Free Gym Membership
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Discretionary share awards
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Save As You Earn company share acquisition scheme
• Tax efficient salary sacrifice scheme to obtain bicycles and electric vehicles
• 4 days of paid Volunteering leave to support our local communities
• Vibrant office location in the lively city centre of Manchester