Our client, a FinTech within an established financial services company, faced significant challenges recruiting a credit underwriter for their payments business during a period of market instability. Efforts by their internal resourcing team and specialist suppliers in the payments sector failed to yield quality candidates, as convincing skilled professionals to leave secure jobs was difficult amid such uncertain times.
Timing is Everything
At a crucial moment, we reconnected with the business’s COO, an ex-client. Leveraging Chamberlain’s preferred supplier status with the broader group, we were engaged to find the specialist—and we succeeded.
“This was a new client with a particularly hard-to-fill credit underwriter role,” explains Chris Notley, MD at Chamberlain. “It required an understanding of the brief, business, and structure – and a bit of luck too!”
Building on Success: Three More Hiring Managers
Our successful placement during this challenging period opened the door to further opportunities. Impressed by our ability to deliver quality candidates, three more hiring managers turned to Chamberlain to fill additional critical roles:
– Head of Portfolio Management
– Portfolio Manager
– Financial Crime SME
Understanding the intricacies of portfolio management and financial crime, we closely followed the briefs and delivered small but strong shortlists. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive: “All these candidates are good – they can all do the job.”
The Right Candidates, the Right Fit
All four roles were filled with experienced payment specialists. The search was facilitated by the client’s flexibility regarding remote work, allowing candidates to be based anywhere in the UK. Two hires came from a smaller payments business, one from a global payments company, and the fourth, although in property finance at the time, had prior payment experience.
Key Takeaways
Our ability to fill these roles during a turbulent time was a testament to our expertise and adaptability. Typically, such positions are filled by specialist payments recruiters. However, our deep knowledge of credit, portfolio management, and financial crime for FinTech companies enabled us to excel despite limited experience in payments. Our success was driven by five key factors:
- Careful listening
- Asking the right questions
- Thorough research
- Understanding the competition
- Rapid learning
We were the only recruiter able to fill these roles during unprecedented times, convincing exceptional candidates to move where others had failed. The ultimate proof of success is that all placed candidates are still thriving at the FinTech company.
Looking Forward
This case study demonstrates the importance of adaptability and expertise in recruiting for highly specialised roles. Our initial success during the period of market instability has solidified our reputation and expanded our portfolio, proving that even in challenging times, the right approach can achieve outstanding results.
If we can help in any way, please get in touch:
Chris Notley
Managing Director
chris.notley@chamberlaincareers.com
