The Role
As an Associate in Debt Finance, you will support transaction execution, maintain CRM, prepare credit papers, conduct research, and analyze financial data.
Summary Generated by Built In
At OakNorth, we’re on a mission to empower the UK’s most ambitious businesses. Since 2015, we’ve lent over $18 billion across the UK and US, helped create more than 58,000 new homes and 36,000 new jobs, and supported hundreds of thousands of personal savers — all while fuelling the UK economy.
Our Debt Finance team sits at the heart of that mission — supporting ambitious entrepreneurs with tailored funding solutions that drive real impact.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic, fast-growing bank that’s redefining what’s possible in business lending. We’re not looking for just another cog in the wheel — we want curious, proactive self-starters who are eager to grow their careers while partnering with some of the UK’s most ambitious business leaders.
As an Associate in Debt Finance, you’ll work closely with senior team members across every stage of the transaction lifecycle — from origination through to execution — ensuring each structured, leveraged, sponsor, and cash flow deal is delivered seamlessly and with impact.
Principal Responsibilities:
- Support the team on the execution of transactions across trading businesses — including structured, leveraged, sponsor, and cash flow finance deals.
- Help maintain and update the CRM, tracking opportunities from new leads through to completed transactions.
- Assist in the preparation of credit papers and transaction recommendations for Credit Committee and other approval forums.
- Contribute to financial analysis and modelling to assess opportunities and test key assumptions.
- Conduct company, sector, and transaction research, drawing insights from a variety of data sources.
- Attend client and third-party meetings with senior bankers, contributing to discussions and capturing key insights.
- Collaborate across functions (Credit, Transaction Execution, Legal, etc.) to help ensure deals are efficiently executed and funded.
What Makes a Successful Associate:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
- Ideally 3 + years’ experience in a finance-related role — e.g. corporate banking, leveraged finance, debt advisory, or transaction services.
- A keen interest in supporting UK mid-market businesses and learning how debt finance enables growth.
- Strong analytical and research skills, with the ability to grasp complex financial information quickly.
- Confident communicator, both written and verbal, with an ability to collaborate across teams.
- Highly organised and detail-oriented, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and learning.
- A self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment where no two days are the same.
Benefits and Perks:
- Equity. We want people to have a stake in the business so that all our interests are aligned.
- 25 days holiday
- Personalized benefits – opt-in to what matters to you
- Subsidised Private Medical Insurance with Bupa
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
- Wellbeing and social events
- Support causes that matter to you – Volunteering time off
- Salary sacrifice schemes (Cycle to work, nursery, gym, electric car scheme)
Top Skills
CRM
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The Company
What We Do
Launched in 2015, OakNorth helps the UK’s most ambitious businesses access the fast, flexible finance they need to scale, while helping savers make their money go further.
With funding ranging from £250,000 to tens of millions, we have lent billions to businesses across a whole range of sectors, performing among the top 1% of commercial banks globally.
To date, OakNorth financing has helped create tens of thousands of new jobs and affordable homes.
