Real Estate Construction Risk Associate

You’ll sit at the intersection of real estate, construction, and credit risk — combining hands-on construction knowledge with commercial lending exposure. You’ll work closely with borrowers, project teams, third-party consultants, and internal credit partners to ensure projects stay on budget, on schedule, and within approved lending parameters, while proactively identifying and resolving construction-related risks.

 

• Conduct site visits to validate construction progress vs. approved budgets and schedules  

• Monitor active construction and refurbishment projects across the loan portfolio  

• Identify delays, budget overruns, and issues outside normal lending parameters  

• Escalate material concerns and provide clear recommendations to internal stakeholders  

• Review and process construction draw requests and requisition packages  

• Coordinate with borrowers, project teams, and third-party consultants to resolve outstanding items quickly  

• Verify hard and soft costs not fully covered within third-party engineer reports  

• Ensure advances align with approved budgets, timelines, and lending conditions  

• Support new lending opportunities by assessing construction-related risks  

• Contribute to underwriting discussions beyond basic report review  

• Partner closely with credit, portfolio management, and deal teams throughout the loan lifecycle  

• Attend Credit Risk Management Committee (CRMC) 

• Build strong working relationships with borrowers, contractors, consultants, and internal teams  

• Communicate proactively on emerging risks and project performance  

• Drive issues through to resolution with a practical, solutions-oriented approach  
   

• 3+ years’ experience in a third-party engineering consultancy, construction advisory firm, or similar  

• Exposure to multiple sites, project types, and development scenarios  

• Familiarity working with lenders, construction financing structures, and draw processes  

• Experience as a site-based Project Manager, Owner’s Representative, or similar  

• Strong understanding of construction execution, budgeting, scheduling, and contractor coordination  

• Interest in developing expertise in construction lending and credit risk  

 

You’ll bring a sharp, hands-on understanding of construction budgets, schedules, contracts, and the real-world risks that can derail delivery — and you’ll pair it with strong commercial instincts around lending, leverage, and cash flow. You’re someone who enjoys digging into the detail, spotting issues early, and turning insight into clear, practical recommendations. Confident and credible with borrowers, consultants, and internal stakeholders, you communicate crisply, stay highly organized under pressure, and can juggle multiple fast-moving priorities. You’re also comfortable working across time zones and with international teams — and you’re excited by the pace, responsibility, and visibility that comes with supporting a growing US lending platform.

 

You'll be close to complex, high-profile real estate transactions. You’ll build rare, marketable experience across both construction oversight and credit risk, working end-to-end through the loan lifecycle alongside high-calibre banking, real estate, and credit professionals. OakNorth combines an entrepreneurial, collaborative culture with genuine room to grow, and you’ll be joining a fast-growing international bank that’s actively transforming commercial lending as we scale our US platform.

 

New York, NY (hybrid: 4 days/week in-office). Regular travel required across the US portfolio for site visits, project meetings, and borrower engagement.