Onate is a fast-growing real estate lender operating across Ireland and Spain. We finance property investors and developers across residential, mixed-use and commercial assets, including refurbishment, change of use, developer-exit projects, and other value-add strategies.

We combine speed and certainty of execution with disciplined credit judgement. Our institutional funding relationships provide significant capacity to grow, and our Madrid team is building a leading alternative property lending business in Spain.

Our approach is practical and commercial: understand the project, challenge the assumptions and make clear decisions. This appointment will strengthen our ability to assess and monitor larger and more complex Spanish transactions.

The business was founded by three serial entrepreneurs with a proven track record,

having previously built multiple companies, including two now listed on the London

Stock Exchange. Their vision is to establish Onate as a market-leading bridge lender in the Spanish market.

Launched in 2021, Onate has already achieved this in Ireland, where it has completed

over 350 loans and secured its position as the market leader. Onate opened its Madrid

office in early 2024 and to date has originated almost 100 loans in the Spanish market.

Onate has multiple funding lines - including a large international bank - providing both

diversity of capital and significant scalability.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly experienced construction and real estate professional to lead Onate’s internal technical assessment and monitoring of larger and more complex Spanish loans. You will bring first-hand experience of delivering projects on site, the confidence to challenge developers and contractors,



and the judgement to translate technical findings into lending recommendations.

You will assess whether a project can be completed for a realistic budget, within an achievable programme and with the necessary approvals. You will also determine whether the remaining funding is sufficient to finish the works and what evidence supports each proposed advance.

Working closely with Origination, Credit and Portfolio Management, you will carry out internal reviews and site inspections, and scope, oversee and challenge external project monitors where required. Independent or specialist reports will continue to be commissioned where required by the transaction, Onate’s policies or funding arrangements.

This is a senior appointment with ownership of the internal technical view and a direct influence on lending decisions. The role provides lender-side advice; project delivery and statutory construction appointments remain with the borrower’s professional team, and lending and funds-release approvals remain within Onate’s approval framework.

Based in our Madrid office on Paseo de la Castellana, you will work directly with the Spanish lending team and senior decision-makers. You will help build Onate’s technical standards, contribute to live transactions and see the impact of your judgement throughout the loan lifecycle.

Regular travel across Spain is an integral part of the role,



including site inspections and meetings with developers, contractors and professional teams.

The environment rewards ownership, sound judgement and early escalation. We value people who can resolve issues pragmatically, explain what matters and maintain high standards under short decision timelines.

Candidate Profile

- Substantial relevant experience, typically 10+ years, with significant hands-on responsibility for live construction projects in Spain. You will have worked directly with developers, contractors and professional teams through construction and completion, with personal accountability for budgets, programme or delivery.
- A proven ability to inspect works, assess vigente progress and challenge budgets, quantities, rates, procurement, variations, contractor claims and costs to complete. You must be comfortable forming your own view and defending it with evidence.
- Experience assessing refurbishment, conversion or partially completed projects, including hidden defects, incomplete scope, contractor changes and the risks of restarting stalled works.
- Strong practical knowledge of Spanish construction processes, planning and licensing, technical documentation, contracts and completion requirements, with the ability to identify where legal or specialist advice is needed.

Strongly preferred experience

- Technical due diligence, project monitoring or drawdown review for a bank, property lender, real estate debt fund or institutional investor, either in-house or through a monitoring consultancy. The strongest candidates will combine this with substantial developer-side or contractor-side site experience.
- Experience of stage

📌 Senior Technical Manager (Madrid)
🏢 Onate
📍 Madrid