Senior Vice President, Credit Risk & Underwriting

Woodbridge, NJ

Senior Vice President, Credit & Risk Underwriting - 1769

Location: Woodbridge, NJ - onsite 3 days a week
Relocation Assistance Available: No
Interview Travel Reimbursed: No
Base Salary: $300K-$350K + Bonus
Willingness to Travel: Occasionally

Overview

We are seeking a hands-on, strategic, and highly analytical SVP of Credit Risk & Underwriting to lead all credit and risk functions for a fast-growing fintech lender. This is not an enterprise risk or compliance-only role. It is a quantitative, credit-first leadership position with full ownership of credit strategy, underwriting policy, and portfolio risk across unsecured consumer and small business lending.

This leader will design, build, and continuously optimize the company’s end-to-end credit framework—from initial policy creation through underwriting execution, AI/ML model oversight, fraud strategy, portfolio analytics, and reporting to executive leadership and capital partners.

Candidates without direct experience owning and building unsecured consumer or small business credit strategy will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Own and lead the end-to-end credit lifecycle across unsecured consumer and small business lending products
Design, implement, and continuously refine credit strategy and underwriting policies, built from the ground up
Oversee quantitative credit risk analysis, portfolio performance monitoring, stress testing, and loss forecasting
Lead the development and governance of AI/ML models used in underwriting, fraud detection, and credit decisioning
Manage and optimize digital underwriting platforms, loan origination systems (LOS), and API-driven credit workflows
Establish and monitor fraud strategy, credit controls, and risk thresholds across products and channels
Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Data Science, Finance, and Capital Markets teams
Serve as a senior advisor to the executive team, board of directors, and capital partners on credit and portfolio risk
Ensure credit strategy aligns with regulatory requirements (TILA, ECOA, FCRA, state licensing) without being compliance-driven
Build, lead, and scale high-performing risk, analytics, and underwriting teams

Must-Have Qualifications

15+ years of progressive experience in credit and risk management within financial services
Direct, hands-on ownership of underwriting and credit strategy (not advisory or oversight-only)
Experience across both traditional financial institutions and fintech / digital lending platforms
Deep expertise in unsecured consumer and small business lending, including credit cards and loan products
Proven track record building credit policy and strategy from scratch, including:
- Underwriting frameworks
- Quantitative portfolio analytics
- Ongoing performance optimization
Demonstrated experience applying AI/ML to underwriting, fraud detection, and credit risk modeling
Prior leadership experience as Head of Risk, Chief Credit Officer, or equivalent in a lending organization
Strong understanding of digital lending infrastructure, including LOS platforms, APIs, and fintech architectures
Deep working knowledge of consumer and small business lending regulations (TILA, ECOA, FCRA, state licensing, etc.)
MBA or equivalent advanced degree

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

Professional certifications such as FRM, CFA, or similar risk credentials
Experience managing credit risk for platforms that sell or syndicate loans to capital partners or investors
Proven ability to navigate funding challenges and capital partner relationships
Prior experience at a fintech startup that successfully scaled its lending operation

Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity to own and shape credit strategy at the highest level in a growing fintech environment. You will not inherit a static framework—you will build, test, and evolve the credit engine that drives the business, with direct influence on growth, profitability, and long-term portfolio health.