Vice President of Risk

Role Purpose

Role Summary:
The Vice President, Risk owns Clicklease’s enterprise credit risk function, defining risk strategy, governance, and decisioning frameworks that protect portfolio performance while enabling sustainable, risk-adjusted growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and evolve enterprise credit risk strategy, including risk appetite framework and credit policy across origination, portfolio management, and loss mitigation
• Lead and develop the Credit Risk organization through the Director of Credit Risk, ensuring scalable team structure and performance
• Define and operationalize enterprise credit decisioning strategy across approvals, pricing, and controls (including PD, LGD, CNL forecasting, BAV scoring, and fraud/identity models) in partnership with Data Science and Engineering
• Own portfolio governance, including vintage performance, delinquency trends, loss forecasting, and concentration risk management, with proactive identification and intervention on emerging risks
• Accountable for credit performance and risk representation to banking partners, auditors, and regulators, including covenant reporting and risk communication
• Ensure compliance with fair lending and regulatory requirements, including ECOA, FCRA, and adverse action requirements, with defensible decisioning practices
• Own and scale a test-and-learn program to optimize approval, pricing, and risk outcomes with disciplined measurement and rollout
• Partner with Finance and executive leadership on forecasting, CECL/ECL reserves, stress testing, and capital planning

Essential Functions

• Define and enforce enterprise credit risk strategy and decisioning frameworks critical to portfolio performance and company growth
• Analyze and interpret complex financial and credit data to inform strategic decisions and risk governance
• Lead and manage a multi-layered risk organization, including performance management, hiring, and development
• Communicate risk performance, strategy, and recommendations to executive leadership, lenders, and the Board
• Ensure adherence to regulatory, compliance, and data security requirements across all credit activities
• Utilize technology platforms and analytical tools to monitor performance and implement risk strategies

Minimum Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in credit risk within consumer, small business, or specialty finance lending
• 5+ years of experience leading managers or senior-level teams
• Experience owning credit strategy, including policy design, implementation, and performance management
• Experience performing credit risk analytics, including loss forecasting and portfolio analysis
• Experience using SQL and either Python or R for data analysis
• Experience working with banking partners, auditors, or regulators on credit risk matters
• Experience leading and scaling teams in a high-growth or complex environment
• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field or equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in indirect lending, dealer-originated finance, or equipment leasing
• Experience with CECL/IFRS 9, stress testing, or capital planning
• Familiarity with fair lending regulations and disparate impact analysis
• Experience with BI tools such as Tableau or Sigma
• Experience managing third-party data or decisioning vendors

Performance & Success

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Portfolio performance maintained within defined risk appetite (loss, delinquency, and vintage targets) while enabling sustainable growth
• Risk-adjusted growth improvements through optimized approval rates, pricing, and yield without exceeding defined loss thresholds
• Forecast accuracy across loss, delinquency, and portfolio performance metrics
• Clean audit, regulatory, and covenant outcomes with no material findings
• Scalable team structure with reduced single points of failure

What Success Looks Like (First 6 Months)

• Established ownership of risk strategy, governance, and portfolio oversight with executive alignment
• Delivered measurable improvements in credit decisioning, approval strategy, or portfolio insights
• Implemented clear reporting and visibility into portfolio health, forecast accuracy, and emerging risks
• Strengthened team structure, documentation, and cross-functional alignment
• Delivered measurable improvements in credit decisioning or portfolio insights
• Implemented clear reporting and visibility into portfolio health and emerging risks
• Strengthened team structure, documentation, and cross-functional alignment

Skills & Competencies

Core Functional Competencies:

• Credit risk strategy and policy design
• Portfolio analytics and forecasting
• Regulatory compliance and governance
• Executive communication and stakeholder management
• Organizational leadership and team development

Key Technical Skills:

• SQL
• Python or R
• Credit risk modeling and forecasting
• BI and reporting tools