Global Lead, Commercial Risk Strategy
About the role
The Commercial Risk Control team at Airwallex sits in the first line of defense within the Commercial organization. They partner directly with Sales, Partnerships, Account Management, Revenue Strategy & Operations, and other Legal, Risk, and Compliance teams across Airwallex. Their mandate is to embed risk discipline into how they originate, structure, and grow their commercial book so that revenue is sustainable and commensurate with the risk they take. They help the business win the right customers faster, avoid the wrong ones earlier, and build a culture where every commercial leader thinks like an owner of their risk profile.
This role is based in Singapore or San Francisco. You will report directly to the Chief Revenue Officer and build and lead the first line commercial risk function for Airwallex. You will define the commercial risk strategy, own the supportability frameworks that govern which customers and use cases they back, and be the primary interface between the commercial organization, the CRO, and second and third line risk teams.
Key Responsibilities
Define and manage the 1st LoD commercial risk strategy and supportability frameworks.
Serve as the primary checkpoint and provide structured high-quality guidance for complex or high-risk merchant use cases to unlock new revenue streams, reviewing and signing off on deal documentation before 2nd line escalation.
Translate complex 2nd line risk appetite and policies into clear, actionable commercial playbooks. Embed risk ownership into daily operations by actively participating in major deal reviews, pipeline calls, and quarterly business reviews.
Partner with enablement teams to design practical training and tools for front-office staff. Act as the primary point of accountability for commercial conduct risk, identifying misaligned sales practices or incentive structures and partnering with Revenue Operations to redesign them.
Design and execute a continuous portfolio monitoring framework alongside Data and Regional RevOps teams. Proactively track metrics like GP-to-risk ratios, customer risk tiers, fraud/loss rates, and revenue concentration to mitigate emerging risks.
Lead structured post-mortems on commercial-induced incidents, driving root-cause analysis and 1st LoD remediation. Enforce 2nd line decisions (such as offboarding or enhanced monitoring) and represent the commercial risk perspective in internal governance forums, regulatory engagements, and audits.
Act as the strategic interface between GTM teams, the CRO, and 2nd/3rd line compliance functions. Over time, recruit and develop a high-impact team to scale coverage globally.
Requirements
Minimum of 10-12 years of risk management experience within financial services, with significant time spent in 1st line or business-aligned roles directly interfacing with front-office or Sales teams.
Deep expertise in at least two of the following areas: credit and portfolio risk, payments or merchant risk, operational and conduct risk, or enterprise risk.
Proven track record of designing and implementing practical risk frameworks that materially influence commercial strategy within a Three Lines of Defense (3LoD) model.
Strong analytical data literacy with the ability to define KPIs, interrogate dashboards, and balance quantitative metrics with qualitative business judgment.
Exceptional communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex risk concepts into clear commercial language and navigate tough "risk vs. revenue" discussions with senior stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in high-growth, product-led fintech environments (e.g., payments, issuing, FX, or modern banking).
Familiarity with global regulatory and scheme frameworks relevant to B2B fintech, including KYC/AML, sanctions, card network rules, and data privacy.
Experience designing portfolio early-warning indicators, concentration limits, and stress testing.