Vice President of Risk

Role Purpose

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