The posting
SENIOR DIRECTOR, PORTFOLIO RISK MANAGEMENT
WHO WE ARE
At Trustly, we're building a smarter, faster, and more secure financial future by revolutionizing the world of payments. As a global leader in Open Banking Payments, we are establishing Pay by Bank as the new standard at checkout, providing unparalleled freedom, speed, and ease to millions of consumers and merchants worldwide.
Our Ambition: To build the world’s most disruptive payment network and redefine what the payment experience should feel like.
Trustly is a global team of innovators, collaborators, and doers. If you are driven by a strong sense of purpose and thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and high-growth environment, join us and be part of a team that’s transforming the way the world pays.
About the team The Data team at Trustly is the backbone of our decision-making and product innovation. We are a global, multidisciplinary collective of Software Engineers, Data Engineers, Machine Learning Specialists, Scientists, and Analysts who believe that data is more than just rows and columns - it is the fuel for a more transparent financial ecosystem.
We operate at the intersection of high-scale engineering and deep financial intelligence. Our team processes millions of transactions in real time, turning complex Open Banking signals into seamless payment experiences. We pride ourselves on a culture of intellectual curiosity, technical excellence, and extreme ownership.
About the role
Trustly guarantees payments in North America. Every approval decision drives revenue for Trustly and for our customers, and every one of them also carries risk and loss. We are looking for a portfolio risk leader to own that balance across our business domains and to turn risk management into a growth driver, in partnership with our commercial and customer service teams. This function owns segment risk management, the customer-facing risk solutions consulting team, and risk operations and compliance.
You will partner closely with Risk Data Science, Risk Product and Risk Engineering, who own the risk models and the engine your decisions will run on, and you will be the senior risk voice with our executive team and our largest customers.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
OWN THE LOSS AND APPROVAL OUTCOME
- Own consumer transaction loss, merchant credit exposure and approval rates across customer segments.
- Decide where to tighten and where to loosen, grounded in loss attribution, and balance approval rate against loss.
- Own change control on the decision set: rules, thresholds, score cutoffs and non-standard deal terms carry a quantified loss and approval impact before launch. Define guarantee tier eligibility and the economics behind each tier.
- Monitor return performance against network rules and internal limits, across unauthorized, administrative and funding-related return reasons.
SET THE RULES AND UNDERWRITING STANDARDS
- Own rules and thresholds across segments, including the per-merchant risk settings in the risk engine.
- Set and document merchant underwriting criteria: onboarding, KYB standards, merchant risk tiering, monitoring triggers and offboarding.
- Establish the merchant approval authority framework in partnership with Finance and Commercial.
- Direct incident response for major risk events, including the escalation path into Legal, Commercial and our banking partners.
LEAD RISK DISCUSSIONS WITH CUSTOMERS
- Set risk appetite and pre-authorization requirements early in a deal so they shape the terms.
- Present the risk position and the trade-off on the largest and most complex deals: approval rate and expected loss.
- Own the risk inputs into pricing: expected loss by customer, guarantee tier recommendation, and the exposure and collateral terms on non-standard deals.
- Partner with Customer Success to bring the risk view into customer meetings and quarterly business reviews. Provide regular risk reporting and propose remediation where return performance drifts.
- Be accountable for customer risk relationships at executive level.
LEAD THE FUNCTION AND PARTNER ACROSS TRUSTLY
- Build and develop the team across segment risk management, customer-facing risk solutions consulting, and risk operations and compliance.
- Run risk execution end to end: merchant underwriting operations, the alert and manual decision queues to SLA, representment, recovery and collections, and first-line compliance execution with controls testing.
- Set the agenda for the Risk Committee, and present loss performance, emerging risk and the case for any change to senior and executive stakeholders.
- Partner with Risk Data Science on how model scores are used in the rules, and with Risk Product and Risk Engineering on what the engine needs to support next.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
- 12+ years in payments, lending or banking risk, including at least 5 years leading teams across more than one function.
- Ownership of a loss budget and an approval rate target at the same time, with a track record of improving approval rate while holding loss within budget.
- Direct experience setting rules and thresholds in a real-time decisioning environment where model scores drive the decision.
- Merchant underwriting depth: KYB, beneficial ownership, financial statement review, exposure modeling and industry risk.
- Experience overseeing risk operations at scale: decision queues to service levels and first-line controls.
- Presenting and defending a risk position with customer executives and with your own executive team, including risk terms inside a commercial deal.
- Experience standing up or rebuilding a risk function, including hiring the team.
PREFERRED
- Bachelor's degree in economics, statistics, mathematics, engineering, finance or a related field. MBA or a graduate degree in a quantitative discipline is a plus.
- ACH or EFT domain expertise. Depth in one or more of gaming, telco, utilities, insurance or financial services.
- Collections, recovery and representment run as loss mitigation, with measured recovery rates.
- Familiarity with model risk governance and independent validation in financial services.
- Experience working with ODFIs or payment processors on risk matters.
Applications for this role are accepted on an ongoing basis.
LOCATION & WORKPLACE
This is a hybrid role based out of our San Francisco or New York hubs. We look for team members to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday. Please note we
SALARY RANGES IN US-BASED ROLE POSTING
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Recruiters can share more information with applicants about the specific salary range for preferred locations during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include other perks and benefits.
WHAT WE OFFER
At Trustly, you will have the chance to solve meaningful challenges alongside some of the brightest minds in FinTech. Together, we are shaping the future of payments in an environment that celebrates curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. You will be challenged and empowered to grow, making a real impact every step of the way.
Our team is as diverse as the global footprint we serve, with colleagues across Silicon Valley, the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Europe, and beyond. At Trustly, we foster a workplace where everyone feels they belong—a place where teamwork thrives, ideas flourish, and we never forget to have fun along the way.
We offer innovative perks and benefits packages that include:
- Flexible paid time off & generous PTO accrual plans
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and other insurances
- FSA & HSA plans for medical and dependent care
- Home office set-up allowance
- Internet stipend
- Retirement plan match for 401k and RRSP
- Gender-neutral paid parental leave, and more!
(The benefits and total compensation packages outlined above are for full-time employees; some exclusions apply for temporary positions.)
At Trustly, we embrace and celebrate diversity of all forms and the value it brings to our employees and customers. We are proud and committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and believe an open and inclusive environment enables people to do their best work. All decisions regarding hiring, advancement, and any other aspects of employment are made solely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
