Associate Director, Risk Operations, Payments, NA

Airwallex•San Francisco, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. The Operations team at Airwallex ensures the smooth and efficient functioning of our services and processes. We focus on optimizing workflows, improving operational efficiency, and delivering exceptional customer support. By streamlining operations and implementing best practices, we help drive the company's growth and maintain high service standards. Our team is dedicated to providing a seamless experience for our customers and supporting Airwallex’s mission to empower businesses globally. The NA Risk Operations team covers multiple markets and products, and plays a key role in shaping global standards for how we manage risk for our largest and fastest‑growing customers. As Associate Director, Risk Operations, Payments, NA, you will be the senior leader accountable for end‑to‑end risk operations across North Americas, spanning credit risk, consumer fraud and merchant risk operations. This is a career‑defining opportunity to shape how Airwallex manages risk at scale in one of our most important regions. This role is based in San Francisco.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in payments / fintech / acquiring with at least 3+ years people management experiences
Deep expertise in one or more of: Consumer fraud / transaction risk (real‑time controls, rules, models) Merchant risk / credit risk (underwriting, reserves, exposure management)
Proven track record managing senior ICs in multi‑location teams
Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguity, set clear priorities, and drive outcomes in a fast‑moving, high‑growth environment
Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including with senior executives, external partners, and non‑risk audiences
Experience balancing risk appetite with commercial objectives, and articulating trade‑offs with clarity and conviction
A strong desire to learn about new payment trends and technologies.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience

Nice To Haves

Strong analytical and data skills – comfortable using dashboards and data tools to diagnose issues, design experiments, and measure impact
Experience building or scaling risk operations in a global fintech or top‑tier payments company
Familiarity with North America regulatory environments and payment scheme expectations around fraud and merchant risk
Hands‑on experience partnering with Product/Engineering to design risk tooling or automation, including use of AI/ML/LLMs in operations
Prior exposure to board or regulator‑facing discussions on risk posture, incidents, or portfolio performance

Responsibilities

Define and own the North American Risk Operations Strategy aligned with global risk frameworks and regional growth priorities
Translate strategy into clear OKRs, roadmaps, and operating plans across payment fraud, disputes and credit risk operations
Build, lead, and develop a diverse, high‑performing leadership bench (managers and senior ICs) in US
Create a culture of ownership, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement anchored in Airwallex’s Operating Principles
Own end‑to‑end operational performance for North America payments risk operations, including SLAs, quality, loss metrics, and customer impact
Oversee design and execution of merchant underwriting, monitoring, investigation, reserve management, and escalation workflows across North Americas
Partner with global legal, risk and compliance team to implement new policies and control changes efficiently into operations
Work with Product and Engineering to evolve risk tooling (rules engines, case management, AI/LLM‑based workflows, analytics surfaces) for higher accuracy and efficiency
Champion automation and AI to reduce manual work, speed up decisions, and improve reviewer effectiveness while maintaining strong control standards
Serve as the primary North Americas Risk Operations counterpart to: Risk Management, Financial Crime, and LRC Product & Engineering (Onboarding, Payments, Issuing, Risk Platform) Commercial and Customer‑facing teams (Sales, Account Management, Customer Success, Merchant Service)
Represent Airwallex Risk Operations in key commercial deals, complex escalations, and audits with payment partners, regulators, and strategic merchants
Influence decisions on product launches, GTM initiatives, and new business models by clearly articulating risk implications and mitigation options
Scale and structure the North America Risk Operations organisation to support high growth and new product lines