Director, Risk

Engine

3d•$171,000 - $202,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Engine is building its Risk function for the first time, and the Director, Risk is both the architect and the governance layer. You’ll define the risk framework that Engine X — our corporate card and spend management product — runs against, govern the first-line operations that enforce it, and be the voice that translates risk posture into language the business can act on. This isn’t a compliance-first role. It’s a builder-strategist role for someone who understands that risk management done right enables growth — and who can hold standards with Sales and Product while staying a partner they trust. Engine is scaling fast. The Director, Risk is how we do that without taking on avoidable losses.

Requirements

8-10+ years in risk (credit a must, ideally credit & fraud), with 3+ years leading teams
Demonstrated ability to balance risk rigor with business growth — you’ve held the line and enabled the business, and you can tell that story with specific examples.
Direct Product/Engineering partnership experience — translating risk policy into product decisions and automation, not just advisory sign-off.
Strong cross-functional influence: you’ve navigated risk appetite vs. growth tension with Sales and Product and come out with both sides trusting you.
Regulatory familiarity: BSA/AML, UDAAP, card issuing compliance.
Strong executive communication — you translate risk signals into business and financial language without losing precision.
Fintech, card issuing, or lending environment required.

Nice To Haves

FRM (Financial Risk Manager), CPA, or CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) a plus.

Responsibilities

Build and own Engine’s risk tolerance framework — define delinquency rate guardrails, fraud rate targets, and escalation thresholds that give the business a clear signal on when to tighten and when to lean in.
Establish second-line governance — document what requires Risk sign-off before going live, including credit policy changes, fraud control modifications, and product feature decisions that carry risk exposure.
Stand up and run Engine’s Risk Committee — cadence, reporting package, escalation protocol to ELT, and the communication rhythm that keeps leadership informed without requiring them to be in the weeds.
Govern first-line operations: Sr. Manager, Fraud Operations and Sr. Manager, Credit report into this role; develop their capabilities alongside the function’s analytical rigor.
Partner directly with Product and Engineering to translate risk policy into product logic, application-stage controls, and automation — risk standards should be embedded in the product, not bolted on after the fact.
Own the risk appetite conversation with Sales — holding guardrails without becoming a blocker, and building the credibility to make that relationship work.
Partner with Legal/Compliance on regulatory obligations including BSA/AML and card issuing compliance.
Translate operational risk signals into P&L language for finance, executive, and board audiences.
Build risk reporting infrastructure — quarterly delinquency and fraud rate reporting against defined targets.