Manager, Credit Bureau Reporting and Disputes

Sallie Mae•New Castle, DE

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Credit Bureau Reporting and Disputes leads a team responsible for investigating credit bureau disputes and ensuring Sallie Mae complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The role oversees corporate initiatives involving credit bureau reporting, including system-of-record changes and reporting for new products, and develops business strategies in response to legislation and industry requirements. It requires in-depth knowledge of the FCRA and business processes that affect credit reporting, data furnishing, and dispute resolution, together with a strong interest in using data to identify accuracy opportunities and procedural or system gaps. The position has two main areas of responsibility: credit bureau disputes and credit bureau reporting/data furnishing. It manages dispute investigations, customer and bureau communications, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, team tools and training, and related litigation support. It also ensures accurate reporting of accounts on the Fiserv FDR system to the four major credit reporting agencies, leads reporting-related system and product changes, oversees testing and data-quality controls, analyzes reporting trends, and collaborates with internal and external partners. The role requires a bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience, knowledge of credit reporting regulations and systems, people leadership experience, and substantial SQL or SAS experience. A master's degree, additional industry experience, vendor management experience, and CDIA certification are preferred. The company describes its benefits as supporting employees' physical, mental, financial, and professional well-being, and notes flexible hybrid working arrangements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
Strong knowledge of credit reporting guidelines, regulations, and industry best practices.
Previous experience leading people and fostering a positive team culture.
Familiarity with credit bureaus' reporting systems and credit reporting software.
Solid understanding of the Fiserv FDR system of record, general core processing system functionality, and cross-functional business processes.
Ability to extract insights from large amounts of data and create clear, concise reports.
Interpretive understanding of Metro2 and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Thorough experience with the e-OSCAR platform, preferably e-OSCAR version 4.0.
Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to interpret and analyze credit reports and related data.
Proven ability to manage credit disputes and resolve complex issues.
Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
At least 5 years of SQL or SAS experience, with demonstrated understanding of Sallie Mae loan servicing data and data sources.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other relevant software applications.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field.
At least 7 years of experience in credit bureau reporting, credit disputes management, or a related role.
At least 3 years of vendor management experience within the credit bureau industry.
CDIA certification in Metro2 and/or the FCRA, specifically data furnishing.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage a team of credit reporting and dispute resolution specialists.
Investigate credit bureau disputes using systems of record, supporting systems, and customer-provided documentation.
Manage Direct Disputes and ACDVs, and ensure Tradeblocks are processed accurately and rescinded where applicable.
Work with Customer Communications to maintain, update, and create correspondence responding to Direct Disputes.
Share enterprise-wide communications to review and research credit reporting issues that contribute to common dispute reasons.
Ensure dispute resolutions comply with legal requirements, including the FCRA.
Communicate with customers, credit bureaus, and other parties to gather information and provide dispute-resolution updates.
Implement measures to prevent disputes and identify process-improvement opportunities.
Conduct audits and quality-assurance checks to verify compliance and address potential issues.
Create and maintain tools to improve the performance of the disputes team.
Work with Legal and assist with FCRA-related litigation concerning disputes or data furnishing.
Oversee appropriate access to and use of e-OSCAR, serving as system administrator.
Onboard and train new credit bureau reporting and dispute resolution specialists as needed.
Ensure accurate reporting of accounts on the Fiserv FDR core processing system to the four major credit reporting agencies.
Make and recommend business decisions in response to internal and external pressures affecting credit bureau reporting across internal IT systems.
Create and execute business requirements for system enhancements and complete or update product and rules builds as necessary.
Develop plans and execute User Acceptance Testing for existing and new products.
Maintain and improve credit bureau reconciliation and exception reporting to identify, remediate, and prevent reporting issues and reduce FCRA risk.
Partner with risk and legal teams to comply with existing and new regulatory requirements concerning data furnishing and disputes.
Conduct periodic data-quality audits with the four credit reporting agencies and oversee remediation of findings.
Prepare and present monthly and year-to-date reporting and disputes analyses to senior leadership.
Collaborate with business partners, Legal, Compliance, Audit, credit reporting agencies, and industry groups.
Perform data analysis using validation and exception queries, including ad hoc SQL programming, to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of furnished data.

Benefits

Competitive base salaries and bonus incentives.
Generous paid time off, floating holidays, and 12 observed federal holidays.
Financial-well-being and retirement support, including a 401(k) with employer match.
Medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, and pet insurance, among other coverage.
Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability and basic life insurance.
Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs.
Free access to staffed on-site fitness centers in Delaware and a gym subsidy for locations outside Delaware.
Confidential counseling support through an Employee Assistance Program, Health Advocacy services, and a wellness program with financial incentives.
Tuition reimbursement and family scholarship programs.
Career development and training opportunities.
Opportunities to further education and career.
Paid time off to volunteer.