Senior Director, International Risk Oversight
About The Position
This role sits within Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) as part of Independent Risk Management (IRM) and serves as a senior second-line-of-defense (2LOD) risk leader supporting SoFi’s international growth strategy. The Senior Director will lead risk oversight for new products, business initiatives, and international market expansion activities, with an emphasis on retail banking and consumer lending products. This leader will serve in a Business Unit Risk Officer (BURO)-style capacity, partnering closely with business, compliance, legal, and functional risk teams to establish scalable governance frameworks for international expansion and consumer financial products. The role is responsible for driving robust new product approval governance, ensuring alignment with SoFi’s risk appetite, regulatory expectations, and strategic objectives across multiple jurisdictions. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in retail banking and consumer financial products, experience operating in global regulatory environments, and a demonstrated ability to build and mature international risk governance frameworks.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related field.
- 12+ years of experience in financial services risk management, including significant experience within Independent Risk Management, Enterprise Risk Management, or Business Unit Risk Oversight functions.
- Deep expertise in retail banking, consumer lending, and consumer financial products, including experience supporting product governance and new product approvals.
- Demonstrated experience leading second-line risk oversight for international business activities, market expansion initiatives, or multi-jurisdiction product governance programs.
- Strong understanding of risk disciplines including credit, operational, compliance, conduct, financial crimes, reputational, and enterprise risk management.
- Experience developing and implementing risk governance frameworks across multiple regulatory environments and geographies.
- Knowledge of regulatory expectations and consumer financial services frameworks applicable to Canada and/or LATAM markets.
- Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders and provide effective independent challenge in a matrixed, fast-paced environment.
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex and cross-functional risk information into actionable insights.
- Excellent communication and relationship management skills, including experience presenting to executive leadership, governance committees, and regulators.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, drive organizational alignment, and execute complex initiatives with enterprise-wide impact.
- Experience building, scaling, or transforming risk management programs within high-growth or evolving organizations.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree (MBA, MS Risk Management, or related discipline).
- Professional certifications such as FRM, PRM, CFA, or CRCM.
- Experience interfacing with banking regulators and external auditors across multiple jurisdictions.
- Familiarity with fintech, digital banking, and embedded finance operating models.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary IRM point of contact and escalation lead for international product, business, and expansion-related risk matters.
- Provide independent challenge and strategic risk guidance to business leadership on international expansion initiatives, retail banking products, consumer lending strategies, and market entry and expansion decisions.
- Lead IRM deal teams in partnership with Business Compliance Officers and cross-functional risk partners to deliver a holistic second-line risk perspective on new products, strategic initiatives, and expansion activities.
- Establish and oversee enterprise standards for new product approvals, product modifications, geographic expansions, and business change initiatives.
- Provide second-line oversight of the end-to-end product lifecycle for international retail and consumer financial products, ensuring alignment with enterprise risk appetite and local regulatory expectations.
- Partner with IRM teams to define minimum risk management standards across risk disciplines, including credit, operational, compliance, financial crimes, liquidity, conduct, and technology risk.
- Design and evolve scalable international risk governance frameworks and operating models to support growth across future global markets.
- Partner with regional and functional stakeholders to establish country-level governance structures, including risk appetite frameworks, policies, controls, limits, monitoring, and escalation protocols.
- Drive governance for new market entry assessments, including regulatory readiness, operational risk considerations, third-party dependencies, and ongoing monitoring requirements.
- Establish clear approval thresholds, governance documentation standards, and escalation criteria for new and expanded products.
- Oversee post-launch product reviews and portfolio monitoring activities to evaluate product performance, emerging risks, and adherence to approved risk parameters.
- Influence and challenge senior leaders constructively to support balanced risk-taking and sound decision-making in complex, evolving regulatory environments.
- Build strong partnerships across IRM, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and business teams to promote effective risk identification, transparency, and accountability.
- Support regulatory interactions, examinations, and internal governance forums related to international products and expansion activities.
Benefits
- Comprehensive and competitive benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
