VP, Credit Merchant Risk

Synchrony•Stamford, CT

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

VP, Credit Merchant Risk is a multi-functional role within credit fraud acquisitions strategy team. The primary responsibilities includes leading and providing strategic oversight to merchant underwriting (credit and fraud strategy), merchant monitoring, and merchant risk operation teams. The role will support and interact with Credit & Fraud teams, merchant teams, and key stakeholders of Synchrony. Our Way of Working We’re proud to offer you flexibility. At Synchrony, our way of working allows you to have the option to work from home, near one of our Hubs or come into one of our offices. Occasionally you may be required to commute or travel for in person engagement activities such as business or team meetings, training and culture events.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of experience in a commercial Credit/Risk role; or in lieu of a Bachelor's degree, 10+ years of experience in a commercial Credit/Risk role
5+ years’ experience in a credit risk/fraud strategy development role
5+ years SAS/SQL/Python programming experience (proficient level)
Excellent temperament and ability to work through uncertainty, collaborate respectfully across functions & teams, and find solutions to issues
Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required
You must be 18 years or older
You must have a high school diploma or equivalent
You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process
You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
New hires (Level 4-7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles. Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non-exempt roles. Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 18 months’ time in position before they can post.
All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).
Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening.

Nice To Haves

Leadership experience operating at a strategic level as part of a cross functional team
Use of advanced technical & analytical competencies in driving effective strategic goals within a significant functional area; advanced experience with SAS/SQL or other related analytic tools
Strong understanding of the consumer credit lending lifecycle and card programs
Strong understanding of credit and fraud models, and fraud risk solutions
Understanding of the Lines of Defense (2nd Line Strategy Validation and 3rd Line Internal Audit)
Excellent oral and written communication skills with impact and influence
Ability to multi-task and perform in a fast-paced environment
Experience working alongside and in unison with off-shore teams
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, organize work flow and timelines
Master’s Degree or MBA with advanced analytic focus, or equivalent advanced degree

Responsibilities

Lead a team of 7 merchant risk professionals to mitigate merchant credit and fraud risk through our underwriting and monitoring programs
Participate in Portfolio Credit Manager (PCM) responsibilities including industry reviews, portfolio monitoring, drive strategy improvements, provide effective challenge, etc.
Possess in-depth understanding of merchant underwriting process and related fraud control processes including an understanding of identity theft, first party fraud, synthetic identity fraud, and bust out fraud
Drive cross-client loss-avoidance initiatives, partnering with stakeholders to reduce losses and strengthen controls.
Partner with Credit, Senior PCMs, and client teams to support portfolio growth while maintaining disciplined risk appetite and performance.
Design and implement enhanced surveillance and early-warning monitoring to detect emerging risk and manage credit exposure
Enforce bank credit policy and underwriting standards; ensure consistent, compliant decisioning and governance
Develop and deliver client-facing and internal executive presentations on portfolio performance, risk themes, and recommended actions.
Monitor and escalate operational risks across the portfolio; recommend process improvements and control enhancements.
Support driving enhanced strategies, using champion/challenger learnings to manage credit and fraud risk
Participate in planning cycle with Finance, Client Development, Marketing, and other functions to ensure consistency in business plans
Investigate and resolve customer/client issues, coordinating root-cause analysis and remediation to improve experience and reduce repeat events.
Provide ad hoc analytics and reporting to support leadership decisions, client needs, and special projects.
Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.