Chief Risk Officer

The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) is responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive risk management framework to ensure the stability, compliance, and sustainability of a consumer lending business. This role leads the identification, assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of financial, credit, operational, technological, and regulatory risks across collections, portfolio management, and underwriting. The CRO provides strategic leadership to protect the organization's assets, reputation, and long-term profitability while ensuring compliance with lending and consumer protection regulations.
This executive reports directly to the CEO. We are specifically looking for a leader with hands-on expertise in consumer credit risk — not a generalist risk background.
Key Responsibilities:➔ Design and lead an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework covering credit, liquidity, operational, collections, regulatory, and cybersecurity risk➔ Own credit risk strategy end-to-end — underwriting standards, portfolio quality, delinquency management, and loss mitigation➔ Lead stress testing and scenario analysis to evaluate portfolio resilience, ensuring compliance with applicable consumer lending regulations➔ Present risk dashboards and key metrics to the Board and Executive Committee, partnering closely with Compliance, Audit, Finance, and Operations➔ Lead business continuity and disaster recovery planning
Ideal Candidate Profile:10+ years of experience in risk management within consumer lending, installment lending, or small loansStrong background in credit risk, portfolio management, and regulatory compliance within a U.S.-regulated lending environment (Fair Lending, ECOA, FCRA, CFPB)Master's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Risk Management, or related fieldStrategic, hands-on leader with strong Board-level communication and stakeholder management skillsBilingual (English/Spanish) preferred