VP, Underwriting (Payments & Banking)

Job title: VP, Underwriting (Payments & Banking)

Reports to: Sr VP of Operational Risk

Department: Business Resource Group

Location: Alpharetta, GA or Long Island, NY

Grade: 20

About Priority: 

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. is a leading financial technology company on a mission to deliver a personalized, easy-to-adopt financial toolset that accelerates cash flow and optimizes working capital for businesses. Our vision is to eliminate the barriers to unlocking revenue - empowering businesses to grow faster and operate smarter.

We achieve this through the Priority Commerce Engine, an innovative platform that combines payables, acquiring, and banking and treasury solutions. This unified approach allows businesses to streamline financial operations, reduce unnecessary costs, and uncover new revenue opportunities.

At Priority, we're driven by results. We expect our people to be known for results - bringing expertise, momentum, and relentless focus to every challenge, helping our clients and each other thrive.

About the Role:

The Vice President of Underwriting will lead the strategy, design, and execution of underwriting across a modern payments and banking platform, including merchant acquiring, card issuing, ACH, embedded banking services, and large enterprise client programs.

This leader will be responsible for building a scalable, data-driven underwriting function that enables growth across SMB, mid-market, and large enterprise segments while protecting the company from credit, fraud, and compliance risk. You will oversee underwriting policies, risk frameworks, and 

decisioning systems across multiple product lines and partner ecosystems, including sponsor banks, networks, and third-party vendors.

This role requires a strategic operator who can balance risk discipline with commercial enablement—supporting complex enterprise deals, new product launches, and expansion into new markets.

Responsibilities: 

Underwriting Strategy & Risk Framework

• Own and evolve underwriting strategy across acquiring, issuing, ACH, and banking-as-a-service (BaaS) products. 

• Develop and maintain risk frameworks that support diverse customer types, including SMBs, platforms, ISVs, and large enterprise clients. 

• Establish risk appetite, segmentation strategies, and approval thresholds aligned with company growth objectives. 

Enterprise & Complex Deal Support

• Lead underwriting for large, complex, and strategic enterprise opportunities, including bespoke risk structures and contract negotiation support. 

• Partner with Sales, Partnerships, and Product teams to structure deals that balance growth, risk, and customer experience. 

• Provide risk advisory on new verticals, geographies, and product expansions. 

Policy, Compliance & Governance

• Design and implement underwriting policies covering credit, fraud, KYC/KYB, and transaction risk across all payment flows. 

• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, including NACHA, card network rules, sponsor bank requirements, and applicable banking regulations. 

• Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, and bank partners to maintain strong governance and audit readiness. 

Portfolio Risk Management

• Oversee ongoing monitoring of the merchant and client portfolio across acquiring, issuing, and ACH products. 

• Identify and mitigate emerging risks, including credit exposure, fraud trends, chargebacks, returns, and operational risks. 

• Develop early warning systems and escalation protocols. 

Technology & Automation

• Col