Director, Head of Risk Relationship Management

About Upstart

Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging Upstart's AI marketplace, Upstart-powered banks and credit unions can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates across races, ages, and genders, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. More than two-thirds of Upstart loans are approved instantly and are fully automated.

Upstart is a digital-first company, which means that most Upstarters live and work anywhere in the United States. However, we also have offices in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.

Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!

The Team

As the Head of Risk Relationship Management at Upstart, you will lead the teams that act as primary liaisons for external partners on all compliance and risk related matters, including Upstart's lending partners, capital markets partners, examiners, and auditors. 

With respect to lending partners and capital markets partners (existing and prospective), you will partner closely with leadership in Upstart’s Lending Partnerships and Capital Markets teams to ensure internal relationship owners and external partners understand the operation of Upstart’s compliance and risk programs. You will cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with senior compliance and risk partners at Upstart’s lending partners to manage communications about program changes as well as discussions related to any issues or inquiries related to lender programs, including overseeing a team dedicated to responding to external partner requests. You will also partner closely with leadership in Upstart’s Risk organization to ensure Upstart’s compliance and risk management programs are designed and operating in a way that meets the needs of these key strategic external business partners. 

With respect to examiners and auditors, you will oversee the team responsible for managing direct examinations of Upstart by its regulators as well as external audits of Upstart’s compliance and risk programs, and you will be responsible for ensuring productive relationships and accurate, timely, and successful completion of reviews.

 

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote; San Mateo, CA; Austin, TX; Columbus, OH

Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel related expenses.

 

How you’ll make an impact:

• Lead the teams that manage compliance and risk related relationships with Upstart’s most critical external partners: lending partners, capital markets partners, examiners, and auditors. 
• Develop and maintain productive, collaborative relationships with senior leadership at Upstart’s lending partners (i.e., banks and credit unions) to manage compliance and risk related requests and inquiries and to educate on Upstart’s products, services, and risk/compliance programs. 
• Act as a close partner and trusted advisor to leaders in Upstart’s Lending Partnerships and Capital Markets teams to proactively predict, manage, and respond to external partners’ needs. 
• Partner with Upstart’s Risk organization leadership to maintain expertise in how the compliance and risk programs operate and to ensure internal compliance and risk programs are designed to meet the needs of lending partners. 
• Cultivate a deep understanding of Upstart’s products, services, and risk and compliance programs to accurately represent them to all external stakeholders. 
• Ensure audit/exam related requests and inquiries receive timely responses and are well managed to achieve successful audit/exam results. 
• Oversee and continuously seek to improve your teams’ request intake/management systems and processes to promote efficient and prioritized approach to responding to internal and external partner requests. 
• Provide leadership to a team of compliance and risk professionals responsible for relationships management and execution, including providing development opportunities and maintaining the knowledge and industry acumen necessary to support risk and compliance professionals at banks and credit unions. 
• Act as a culture leader for the risk organization, displaying Upstart’s core values and principles, while modeling behavior expected for all Upstarters.

 

What we’re looking for: 

• Minimum qualifications: