Pipe Technologies - Head of Risk, Decision Science & Portfolio Strategy
Requirements
• 8+ years in credit risk, with meaningful experience at a fintech, marketplace lender, or bank with consumer or SMB lending products. • Deep expertise in credit strategy across MCA or unsecured loan products. • Hands-on background in machine learning and statistical modeling for credit decisioning (gradient boosting, logistic regression, survival models, etc.). • Proven ability to translate model outputs into underwriting policies, approval logic, and pricing frameworks that drive portfolio results. • Track record of improving portfolio performance with speed and accountability in early-stage or high-growth environments. • Experience building monitoring frameworks, early-warning systems, and feedback loops between strategy and outcomes. • Strong cross-functional instincts: able to work effectively with Risk Ops, Engineering, Product, Capital Markets, and Finance. • A "first-principles" operator mindset: you treat data quality issues as critical production incidents you actively debug rather than delegate. • Deep comfort in the stack: you are fluent in Python/SQL and willing to dive into raw data logs to diagnose anomalies. • Strategic data ownership: demonstrated success not just in optimizing existing models, but in sourcing and integrating the net-new data required to unlock better credit performance. • Experience with embedded finance, B2B2C distribution models, or platform-based lending. • Familiarity with alternative data sources (bank transaction data, payment processing data, SaaS MRR) for underwriting. • Background in credit for underserved or thin-file borrowers. • Proficiency in Python, SQL, or R for hands-on analysis and model work.
Responsibilities
• Model Deployment & Performance • Own the performance and outcome of all deployed statistical and machine learning models, ensuring a seamless translation from data science output to effective underwriting decisions and measurable portfolio results. • Establish rigorous monitoring and feedback loops between model outputs and real-world credit outcomes. • Drive use of alternative data (transaction-level signals, partner platform data, behavioral indicators) to improve model accuracy and expand approval rates. • Own model risk governance including model documentation, validation processes, and ongoing performance standards across all deployed models. • Credit Strategy & Underwriting • Direct the end-to-end credit strategy, translating risk models and data insights into a cohesive set of underwriting policies, approval strategies, and pricing frameworks to deliver target loss and growth performance. • Own approval logic, pre-qualification strategies, and credit limit frameworks that balance growth targets, merchant experience, and credit loss thresholds. • Set minimum acceptance criteria aligned with Pipe's risk appetite while optimizing approval rates, customer lifetime value, and capital facility performance. • Design and implement pricing frameworks to ensure appropriate loss coverage and positive borrower selection. • Portfolio Monitoring & Risk Management • Own portfolio performance reporting and forward-looking risk adjustments across all credit products. • Build early-warning systems and structured decision processes that enable fast, disciplined credit strategy adjustments. • Ensure portfolio resilience across economic cycles through proactive monitoring and timely action. • Data Integrity & Acquisition Strategy • Act as the primary owner of our data quality roadmap, identifying discrepancies and driving technical solutions to resolve them. • Proactively identify and acquire net-new data sources (internal or third-party) to solve for missing signals and improve model accuracy. • Translate business requirements into clear data engineering and infrastructure specs, ensuring we have the right inputs for reliable, scalable risk decisioning. • Cross-Functional Execution • Work closely with Risk Operations to ensure credit strategy is implemented reliably in production systems and iterated quickly based on portfolio results. • Partner with Capital Markets and Finance on loss forecasting, reserve setting, and risk appetite frameworks; manage credit policy to maintain compliance with facility covenants and triggers. • Collaborate with Product and Engineering to build scalable decisioning infrastructure that enables rapid strategy iteration. • Team Leadership • Team Leadership • Lead a team of seven risk specialists responsible for model building, credit strategy translation, and portfolio monitoring. • Create clarity, momentum, and accountability while maintaining a sustainable pace of execution. • Build a culture of analytical rigor, pragmatism, and bias for action.
Benefits
• We are a fully remote company and we believe in taking care of our employees. As a Pipe employee, you'll receive: • The best equipment to help you do your job. • Flexible vacation and work hours. We believe in a healthy work-life balance (really!) • Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance. • Generous parental leave for anyone who is growing their family, regardless of gender. • Great colleagues! We value a culture of authenticity, humility, and excellence. We want you to make a mark on our culture. • The annual US base salary range for this role is $270,000 - $300,000. This salary range may be inclusive of several career levels at Pipe and will be narrowed during the interview process based on a number of factors, including the candidate's experience, qualifications, and location.
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