Associate Director, Risk Operations, Payments, NA

This position is posted by Jobgether on behalf of a partner company. We are currently looking for an Associate Director, Risk Operations, Payments, NA in United States.

This role provides a unique opportunity to lead and shape risk operations across North America for payments, spanning credit risk, consumer fraud, and merchant risk. You will define the regional strategy, build a high-performing team, and ensure operational excellence while supporting fast-growing markets and new products. The position combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational oversight, requiring strong judgment, analytical rigor, and the ability to navigate complex challenges. You will partner with cross-functional teams—including legal, compliance, product, and engineering—to enhance risk controls and operational efficiency. This role offers significant impact, with the chance to influence both business growth and risk posture in a high-visibility, high-growth environment.

As the Associate Director, Risk Operations, you will:

• Define and execute the North America Risk Operations strategy in alignment with global risk frameworks and regional growth priorities.
• Translate strategy into actionable OKRs, operating plans, and roadmaps across payment fraud, disputes, and credit risk operations.
• Build, lead, and mentor a diverse leadership team, fostering a culture of ownership, excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee end-to-end operational performance, including SLAs, quality, loss metrics, and customer impact.
• Manage merchant underwriting, monitoring, investigation, reserve management, and escalation workflows across North America.
• Partner with global legal, risk, and compliance teams to implement policies and controls efficiently.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to enhance risk tooling, automation, and AI/ML workflows for higher accuracy and efficiency.
• Represent risk operations in commercial deals, audits, and escalations, influencing product launches and business initiatives with clear risk guidance.
• Scale and structure the organization to support rapid growth and the introduction of new product lines.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate will have:

• 10+ years of experience in payments, fintech, or acquiring, with at least 3+ years in people management.
• Deep expertise in consumer fraud, transaction risk, and merchant/credit risk operations.
• Proven track record managing senior individual contributors in multi-location teams.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and drive outcomes in a high-growth environment.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including with executives and external partners.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills, comfortable using dashboards and metrics to guide operations.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience scaling risk operations in global fintech or top-tier payments companies.
• Familiarity with North American regulatory environments and payment scheme expectations.
• Hands-on experience designing risk tooling or automation, including AI/ML/LLM applications in operations.
• Prior exposure to board or regulator-facing discussions regarding risk, incidents, or portfolio performance.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and equity opportunities.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Flexible PTO and paid holidays.
• Parental leave and family planning support.
• Remote work options and stipends for workspace, internet, and phone.
• Opportunities for professional growth and cross-functional collaboration.
• Access to a high-performing, innovative, and mission-driven team environment.