Sr Dir, Head of Merchant Lending Risk

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Description Summary:

Leads all aspects of credit risk management for all domestic and international merchant lending credit products at PayPal.

Job Description:

Credit Risk Management:  

• Leads all aspects of credit risk management for all domestic and international merchant lending credit products at PayPal, including acquisition credit policy (approve/decline, line assignment, etc.) and customer management (e.g., re-engagement, refinancing). 

• Leads unit economics modeling for all merchant lending credit products at PayPal, leveraging a CLTV-based framework to optimize outcomes across the product lifecycle. 

• Drives credit-driven marketing programs for merchant lending products, including deep engagement with marketing, pre-screen, and pre-approval campaigns. 

• Partners with Business Unit, Data Science, Fraud, Second Line, Legal, Compliance, Marketing, Product, Engineering, Bank Partner, and other teams to optimize outcomes for PayPal and the customers of its merchant lending products by influencing outcomes in marketing programs, the application funnel, data and infrastructure, and machine learning modeling. 

• Develops and maintains testing frameworks to ensure that sufficient data exists to optimize future decisions across the credit lifecycle. 

• Maintains a robust reporting framework to ensure that emerging trends are quickly detected and actioned upon, and to ensure that leadership is aware of portfolio performance. 

• Manages the portfolio within the return requirements and risk appetite of PayPal and our bank partners. 

Stakeholder Management:  

• Acts as the primary Credit Risk contact for the merchant lending portfolios within PayPal and with our partner bank. 

• Develops and manages strong working relationships with internal and external partner teams. 

• Is the key conduit for their products into product, Collections, and Fraud strategy (as appropriate). 

Leadership and Team Development:  

• Leads and develops a strong, analytical team to create, manage and refine credit policy and strategy.  

• Coaches, motivates, challenges, and provides managerial guidance to the team. Develops and executes training and development programs for the team.  

• Demonstrates a clear strategic vision to the team.  

• Solves problems and makes decisions with sound judgement. 

• Provides continuous feedback and completes formal performance evaluations.  

• Values team recognition, diversity and creates an inclusive environment to celebrate the accomplishments of individual team members as well as the overall team. 

 

Influence, Collaboration, and Communication:  

• Is the preeminent authority on their products and presents, defends, and adjusts (as needed and within established credit risk tolerance guidelines) strategies and recommendations for optimization to the chief credit officer along with key internal partners.  

• Is confident in decision making and actively contributes to decisions even if tangential to Credit risk. 

 

Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or related field (e.g., Mathematics, Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Finance, etc.) from an accredited college or university, preferred. 

• Master's degree preferred 

This role will also require you to own and deliver on a roadmap to bring best in class credit and underwriting practices for PayPal’s merchant lending products worldwide, and contribute to fulfill PayPal’s aspirations in gaining market share in this business. 

Looking for a high energy individual who can lead a team of credit analysts, managers, and directors, to accomplish PayPal’s growth goals in unsecured short- and long-term loans and make contributions at-scale. 

Requirements 

• 15+ years of experience in credit risk management or a related quantitative discipline at either a fintech or a large bank 

• 15+ years of experience leveraging large, complex data to drive business decisions. 

• Experience with small business lending is preferred, but not required. 

• Comprehensive knowledge of credit risk trends, unit economics, and first party and third-party fraud risks. 

• Experience with analytical or data management tools (e.g. SAS, SQL, R, Tableau, Python, Excel and PowerPoint) 

• Demonstrated ability to synthesize, prioritize and drive results with urgency 

• Ability to obtain support and buy-in across a wide range of internal and external audience 

• Experience leading teams to deliver high productivity output. Mentoring junior talent to improve the overall productivity of the team and individuals 

 

Additional Job Description:

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

-

PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.

Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.

The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is

$144800 to $319000

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.

We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at talentaccommodations@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.

Notice to Applicants and Employees who reside within New York City. Click here to view the notice.