Job DescriptionAt Thrive Financial, Merchant Risk Managers sit at the intersection of dealer relationships, credit risk, pricing, and operations. This role is for someone who is able to apply analytics in an environment of ambiguity and incomplete ownership and loves working cross functionally. You are a data nerd who is passionate about leveraging AI and automation for analytics, a relationship builder, and you know how to weigh risk against opportunity. This role will be foundational in continuing to build the Thrive Merchant Risk playbook.You have the right background if youHave five or more years working in a lending analytics roles with at least two years spent working in a risk environment where the consumer credit risk isn’t the whole storyHave earned increased responsibility or promotions through performance, not tenureHave worked in an early-stage company (or equivalent environment) where structure was minimal and initiative mattered, or can clearly demonstrate that you’ve succeeded without heavy process or supportAre comfortable wearing multiple hats today, with an eye toward building and leading a team in the futureLove to teach and develop new talent and have a history of leadershipAre passionate about leveraging AI and automation to build lean and scalable risk analytics programsHow you approach the role:You are hands-on by default - excited to work directly with our contractor partners, solve real problems, and deliver tangible valueYou naturally look for patterns and gaps, and feel compelled to create structure where none existsYou balance empathy and accountability, building trust while driving outcomesYou are energized by growth (both personal and organizational) and want to level up into people leadership over timeWhat You Will DoOversee Thrive’s merchant underwriting policy and executionRefine and add to Thrive’s merchant risk mitigation programBuild out analytics and procedures to help the merchant risk team become the merchant reward team - you’ll help us proactively identify opportunities for our partners in salesLeverage automation and AI to drive more insights with less overheadManage and build Thrive’s merchant risk analytics teamWhy This RoleHigh-impact opportunity to shape risk strategy and merchant management processes at an early stage - you are here to take us from 10 to 100You are excited about building and managing a world class teamDirect influence Thrive's loan performance and assist our sales and success teams in identifying growth opportunities or mitigating risk while keeping contractors on our platformPath to expanded scope and people leadership as the company scalesMission-driven fintech focused on enabling responsible, accessible financingFully remote, highly collaborative environment with room to growAt Thrive, our best teammates embody GRIT:Get things done You are self-directed, proactive, and biased toward action. You don’t wait for perfect conditions to move forward.Respect each other You lead with humility and empathy — whether working with contractors, teammates, or leadership.Intellectual curiosity You ask thoughtful questions, seek context, and enjoy learning new industries, products, and customer needs in order to make practical, informed decisions.Teamwork You believe the best results come from shared ownership, open communication, and learning together.As a Director of Merchant Risk, you also bring:Trustworthiness You prioritize long-term relationships, follow through on commitments, and ensure alignment across stakeholders.Collaboration You actively invite diverse perspectives and use them to arrive at better solutions — for customers and for the business.Stewardship You approach your work with a servant mindset, focused on supporting contractors, teammates, and the broader mission of responsible financial access.We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
