Credit Risk Lead

Overview

Job Summary

Shift4 Payments is looking for a Credit Risk Lead to join our Risk function team. This role sits at the center of how we evaluate, manage, and scale credit risk across our highest-risk verticals, including Airlines, Travel and Furniture, supporting a large and growing portfolio of high-exposure merchants.

You'll review complex merchant applications and serve as an escalation point for nuanced or high-exposure deals. We’re looking for someone who can operate with strong risk underwriting judgment, set a high bar for decision quality, and bring structure to how we assess complex risk.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead underwriting of complex, high-risk merchant applications across key verticals (e.g., Airlines, Travel, Furniture) ensuring decisions align with risk appetite and policy.
• Exercise credit approval authority within defined thresholds, and review analyst recommendations for consistency, quality, and sound judgment.
• Perform end-to-end credit analysis, including financial statement review, business model assessment, and evaluation of key credit risk drivers.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for nuanced or high-exposure deals, providing clear guidance and structuring recommendations.
• Guide and support analysts on complex cases, helping elevate underwriting quality and decision consistency across the team.
• Partner with Sales, Product, and Risk to structure commercially viable solutions while maintaining appropriate risk controls.
• Drive improvements to underwriting processes, pre-vetting, and portfolio review frameworks to enhance consistency and scalability.
• Monitor and assess portfolio performance across assigned verticals, identifying emerging risks and recommending appropriate actions.
• Maintain awareness of sponsor bank requirements, regulatory expectations, and emerging risk trends impacting underwriting and portfolio decisions.

Skills

• Underwriting Expertise: Strong experience underwriting complex or high-risk merchants, with the ability to assess financial performance, business models, and key credit risk drivers.
• Decision-Making & Judgment: Proven ability to make independent credit decisions, take ownership of outcomes, and apply sound judgment in high-stakes or ambiguous situations.
• Industry Experience: Familiarity with high-risk verticals such as Travel, Airlines, or other delayed delivery / high-ticket industries, including an understanding of associated risk dynamics.
• Analytical Capability: Advanced ability to interpret financial statements and credit data to form clear, well-supported risk assessments.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Experience working closely with Sales, Product, and Risk stakeholders to support commercially viable decisions while maintaining appropriate risk controls.
• Coaching & Influence: Ability to guide and support analysts, improving underwriting quality and consistency without formal people management responsibility.
• Process & Framework Development: Experience improving underwriting processes, policies, or risk frameworks in a scalable, high-volume environment.

Qualifications and Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field preferred
• 5 years of experience in credit underwriting, risk management, or a related field (payments, fintech, or financial services preferred)
• Experience operating in environments with defined risk appetite, exposure limits, and credit decision frameworks
• Self-starter and who can handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Clear and concise communicator, able to articulate credit decisions and risk considerations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.