Operations Risk Lead, Affirm
$88-140k
+ ESPP. Salary may vary by location.
More information about location
POS installment loans
Be an early applicant
POS installment loans
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$88-140k
+ ESPP. Salary may vary by location.
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To deliver honest and transparent financial products that improve users' lives.
Role
Who you are
- Whether managing an urgent incident, evaluating systemic control gaps, or influencing cross-functional partners to prioritize fixes, you bring clarity, calm, and a solutions mindset
- You thrive in ambiguity, excel at cross-functional influence, and have a passion for operational rigor
- Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Business, Finance, or a related field
- 5–7+ years of experience in operational or technical risk management, ideally within financial services or highly regulated industries
- Deep familiarity with risk and controls frameworks, issue management lifecycle, and cross-functional risk mitigation
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex, high-stakes projects across technical and non-technical teams
- Strong written and verbal communication, analytical thinking, and stakeholder engagement
- Experience navigating regulatory requirements and supporting compliance readiness
- Flexibility to support incident response and critical operations outside of standard business hours, including on-call rotations during peak periods
- Certifications in risk management (CRMA, CIA, or equivalent) preferred but not required
- Experience in the servicing space (e.g., customer support, fraud ops, dispute resolution) is a plus but not required
What the job involves
- We're looking for a strategic and action-oriented Operations Risk Lead to join our Operations team and strengthen our risk management foundation as we scale
- This role will serve as a key partner across Operations, Product, Engineering, Legal, and Compliance, owning the strategy and execution of incident and issue management while building risk frameworks that protect our customers, agents, and business
- You’ll champion the customer, merchant, and agent experience while navigating regulatory and operational complexity
- You'll lead incident and issue management processes, ensuring rapid triage, root cause analysis, customer harm mitigation, and timely cross-functional remediation
- Represent Operations in incidents of varying severity, offering both immediate response coordination and long-term control design recommendations
- Build and maintain a scalable risk framework that prioritizes high-risk areas and drives control improvements in partnership with Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, and other teams
- Collaborate with Legal and Compliance to support regulatory reporting and ensure all incidents meet applicable requirements
- Establish and run control testing and risk assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of operational and technical controls
- Develop tools and strategies to improve risk visibility, data normalization, and process automation
- Provide concise risk reporting and status updates to senior leadership
- Assess risk in technical systems, third-party vendors, and internal processes; define mitigation strategies and ensure timely execution
- Foster a risk-aware culture and serve as a subject matter expert on operational and technical risk across the organization
- Partner with your Manager and team members to support team morale, development, and shared purpose through active coaching and engagement
- Lead and contribute to risk-related initiatives across cross-functional programs, audits, and regulatory reviews
- You may occasionally be required to work out of an assigned Affirm office
Our take
Affirm offers point-of-sale loans to consumers, working with merchants like Shopify, KAYAK, and Walmart. Buy now, pay later transactions have grown in popularity in recent years, and this business is tapping into the market with a totally different approach to credit - by delivering the Affirm card, the first US debit card with the option to pay-over-time.
Boasting over 21M consumers and 337,000+ merchants, the company offers flexible payback options, ranging from 3 to 36 months. The interest rates run between 0% and 30%, so, while they are not necessarily the cheapest option, Affirm prides itself on having no fees for late payments, no hidden charges, and total transparency about what people will pay before they take out a loan.
Affirm collects payments from the customers and pays the merchants directly, shouldering the risk itself. The company has boosted its market share, expanding its availability beyond the US to include most of Canada, and continues to launch new features and create new partnerships towards bettering its offering.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-11% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Sep 2020
$500m
SERIES G
Apr 2019
$300m
SERIES F
Total funding: $1.1bn
Company benefits
- Compensation: We have a simple, flexible, and transparent remote-first compensation structure so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family
- Spending Wallets: Access tech, food, lifestyle, and family planning wallets for your expenses
- Supportive Communities: Get involved with our employee resource groups and community groups
- Remote-first Workforce: If your role is remote, you can set up shop anywhere in your home country
- Generous Time Off: Take the time you need when life happens
- Health Benefits: Get a plan that fits your needs
- Mental Healthcare: Take care of your mind with great mental health programs
- Parental Leave: Birth and non-birth parents get 18 weeks’ paid leave. Plus, a 4-week return-to-work transition program, at full base pay
- Away Days: We offer 20 company-wide paid days off—which help our teams collectively pause to recharge
- Learning & Development: Engage in exciting learning programs to level up your growth
Company HQ
Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Max Levchin
(Co-Founder & CEO)Has founded/co-founded numerous companies, holding various executive positions at each, including Paypal, Slide, Glow, HVF Labs, and SciFi VC. Also worked at large brands including Google, Yelp, Yahoo, and Evernote.
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