Credit Risk Lead

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.