Senior Merchant Underwriter

The primary focus of the Senior Merchant Underwriter is to review, analyze, and make confident credit risk decisions and recommendations for merchant applications and existing merchant accounts, with an emphasis on medium and high-risk; including high volume, e-commerce, and forward-delivery business models eg. Travel.

The ideal candidate is a qualified and experienced payments underwriter with a proven track record with underwriting high-risk merchants in a timely manner, and who is comfortable operating with significant independent decision authority while also supporting the development of less experienced team members.

The successful candidate will understand and apply best-practice guidelines; collect and analyze credit exposure; respond effectively to internal and external requests; maintain organizational and professional ethical standards; spot trends in synthetic fraud and merchant risk; and communicate results to partner clients - all while actively advocating and monitoring compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Credit Risk Assessment

• Conduct detailed credit / financial analysis of merchants which have forward delivery exposure such as travel, furniture, and consulting services.
• Evaluate forward-delivery risk exposure — i.e., risk arising when a merchant collects payment in advance of delivering products/services — and recommend appropriate approval terms such as reserve, escrow, or collateral requirements.
• Prepare detailed reports and present findings and recommendations to senior management.

Risk Mitigation Decision Making & Authority

• Mitigate risk with approval terms including recommending periodic reviews, reserve levels, or processing limits.
• Provide recommendations for approval to higher management when applications fall outside personal authority limits.
• Work closely with the transaction risk team to ensure credit decisions align with transaction processing and ongoing account risk.

Team Support & Mentorship

• Serve as an escalation point and subject-matter resource for Underwriter I/II staff on complex or high-risk applications.
• Review and provide QA feedback on underwriting decisions made by junior team members as needed.
• Assist in training new underwriters on risk factors and underwriting methodology for high-risk merchants.

Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including sales partners, sponsor banks, and internal teams.

Compliance and Reporting

• Ensure all underwriting activities comply with company policy, card network rules, industry regulations, and legal requirements.
• Maintain accurate records of credit decisions and ensure proper documentation of all underwriting activities.

Job Requirements

• 5+ years of payments / merchant underwriting experience, including a minimum of 3 years managing high risk and/or high-volume merchants.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing individual and company credit reports and interpreting financial statements.
• Working knowledge of card network high-risk/high-brand-risk merchant monitoring programs and related compliance obligations.
• Thorough understanding of merchant risk fees, dispute processes, and network registration requirements.
• Strong analytical and financial review skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting findings to senior management.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor or provide guidance to junior underwriting staff.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related field preferred (or equivalent work experience).
• Ability to operate independently under designated approval authority while maintaining sound judgment and compliance standards.
• Underwrite and decision applications in a fast-paced environment, meeting departmental SLAs while maintaining accuracy.