Consumer Credit Lead - Cards

Build and scale the underwriting foundation for our new consumer charge card (0→1).Mercury is building a banking* stack for startups. We work hard to create the easiest and safest banking* experience possible to simplify entrepreneurs' and business owners’ financial lives. We’re launching a premium consumer charge card and are looking for a senior credit risk leader to help build and scale the underwriting strategy from the ground up - and own its performance as the portfolio scales.Our goal is to build a consumer charge card that delivers a premium experience while maintaining disciplined, data-driven credit risk.This is a hands-on, senior individual contributor role. You’ll take an initial strategic direction and turn it into a scalable, data-driven underwriting program, then monitor, refine, and evolve that strategy post-launch.You’ll play a key role in shaping how risk decisions translate into customer experience, product growth, and long-term portfolio performance.As the portfolio grows, this role is expected to evolve into team leadership.*Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.What You’ll Own:Build and operationalize the credit strategyTranslate underwriting vision into formal credit policy and decision frameworksDefine approval logic, segmentation strategy, and limit-setting methodologyEstablish portfolio guardrails aligned to loss targets and unit economicsDesign account management strategies across the customer lifecycleDevelop early portfolio management approaches including exposure adjustments, servicing strategies, and input into collections processes as the portfolio maturesDefine portfolio monitoring frameworks and escalation triggers for emerging credit risk trendsBuild the data-driven risk engineImplement credit policy in our underwriting platform Evaluate and integrate key data sources (bureau, income, debt signals)Ensure decision logic is structured, testable, and scalablePartner with Engineering and Data to build monitoring and feedback loopsOwn portfolio performance post-launchDefine and track core KPIs (approval rate, early delinquency, loss rate, exposure, utilization, etc.)Monitor vintage performance and segment behaviorRecommend and implement strategy adjustments based on observed risk trendsPresent risk performance, insights, and recommendations to senior leadershipDrive data-informed risk and growth decisionsUse SQL to independently evaluate underwriting decisions and trade-offsAnalyze drivers of credit performance and portfolio outcomesPartner with Finance on forecasting and risk-adjusted economicsDrive cross-functional executionPartner with Compliance to ensure the underwriting program is well-documented and built to scaleWork with Partnerships, Procurement, and Legal on evaluating and onboarding credit data providersSupport broader risk initiatives across our business charge card portfolio during the build phaseWhat We’re Looking For:6+ years of experience in consumer credit risk. Ideal candidates will have 8–12 years of experience across banking, fintech, or unsecured consumer lendingExperience launching or materially redesigning a consumer lending productExperience implementing credit policy within a decisioning or underwriting platform is strongly preferredDemonstrated experience owning risk strategy and monitoring portfolio performanceDeep familiarity with bureau data and core credit risk metrics (approval rate, loss rate, vintage curves, etc.)Experience presenting risk insights and strategy recommendations to senior stakeholdersExperience translating policy into production decision logicStrong SQL skills and comfort working directly with dataComfortable building in ambiguity and operating in a 0→1 environmentWhy This Role Is Unique:You’ll join before launch - when foundational decisions are made - and remain accountable for how those decisions perform in-market. You won’t inherit a mature portfolio. You’ll help define how underwriting works, how risk scales, and how this product earns long-term customer trust.As the consumer portfolio grows, this role has the potential to evolve into a leadership position responsible for building and managing a dedicated consumer credit risk team.The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity, and benefits.Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using the most reliable compensation survey data for our industry. New hire offers are made based on a candidate’s experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers.Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $171,000 - $213,700US employees outside of the New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $153,900 - $192,300Canadian employees