Senior Manager, Operations Risk Management

We're looking for a Senior Manager, Operations Risk Management to build and own Mission Lane's first line of defense across Customer Operations, reporting to the Senior Director of Operations.

The impact you'll make:

Mission Lane earns the trust of the people it serves through small things, done right: a payment that posts, an account that reflects what it should, a fee that matches what was disclosed. This role exists to make sure the operations behind those moments always hold up. The Senior Manager, Operations Risk Management is responsible for the first line of defense that enables us to deliver on our commitments to our customers, every day.

This is a build role. In your first year, the defining work is establishing what first line risk owns at Mission Lane, where that accountability ends and the second line’s begins, and making sure the right people across the business understand and trust that framework.

Day-to-day as Senior Manager, Operations Risk Management, you will:

• Partner with process owners across each business area - new customer originations, customer servicing and operations, payments, and portfolio management to assess risk, build controls, and drive remediation. The goal is to meet each function where it is in its risk thinking and move it forward from there
• Own and Manage the incident management process - from identification through corrective action and closure, using customer complaints and operational reviews as early signals for emerging risk
• Create and deliver executive-level risk reporting that gives senior leadership a clear, prioritized picture of where the risk is and what's being done about it
• Build and lead the team
• Work across Legal, Risk, and Compliance to ensure First Line and Second Line accountability is clearly defined and consistently executed

You'll thrive in this role if:

• You've built or formalized a first line risk function before. You know what it takes to get a risk program off the ground, how to build credibility with process owners, and how to keep moving when the path isn't clear.
• You've worked inside a mature risk framework, likely at a bank or large financial institution. You know what good looks like, and you're focused on solving Mission Lane's problem rather than recreating the model you came from.
• You approach this work as a strategist and a consultant. You know how to meet each process owner where they are and move the work forward.
• You know how to drive the risk function with data and technology - automated controls and risk identification vs. numerous auditors performing manual checks on small samples.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years in first line operations risk management at a bank or financial services company
• 5+ years of direct experience working in a customer operations function
• 5+ years as a people manager
• A track record of building first line risk programs from the ground up, including translating risk strategy into functional plans and earning buy-in from senior leaders and process owners
• Clear, credible communication skills at the executive level. You can take a complex risk landscape and give senior leadership a clear picture of what matters most and what's being done about it
• Willingness and ability to travel ~4–6 times a year for focused, multi-day team sessions (typically ~2–5 days per trip)

Compensation:

Annual full-time starting base salary range: $115,000 - $138,000

This role is eligible for additional compensation in the forms of participation in our annual incentive and equity programs.

Pay is based on factors such as work experience, education, certification(s), training, skills, and competencies related to the role. Mission Lane also offers a comprehensive benefits plan, which includes paid time off, 401(k) match, a monthly wellness stipend, health/dental/vision insurance options, disability coverage, paid parental leave, flexible spending account (for childcare and healthcare), life insurance, and a remote-first work environment.