Head of Credit

About the Role

We are seeking a Head of Credit to architect, lead, and scale our credit function - building the frameworks, models, and systems that power our lending decisions and portfolio performance.
This is a high-impact role responsible for defining credit risk strategy, pricing and underwriting processes, and decision automation to ensure sustainable growth and robust credit quality.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical and analytical expertise in credit risk with hands-on experience building and operationalising credit systems in a fast-growing fintech or lending environment. You will play a pivotal role in shaping how we assess, price, and manage risk across our lending portfolio.

About Nivoda

At Nivoda, we're reimagining how the world buys and sells jewelry. Our global marketplace connects retailers and suppliers across diamonds, gemstones, and finished jewelry - already powering over $300M in annual transactions and scaling fast toward our billion-dollar vision.

We're bringing tech, data, and automation to an $350B industry that's barely scratched the surface of digital transformation. The result? Explosive growth, massive opportunity - powered by a team that makes it happen.

Key ResponsibilitiesUnderwriting & Risk Framework

• Establish and lead the underwriting framework, including criteria, workflows, decision authority, and exception management.

• Build from the ground up - designing scalable credit processes that balance automation with expert oversight.

• Define what "best practice" underwriting looks like for our business and implement it through clear policy, process, and tooling. Setting the foundation to scale future products.

Credit Modelling & Decision Automation

• Develop or refine credit scoring and risk models (PD, LGD, EAD, segmentation) that underpin automated decisioning.

• Drive the use of data and analytics to continuously improve risk differentiation and portfolio performance.

• Partner with data and engineering teams to implement decision engines, rules-based systems, and real-time credit workflows.

Credit Policy & Risk Appetite

• Define and monitor credit risk policy, thresholds, and risk appetite in partnership with senior leadership.

• Establish documentation, exception management, and escalation protocols to ensure strong governance.

• Embed policy discipline across origination, underwriting, and servicing.

Portfolio Monitoring & Insights

• Monitor portfolio health through metrics such as vintages, delinquencies, early warning signals, and recoveries.

• Translate data into actionable insights and corrective recommendations for management.

• Lead credit reviews and performance reporting for internal and external stakeholders.

Cross-functional Partnership

• Collaborate with business units to integrate underwriting logic into customer onboarding, KYC/KYB, and servicing processes.

• Work closely with Risk, Finance, and adjacent Product teams to ensure credit decisions align with commercial goals and compliance requirements.

• Partner with analytics and engineering to ensure data quality, model governance, and system reliability.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, mentor, and lead a team of underwriters, credit analysts, and risk technologists.

• Foster a culture of accountability, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.

• Champion automation and technology as enablers of scale, speed, and control.
  

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, or Engineering (Master's preferred).

• 3-8 years' experience in credit underwriting, risk modelling, or credit operations - ideally in a fintech, lending, or structured finance environment.

• Proven track record in designing or deploying credit decision systems, scorecards, or rules-based decision engines.

• Strong understanding of credit portfolio dynamics, including risk-return trade-offs and model performance metrics.

• Comfortable working with data pipelines, automation tools, and decision logic embedded into operational workflows.

• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills - able to partner with engineering, product, operations, and senior leadership.

• Exceptional communicator, capable of translating technical credit concepts into business-relevant insights.

• Entrepreneurial and hands-on - thrives in a fast-moving, high-growth environment and enjoys building from the ground up.
  

What We Offer

• The opportunity to build and lead a core function central to our growth and risk strategy.

• A highly autonomous, remote-first environment.

• Working directly with senior leadership in a high impact role contributing directly to the growth of the business

• Collaboration with a driven executive team and world-class investors.

Competitive compensation and long-term incentive package.

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