Manager, New Product Risk

Relay; Toronto; On-site; CAD 162,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Relay is seeking a results‑driven risk leader to own the risk strategy and operating model for new products, starting with credit and payroll, in a fast‑growing fintech. You will build scalable risk operations, manage staffing and performance, mentor cross‑functional teams, and apply AI to improve analysis, investigations, and decisions across the payments ecosystem. Relay offers a competitive CAD salary.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in fraud risk, credit risk, risk strategy, transaction monitoring, or risk operations in fintech/banking/payments
• 2+ years of experience leading people or cross‑functional initiatives
• Meaningful credit risk experience and understanding of risk decisions impact on losses, growth, operations, and customer experience
• Proficient in SQL and can retrieve/analyze data using joins, aggregations, CTEs, subqueries, and window functions

Responsibilities

• Own the risk strategy and operating model for new products starting with credit and payroll
• Build and manage day‑to‑day risk operations with timely, consistent, high‑quality reviews as volumes scale
• Lead and develop the team through clear expectations, coaching, and feedback
• Manage staffing, capacity, service levels, and operational performance across the portfolio
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and other teams early in product development to identify risks and design controls
• Analyze product, customer, and transaction data to understand performance, investigate issues, and uncover risks
• Develop, test, and optimize risk rules and strategies balancing loss prevention and customer experience

Skills

Fraud risk

Risk strategy

SQL

Python

Leadership

Data analysis

Communication

Tools

SQL

Python

Job description

Relay is a digital banking platform that gives self-made business owners the tools and know-how to be great with money—bringing clarity, confidence, and control to every dollar earned, so they can turn hard work into lasting success. We do this by replacing financial guesswork with real visibility, transforming cash flow from a constant source of stress into a clear signal owners can use to run stronger, more resilient businesses.

Our mission is to increase the success rate of small businesses. Traditional banking has been a growth limiter rather than a growth enabler for business owners, and we're changing that. Relay is the all-in-one, collaborative money management platform. We're building for employer SMBs and their finance function, and we're focused on delivering a human-centric customer experience.

Relay processes millions of dollars in deposits, wires, checks, and card transactions every business day, and 321,000+ small business owners trust us with their money. The Transaction Monitoring team is why that trust is warranted. Every transaction we review is a decision: hold or release, investigate or clear. Good decisions mean legitimate business owners get their money fast and bad actors get stopped before they succeed.

We're looking for someone with real transaction monitoring experience who is curious, decisive, and excited to build with AI, not just work a queue.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Own the risk strategy and operating model for new products, beginning with credit and payroll
• Build and manage day-to-day risk operations, ensuring reviews and decisions are timely, consistent, and high quality as volumes scale
• Lead and develop the team through clear expectations, coaching, training, and ongoing feedback
• Manage staffing, capacity, service levels, and operational performance across the portfolio
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and other teams early in product development to identify risks and design appropriate controls
• Analyze product, customer, and transaction data to understand performance, investigate issues, and uncover emerging risks
• Develop, test, and optimize risk rules and strategies while balancing loss prevention, customer experience, and operational impact
• Define and monitor metrics across losses, customer friction, decision quality, review volumes, and operational efficiency
• Build scalable procedures, review workflows, tooling, quality controls, and escalation paths
• Investigate operational and control failures, identify root causes, and translate findings into lasting improvements
• Evaluate external tools, vendors, and data sources that can strengthen our risk capabilities
• Communicate strategies, decisions, and trade-offs clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Transition mature products into their long-term operating models and take on new areas as Relay grows
• Use AI tools to improve analysis, investigations, documentation, and how the team works

Who You Are:

• You have 4+ years of experience in fraud risk, credit risk, risk strategy, transaction monitoring, or risk operations, preferably in fintech, banking, or payments
• You have 2+ years of experience leading people or complex cross‑functional initiatives
• You have meaningful credit risk experience and understand how risk decisions affect losses, growth, operations, and customer experience
• You’re proficient in SQL and can independently retrieve and analyze data using joins, aggregations, CTEs, subqueries, and window functions
• You’ve built a new product, risk program, or operating model from zero to one
• You combine strategic thinking with hands‑on execution and can turn ideas into measurable outcomes
• You understand transaction and money‑movement risks across channels such as ACH, cards, wires, or checks
• You’re analytical and curious, digging into the “why” and using data to make better decisions
• You’re a strong communicator who can translate complex insights into clear, actionable direction
• You’re highly collaborative and can navigate work across Risk, Product, Engineering, Data, Compliance, and Customer Experience
• You thrive in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments and are excited to continuously learn new products
• You’re actively using AI tools in how you work today and are excited to push what’s possible with them

Bonus Points:

• You have payroll risk or ACH operations experience
• You’ve worked with SMB credit, commercial cards, or lending products
• You’re proficient in Python for advanced analysis or automation
• You have experience operating under a bank partnership
• You have experience evaluating fraud, identity, or credit‑risk vendors
• You’ve worked in a startup or scale‑up environment

The Interview Process

• Stage 1: A 45-minute Google Meet video call with a member of the Talent team
• Stage 2: A 45-minute Google Meet video call with the Hiring Managers
• Stage 3: A case study interview with the Hiring Managers
• Stage 4: A 45-minute Google Meet video call with a member of our leadership team

Our Compensation Approach

We believe Relayers should feel rewarded for the impact they have on our mission and growth. Compensation follows impact. As impact increases, compensation grows, and we do not limit compensation changes to a once-a-year review cycle.

The annual salary range for this role is $162,000 CAD to $198,000 CAD.

For candidates who demonstrate full readiness for the defined scope of the role, the typical starting salary is $180,000 CAD. Offers below this point reflect candidates we believe can grow into the full scope of the role with support and development. Offers above this point reflect impact that meaningfully exceeds the role’s defined expectations or an expanded scope from day one.

For more information on our compensation philosophy and perks and benefits, visit our Candidate Hub.

Why Relay Might Be the Perfect Fit For You

• You push relentlessly for reinvention: You're always asking "how can this be better?" -- in your work, in your craft, in yourself. Comfort is a signal to push harder, not coast. You'd rather build something better than defend something familiar.
• You crave autonomy: We trust our team with big challenges and the freedom to solve them. If you’re someone who takes initiative, is comfortable taking risks, and seeks input when needed, you’ll find the freedom here empowering.
• You own your work: You take pride in your work, follow through on commitments, and feel a deep sense of responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.
• You build with AI, not just use it: You're actively embedding AI into how you work, pushing what's possible, and bringing your team along with you.
• You care about impact, not noise: You care deeply about the substance of your work. You measure success by results, not recognition, and you let your work speak for itself.
• You’re energized by complexity and ambiguity: You enjoy tackling problems that don’t come with a playbook. You’re comfortable building from scratch, iterating as you go, and collaborating to shape the best path forward.
• You seek out feedback: You see directness as respect, not criticism. You actively seek input, sit with hard truths, and use feedback as fuel for improvement.
• Small businesses are why we're here: Relay exists to help them thrive -- and that mission has to resonate with you.

Join Us

We’re looking for people who are relentless, curious, and care deeply about the work.

We welcome diverse backgrounds and people who think critically, challenge the status quo, and want to help small businesses thrive.

Disclaimer: For compliance reasons, all offers of employment at Relay are conditional upon a successful background check and employment verification through Certn.