AVP, Model Validation

Synchrony; Olde West Chester (OH); On-site; USD 100,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Synchrony AVP, Model Validation role in the United States focuses on leading model validation projects and ensuring compliance with Model Risk Management policies and OCC guidelines. You will validate models across credit, account management, fraud and marketing areas, working with ML and traditional methods.

This senior role requires 4+ years of validation experience, strong analytics, and ability to travel.

Qualifications

• Master's degree and 4+ years in model development/validation in financial services, banking, or retail.

Responsibilities

• Lead validation projects for credit acquisition, account management, fraud, and marketing models built with ML and logistic regression.
• Perform end-to-end validation for new and existing models with minimal supervision.
• Maintain and review validation documentation, analyze large datasets, and support risk discussions.

Skills

Regulatory knowledge

Model risk management

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Education

Master's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or related quantitative field

Tools

Python

R

SAS

SQL

SPARK

Data Lake

H2O

SageMaker

AWS

Job description

Role Summary / Purpose

The AVP, Model Validation is responsible for model validation and ensuring compliance with Model Risk Management policies, standards, procedures, and regulations (OCC2011-12/SR 11-7). This role requires high‑level expertise, minimal technical supervision, leadership of validation projects, accountability for validation results across various categories, and meaningful contribution to projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a key contributor and lead analyst performing model validation with minimal supervision for credit acquisition, account management, fraud, and marketing models built using both machine learning algorithms and traditional logistic regression techniques.
• Perform end‑to‑end validation independently for assigned internally and vendor‑developed new models and existing models.
• Lead review and maintenance of model and validation documentation, perform in‑depth analysis on large data sets and reports to support discussions on key analytics and model risks.
• Work closely within the Risk organization to validate accuracy and performance of all models, identify issues requiring further investigation, and resolve problems independently.
• Collaborate with Synchrony Financial business teams to uncover and highlight risk associated with models.
• Keep pace with the latest model developments in academia, regulatory environment, risk technology, and financial services industries to provide expert guidance.
• Support regulatory examinations and internal audits of the modeling process and selected model samples.
• Provide technical consultation and process improvement to model risk management on recommended solutions based on solid research.
• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

Qualifications / Requirements

• Master's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, or related quantitative field and 4+ years in model development/validation experience in financial services, banking, or retail.
• 4+ years of hands‑on experience with data science and statistical tools including Python, R, SAS, SQL, SPARK, Data Lake, H2O, SageMaker, and AWS.
• 4+ years of statistical analysis and handling large amounts of data and analyzing for trends.
• 4+ years of experience with the application of U.S. regulatory requirements for Model Risk Management.
• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements for Model Risk Management with proven track record of delivering regulatory requirements.
• 5+ years of proven experience in Model Risk Management in the financial services industry, including analytic/modeling/quantitative experience and governance or other credit/financial discipline.
• Experience in people and project management, including demonstrated ability to develop actionable plans to meet high‑level objectives, strong execution, and timeline‑sensitive deliverables.
• Sharp focus on accuracy with extreme attention to detail.
• Knowledge of Credit Card/Consumer Finance products and business model.
• Experience with Machine Learning/AI methodologies and related applications, including generative AI model validation and validation framework development.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills.

Compensation

Salary range for this position is $100,000.00 – $170,000.00 USD annually. Eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We ensure all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be 18 years or older.
• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• You must be willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation, and submit fingerprints as part of the onboarding process.
• You must be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
• New hires (Level 4‑7) must have 9 months of continuous service with the company before they are eligible to post on other roles. Once this new hire time in position requirement is met, the associate will have a minimum 6 months’ time in position before they can post for future non‑exempt roles. Employees, level 8 or greater, must have at least 18 months’ time in position before they can post. All internal employees must consistently meet performance expectations and have approval from your manager to post (or the approval of your manager and HR if you don’t meet the time in position or performance expectations).

Reasonable Accommodation Notice

• Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please inform us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply or perform your job. Examples include changes to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.
• If you need special accommodations, please call our Career Support Line so we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1‑866‑301‑5627. Representatives are available from 8 am–5 pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time.