Chief Risk Officer

Wayoh; New York (NY); On-site; USD 250,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayoh is building a de novo national bank and seeks a Chief Risk Officer to lead the second line of defense, design the enterprise risk management program, and ensure OCC expectations are met from day one.

You will oversee risk across credit, liquidity, operations, third parties, and digital assets, report to the Board, and collaborate with the CCO, CFO and internal audit to scale a high-volume cross-border payments and banking platform.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of bank risk management experience.
• Experience as CRO or deputy CRO at a chartered bank.
• Strong track record building ERM programs and handling regulatory exams.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise risk management framework, risk appetite, taxonomy and three lines of defense; hire the team.
• Oversee credit, liquidity, interest rate, operational, third party, model, technology and information security risk across products.
• Set risk limits for cross-border corridors, correspondent banking, and fintech partnerships; manage digital asset risk.
• Own OCC relationship, meet charter conditions and lead examinations with a clean record.
• Oversee governance, stress testing, and capital/liquidity planning; partner with CCO, CFO, and internal audit.

Skills

CRO experience

Bank risk mgmt

Regulatory exams

Cross-border payments

Digital assets risk

Board communication

Education

FRM/PRM/CRCM/CAMS

Job description

Our client is a high growth cross border payments fintech that is launching its own OCC chartered national bank and is assembling a founding executive team to build and run it. This is a rare chance to join a de novo bank at the start, backed by a proven, revenue generating parent business.

The Opportunity

The Bank is hiring its first Chief Risk Officer to lead the second line of defense. You will build the enterprise risk management program for a newly chartered national bank, meet the OCC's heightened expectations from day one, and create a risk framework that lets the bank scale high volume cross border payments, lending and digital asset activity safely.

What You Will Do

• Build the program. Design and implement the bank's enterprise risk management framework, risk appetite statement, risk taxonomy and three lines of defense model, and hire the team.
• Risk coverage. Oversee credit, liquidity, interest rate, operational, third party, model, technology and information security risk across commercial and consumer products.
• Cross border and stablecoin risk. Set risk limits and controls for high risk corridors, correspondent and fintech partner relationships, FX exposure and digital asset activity.
• Regulators and exams. Own the OCC relationship on risk, meet charter conditions and business plan commitments, and lead examinations with a clean record.
• New products. Run the new product and initiative review process as retail and business banking products launch, so risk is built in rather than bolted on.
• Governance. Report to the Board and support its Risk Committee, oversee stress testing and capital and liquidity planning, and work closely with the CCO, CFO and internal audit.

What You Will Bring

• 12+ years in bank risk management, including prior experience as CRO or deputy CRO at a chartered bank.
• Commercial and consumer banking risk experience, ideally at an OCC regulated national bank; exposure to a de novo or newly chartered bank is a strong plus.
• A track record of building or rebuilding ERM programs and leading clean regulatory exams, including remediation of MRAs or enforcement actions.
• Experience with payments, cross border money movement, BaaS or fintech partner programs.
• Board level presence and the ability to build a program and a team from scratch.
• Relevant credentials (FRM, PRM, CRCM or CAMS) a plus.

Nice to Have

• Digital asset or stablecoin risk experience.
• Familiarity with emerging market and diaspora corridors, including Africa.
• Experience holding a combined risk and compliance remit.
• Trust or fiduciary risk exposure.

Why This Role

• Build a national bank's risk function from the ground up, with a seat on the founding executive team.
• Work at the intersection of traditional banking, cross border payments and stablecoins.
• A proven parent business with real volume, plus competitive base and meaningful equity upside.