Chief Risk Officer

Sezzle; United States; Remote; USD 230,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Insurance (Life/STD/LTD/Medical/Dental

401k with match

Gym membership discounts

Job summary

Sezzle Bank is seeking a highly experienced Chief Risk Officer to establish and maintain a robust, independent risk management program for a de novo national bank in formation. The CRO will oversee credit, market, liquidity, and operational risk, reporting to the President and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.

As a Bank-only executive, you will develop enterprise risk governance, define appetite and limits, and monitor performance against policies.

Qualifications

• 15–20+ years of banking or financial services experience.
• Minimum 7–10 years in a senior risk leadership role at a regulated financial institution.
• Extensive experience with regulators and examination processes.
• Experience with AI tools (Claude) to enhance productivity and communication.

Responsibilities

• Define enterprise-wide risk management strategies, policies, and appetite with the Board.
• Identify, measure, monitor, and report risk across the Bank per policies and tolerances.
• Oversee compliance, BSA/AML/OFAC, and cybersecurity risk programs.
• Serve as primary liaison with OCC and lead CRA responsibilities.

Skills

Risk management

Regulatory experience

Board reporting

AI tools (Claude)

Education

Bachelor's in Finance/Economics/Accounting/Math

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Claude AI

Job description

Chief Risk Officer (CRO) – Sezzle Bank

Location: Nevada / Remote

Organization: Sezzle Bank (in formation)

Employment Type: Full-time Remote

Reports To: President of Sezzle Bank and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee

About Sezzle

With a mission to financially empower the next generation, Sezzle is revolutionizing the shopping experience beyond payments, blending cutting-edge tech with seamless installment plans that make shopping smarter and more accessible. We re not just transforming payments; we re redefining how people discover, interact with, and purchase the things they love while driving real impact on merchant sales through increased conversions and higher order values. As we continue to shape the future of fintech and retail, we re building an innovative, dynamic team passionate about creating more than just a transaction but a truly unique shopping journey. If you re excited about breaking new ground in tech and building products that make a real difference for consumers and merchants alike, come join us at Sezzle.

About Sezzle Bank (in formation)

Sezzle Bank is a planned de novo national bank in formation, headquartered in Nevada and wholly owned by Sezzle Inc. The Bank will serve as the regulated banking entity supporting Sezzle s financial product offerings and ancillary services, with a strategic focus on responsible lending, financial innovation, and exceptional customer experience. We are building a best-in-class team to stand up a safe, sound, and compliant institution from the ground up.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Chief Risk Officer to develop and maintain an effective, independent second-line risk management program for Sezzle Bank. The CRO will measure and manage credit, market, liquidity, and operational risk, with operational risk encompassing legal, compliance, and technology risk, as well as model-related risk across the Bank. Working with the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee, the CRO will build the enterprise-wide risk governance framework that defines the Bank s risk culture, appetite, and limits, and will own the ongoing monitoring of these risks and of operational performance to ensure alignment with Board-approved policies and tolerances.

The CRO is a Bank-only executive with no concurrent Sezzle Inc. position and reports to the President of Sezzle Bank and to the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.

What You ll Do

Risk Governance and Framework

• Define enterprise-wide risk management strategies, policies, and the risk appetite framework; work with the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee to establish the Bank s risk culture, appetite, and limits.
• Identify, assess, measure, manage, monitor, and report on risk across the Bank, and ensure compliance with Board-approved policies, tolerances, and risk limits.
• Identify emerging areas of risk, including potential risks associated with proposed new products and services, and ensure business strategies align with regulatory rules, guidance, and supervisory expectations.
• Develop and maintain a model governance framework that includes independent model validation.
• Participate in ALCO as the independent second-line risk perspective.

Regulatory and Examination Relationship

• Serve as the Bank s primary relationship manager for the OCC Examiner-in-Charge, coordinating with the Bank s President.
• Communicate with regulators and address regulatory inquiries and examination activities.
• Serve as the Bank s designated CRA Officer: administer the CRA Strategic Plan, monitor the Bank s progress against its CRA performance commitments, and ensure CRA examination readiness.

Second-Line Oversight

• Oversee the Bank s Chief Compliance Officer and the second-line compliance risk management function, including complaints handling and emerging regulatory and consumer compliance requirements.
• Oversee the Bank s BSA Officer; ensure BSA/AML/OFAC policies, procedures, risk assessments, and controls are properly designed and operationally effective.
• Oversee the Bank s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to ensure information assets, sensitive customer data, and technologies are protected; ensure the CISO reports routinely to the Board or the appropriate Board committee.

Board and Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary source for all risk program communication and reporting to the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with business line management, effectively communicating emerging and present risk elements and issues.
• Provide support and insight to the Bank s audit program, including addressing audit findings and remediation efforts.

What We Look For

• 15–20+ years of banking or financial services experience, with significant time in risk management, credit, compliance, or audit.
• Minimum 7–10 years in a senior risk leadership role (CRO, SVP Risk, or equivalent) at a regulated financial institution.
• Extensive experience managing a risk organization in a regulated banking environment, including direct experience with federal banking regulators (OCC, FDIC, or Federal Reserve) and the examination process.
• Deep knowledge of enterprise risk management frameworks, banking regulatory requirements, and second-line governance.
• Experience managing compliance, BSA/AML, OFAC, CRA, and cybersecurity risk programs.
• Strong communication skills with Board-level risk reporting experience.
• Demonstrated experience working with Claude or equivalent large language model tools is required; candidates must be comfortable leveraging AI to enhance productivity, research, and communication.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor s degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or Mathematics; Master s degree preferred.
• FRM (GARP), CERP (ABA), CAMS, CRCM, or CPA certification highly valued.
• Experience with model risk governance and CECL/stress testing frameworks.
• Prior experience with de novo bank formation or building a second-line risk function from the ground up.

About You

• You exhibit strong character. You do what you say you ll do and you do the right thing, even when no one is watching. You re a strong team member and secure enough to give others credit.
• You communicate openly and honestly. You listen well, speak candidly, and stay open-minded. You hold yourself accountable, and when you disagree with a decision, you say so respectfully. Once the call is made, you commit fully.
• You act like an owner. You put customers, merchants, and shareholders at the center of what you do. You bring solutions, not just problems. You seek out responsibility, work hard and smart, and move quickly, knowing that most decisions can be reversed.
• You get things done. You re a doer, not just a planner. No task is beneath you, and you re always willing to roll up your sleeves and dig in. You take work from idea to finished, and you don t wait for someone else to pick up the slack.
• You re driven to succeed. You re passionate, tenacious, and competitive. You hold yourself and others to a high bar, fix problems so they stay fixed, and keep going through setbacks.
• You have fun. You enjoy working with your teammates, keep a sense of humor, and keep work issues in perspective.

What Makes Working at Sezzle Awesome

At Sezzle, we are more than just brilliant engineers, passionate data enthusiasts, out-of-the-box thinkers, and determined innovators. We believe in surrounding ourselves with only the best and the brightest individuals. Our culture is not defined by a certain set of perks designed to give the illusion of the traditional startup culture, but rather, it is the visible example living in every employee that we hire.

Compensation

Compensation is market-competitive and commensurate with experience. Specific compensation offered to a candidate will be dependent on factors such as education, experience, qualifications, and alignment with market data.

Perks and Benefits

• Unlimited PTO, volunteer hours and sabbatical
• Life, STD/LTD, medical, dental and vision insurance
• Highly discounted LifeTime gym membership
• 401k with match
• Collaborative fun co-workers
• The opportunity to join the fastest growing FinTech alongside a team of motivated and driven individuals

Sezzle s Employee Privacy Policy

At Sezzle, we care about protecting your personal information. When you apply for a position with us, any data you share as part of the application process is handled in accordance with our Employee Privacy Policy, which also covers applicants. We encourage you to review it to understand how your information is collected, used, and safeguarded. You can read the full policy here: a https://legal.sezzle.com/state-employee-privacy-policy.

CCPA Disclosure

Sezzle Inc. is committed to protecting the privacy of our job applicants. In compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), we inform California residents about the personal information we may collect, the purposes for its collection, and your rights under the CCPA. For details about the categories of personal information we collect and your rights under the CCPA, please visit Sezzle s Employee Privacy Policy: a https://legal.sezzle.com/state-employee-privacy-policy. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this CCPA disclosure.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Sezzle Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status. Sezzle recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting our mission.