Director, Credit Risk Management

Nelnet, Inc.; Draper (UT); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401K/Student loan repayment

Life Insurance

Wellness program

Job summary

Nelnet, Inc. in Draper, UT is seeking a senior-level credit risk leader to own policy, modeling, and governance. This hybrid role blends hands-on analytics with cross-functional collaboration across Product, Data, and Compliance.

The position offers a generous annual compensation of $200,000 and a strong benefits package. You will build end-to-end consumer credit models, monitor portfolio risk, and ensure compliance with ECOA, FCRA, and fair lending standards while driving results in a regulated

Qualifications

• 8+ years in consumer lending, preferably at a bank or regulated depository institution.
• Familiarity with credit policy management, pricing strategies and design-of-experiments.
• Track record of building credit models end to end and deploying them in production.
• Proficiency with SQL and Python (pandas, scikit-learn) and experience with XGBoost/LightGBM.
• Experience with governance, risk management, issue tracking, and audit interactions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Data Science/Statistics/Mathematics/Economics; advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own credit policy and underwriting strategy, including risk-based pricing and model changes.
• Develop end-to-end consumer credit models (PD/LGD, scorecards) and deploy in production.
• Monitor portfolio health, run model performance diagnostics, and report on risk.
• Collaborate with Product, Data, Tech, Finance, and Compliance to align risk.
• Ensure governance, documentation, and regulatory compliance are maintained.

Skills

Credit policy management

Risk analysis

Predictive analytics & modeling

Risk monitoring

Governance & compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Data Science/Statistics/Mathematics/Economics

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

SQL

Python (pandas, scikit-learn)

XGBoost/LightGBM

R

SAS

Job description

Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities. The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.

• Credit Policy Management: Own credit policy and underwriting strategy by defining the credit box, debt-to-income standards, loan amount and term assignment, and risk-based pricing tiers. Perform swap-set analysis and champion/challenger testing behind every credit expansion and model change
• Risk Analysis: Apply classification and regression trees and tree-ensemble methods (CART, random forest, gradient boosting) alongside traditional scorecard techniques to isolate materially different risk populations and determine where segment-level risk is significantly above expectations and profitability is below hurdle returns
• Predictive Analytics & Modeling: Own end-to-end risk analysis and development of consumer credit models like application and custom scorecards, behavioral and account management models, PD/LGD, loss forecasting, and collections propensity. Own end to end development and deployment of such models. Integrate these models downstream in credit decisions
• Risk Monitoring: Own portfolio surveillance (vintage curves, roll rates, KRIs against risk appetite), with defined thresholds that trigger credit or pricing actions. Run model performance monitoring (PSI, stability and calibration diagnostics, expected vs. actual by vintage) and report out on health of our models
• Governance: Serve as first-line owner for documentation, validation response, remediation, and model inventory. Follow and enhance internal governance procedures and policies. Ensure all changes are well documented and can pass muster with internal Audit and external regulators. Ensure models and strategies hold up under ECOA/Regulation B, FCRA, UDAAP, fair lending review, and risk management expectations
• Reach across the organization: Partner with Product, Data, Technology, Finance, Servicing/Collections, Second Line Risk, and Compliance; present to credit committee, senior leadership, validators, auditors, and examiners

8+ years in consumer lending, preferably at a bank or regulated depository institution. Familiarity with credit policy management, pricing strategies and design-of-experiments A track record of building credit models end to end. Ability to walk through models you personally developed: the problem, the data, the method, the validation, and how they performed in production. Deep hands- on machine learning and statistical modeling skills, including tree-based segmentation and classical scorecard development. SQL plus Python (pandas, scikit-learn, XGBoost/LightGBM), R, or SAS; fluency with large loan-level and credit bureau datasets and reproducible workflows. Experience inside a formal risk governance framework with three lines of defense, credit committee, model risk management, issue management, and audit or exam interaction. Excellent written and verbal communication, with credibility to influence decisions across functions without direct authority. Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred. Engineering or Data Science background with production machine learning experience. Model explainability and fair lending technique in a regulated setting (SHAP, monotonic constraints, AA reason codes, disparate impact testing). CECL, stress testing, or capital planning models. MLOps practice with exposure to model registry, automated scoring and report generation, drift monitoring. Experience across more than one consumer asset class. FDIC, OCC, or state examination exposure. Growth-stage or de novo bank environment. Annual compensation for this role is $200,000 depending on experience

This position offers a hybrid work option. Nelnet values flexibility and understands the importance of work-life integration. Our hybrid work environment allows associates living within 30 miles of an office location to work remotely for part of the week, while also fostering collaboration and team connection through in-office presence three days per week. Candidates must be located in Draper, Utah. Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. To be considered, candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program.

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone. Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or [e-mail]. Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring You may know Nelnet as the nation’s largest student loan servicer – but we do more than that. A lot more. We’re also a professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payment processor, renewable energy innovator, and K-12 and higher education expert (and that’s just a shortlist). For over 40 years, we’ve been serving our customers, associates, and communities to make dreams possible.