Head of Credit (CPG)

Bridge; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health coverage

401(k) plan

Flexible work environment

Bonus potential

Job summary

Bridge is seeking a Head of Credit to own underwriting, portfolio management, and risk across our PO financing activities for growing CPG brands. You will set the credit vision, define risk appetite, and build the underwriting engine, team, and decisioning infrastructure at scale.

You will lead a data-, model-, and tech-driven transformation, partnering with product, engineering, and capital markets to deliver differentiated capital to brands when they need it most.

Qualifications

• 7 to 20 years of progressive experience in commercial credit or related fields, in a senior leadership role.
• Experience underwriting mid-market borrowers, preferably CPG brands and suppliers serving large retailers.
• Proven track record designing credit frameworks and policies for new or evolving products.
• Demonstrated conviction that data and models improve credit decisions, with real examples.
• Executive presence and ability to present complex topics to boards and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own the PO finance credit strategy end to end, including risk appetite and program economics.
• Design and maintain the full credit framework: standards, rates, covenants, collateral, monitoring.
• Lead policy, approval matrices, and playbooks; chair credit committee and approve complex credits.
• Build and scale underwriting teams; partner with Sales, Partnerships, and Capital Markets.
• Define data requirements and feedback loops to sharpen models and risk insight.
• Champion automation across the PO lifecycle from intake to funding conditions.

Skills

Credit leadership

Financial modeling

Data-driven decisions

Executive presence

Tools

Scorecards

Decision engines

Analytics tools

Job description

Bridge is seeking a Head of Credit to own underwriting, portfolio management, and risk across our purchase order financing activities serving growing CPG brands. This leader will set the credit vision for the program, define risk appetite, and build the underwriting engine, the team, and the decisioning infrastructure that anchor this capability at scale.

OUR MISSION

Bridge exists to make access to capital easier for growing businesses. Backed by Citi, TTV Capital, US Bank, and Correlation Ventures, we closed more than $500 million in loans last year and are growing fast. We have built game-changing partnerships with several Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart, and recently formed a large dedicated capital program with a multi-billion dollar fund to finance production for CPG brands. Our financing program solves the front half of the cash conversion cycle that traditional lenders miss, and we now have both the data advantage and the capital to bring a best-in-class solution to market at scale.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role is ideal for a credit leader who believes underwriting is due for reinvention: someone who has run disciplined credit functions in commercial lending, asset-based lending, or specialty finance, and who is energized by the opportunity to rebuild that discipline on top of data, models, and technology rather than spreadsheets and static checklists.

You will not inherit a legacy playbook. You will write it. Leveraging proprietary data and deep partnerships with companies like Walmart and other strategic retailers, you will underwrite in ways traditional lenders cannot, delivering differentiated capital to brands when they need it most.

You will report to senior leadership and work closely with origination, product, engineering, capital markets, and external capital partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Credit Strategy and Program Ownership

• Own Bridge's purchase order finance credit strategy end to end, including target customer profile, eligible transaction types, risk appetite, and program economics.

• Design and maintain the full credit framework: underwriting standards, advance rates, concentration limits, covenants, collateral structures, and monitoring requirements.

• Author and evolve credit policy, approval matrices, and playbooks that align with Bridge's risk strategy and the expectations of institutional funding partners.

• Chair the credit committee and hold final authority on transaction approvals within delegated limits, presenting complex credits to leadership and capital partners as needed.

• Lead underwriting for complex PO finance opportunities, with a focus on growing CPG brands selling into large retailers and national accounts.

• Evaluate borrower financials, purchase orders, supplier terms, end buyer credit quality, supply chain dynamics, margin resilience, and operational execution risk.

• Structure transactions and facilities that balance borrower needs with strong downside protection, including intercreditor considerations with ABL, factoring, and other working capital facilities.

• Own portfolio performance: early warning indicators, trend analysis, stress testing, and remediation strategies for challenged credits.

Data, Product, and Technology Enablement

• Partner with product and engineering to reimagine how PO finance is underwritten end to end, using retailer data, transaction histories, and alternative data in place of manual processes.

• Set the vision for decisioning tools, scorecards, and dashboards, and hold the pen on the credit logic behind them.

• Define the data requirements and feedback loops that turn every funded transaction into sharper models, better heuristics, and deeper risk insight.

• Champion automation across the PO lifecycle, from application intake and document collection to approvals, funding conditions, and monitoring.

Leadership and Team

• Build and lead the credit and underwriting organization, including underwriters, analysts, and portfolio managers, as the program scales.

• Set the standard for credit quality, analytical rigor, and documentation across all transactions.

• Recruit, coach, and develop a team with a culture of ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement.

• Partner closely with Sales, Partnerships, and Capital Markets to ensure a seamless experience for suppliers, retailers, and funding partners.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE

• Serve as the senior credit voice for purchase order financing across Bridge, internally and externally.

• Own credit policy formation and stay active in capital markets discussions with funding sources, including portfolio reviews and program reporting.

• Collaborate with compliance, legal, and operations to ensure the program meets regulatory, contractual, and investor requirements.

• Shape strategic decisions on new product extensions, capital structures, and expansion into adjacent supply chain finance products.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• 7 to 20 years of progressive experience in commercial credit, asset-based lending, trade finance, or specialty finance, with meaningful time in a senior credit leadership seat.

• Deep experience underwriting middle-market borrowers, ideally CPG brands and suppliers selling to large retailers or national accounts, with a strong grasp of working capital dynamics and cash conversion cycles. Preference for purchase order financing or closely related pre-shipment supply chain finance experience.

• Proven track record designing credit frameworks and policies for a new or evolving product line, and defending them in capital markets discussions with funding sources.

• A demonstrated conviction that data and models make credit decisions better, backed by real examples of building or sponsoring scorecards, decision engines, or analytics-driven underwriting tools.

• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, including comfort with complex capital structures, intercreditor issues, and collateral analysis.

• Experience building and scaling high-impact credit teams, with a reputation for developing talent and instilling strong credit culture.

• Executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to present complex credit topics to boards, senior leadership, and external funding partners.

• Entrepreneurial orientation and comfort operating in a fast-moving, high-growth environment where you build the playbook rather than execute someone else\'s.

WHY JOIN BRIDGE

• Own the credit function. Set the credit vision for a new PO finance business line at a fast-growing fintech that closed more than $500 million in loans last year, with real authority over strategy, risk appetite, and how technology and credit come together.

• Leverage game-changing partnerships. Underwrite growing CPG brands through Bridge's partnerships with several Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart, using data and relationships that are difficult for traditional lenders to replicate.

• Build with serious capital. Scale a program powered by a large dedicated capital vehicle backed by a multi-billion dollar fund, purpose-built for CPG production financing.

• Redefine an entire category. Work hand in hand with product and engineering to design the tools, workflows, and automation that make PO financing faster, smarter, and more transparent, and help set the new standard for how suppliers access working capital.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Competitive base salary with annual performance bonus potential

• Meaningful participation in the company stock option plan

• Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision plans, plus 401(k) with company contribution

• Flexible, collaborative work environment

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

• Bridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, marital status, and pregnancy or any other characteristic protected by law or company policy.