Risk Manager

Kafene; New York (NY); On-site; USD 128,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401k plan

Paid time off from day one

Flexible work options

Job summary

Kafene, based in New York, is seeking a Risk Manager to help build profitable underwriting strategies using advanced data and ML techniques. You will leverage complex data sources to optimize credit and fraud risk across underwriting, portfolio management, and collections.

Join a cross-functional team that collaborates with technology and senior leadership to drive financial performance. The role emphasizes analytical rigor and strategic risk management in a dynamic fintech environment.

Qualifications

• MS in Statistics or related quantitative field.
• 18 months of work experience building quantitative models in consumer finance or lease-to-own industries.
• Proficient in Python, R, and Excel for statistical analysis and predictive modeling.

Responsibilities

• Monitor acquisition, portfolio, and collection performance across the lifecycle focusing on credit and fraud risk.
• Integrate bureau, alternative, behavioral, macroeconomic, and internal data to generate insights.
• Perform statistical and decision-tree analyses to identify root causes and opportunities.
• Present findings to leadership and partner with technology to implement and validate risk strategies.

Skills

Quantitative modeling

Credit risk

Statistical analysis

Python

R

Excel

Education

MS in Statistics

Tools

Python

R

Excel

Pivot tables

Decision‑tree tools

Job description

Get to Know Us

Kafene is revolutionizing the lease-to-own space. We're the point-of-sale powerhouse making flexible lease-to-own accessible to everyone—prime and non-prime customers alike. Our secret weapon? Cutting-edge AI and machine learning that analyzes 20,000+ data inputs in real-time, empowering retailers across furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, and durable goods to say "yes" to more customers.

The numbers tell our story: over $500 million in originations and counting. But we're just getting started.

Our 150-person team spans NYC headquarters, Wilmington, and remote talent across the globe—all united by a culture that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and genuine support. We don't just talk about great workplace culture; we deliver it. That's why Built In named us a Startup to Watch and Forbes recognized us as one of the Best Startup Employers.

Ready to be part of the fintech revolution? Join us.

About the Team

Kafene’s Risk team is a key driver of growth for the business. As a Risk Manager, you will report to the VP of Risk and help build Kafene’s profit-driven consumer underwriting strategies. You will harness complex data sources and machine learning, and you will partner across technology and senior leadership to develop strategies that optimize credit risk, fraud risk, and other factors across underwriting, portfolio management, and collections.

What You’ll Do

• Monitor acquisition, portfolio, and collection performance across the account lifecycle, with a focus on consumer credit risk, fraud risk, lease terms, channel performance, and other key metrics

• Integrate complex data sources, including bureau, alternative, behavioral, macroeconomic, and internal portfolio data, to generate actionable insights

• Conduct statistical and decision-tree analyses to identify root causes and business opportunities

• Present findings to leadership, partner with technology teams to support strategy implementation and validation, and continuously monitor risk strategies to improve financial performance and enhance the customer and merchant experience

What You’ll Bring

• Master of Science degree with major in a quantitative discipline (Statistics, Economics, Business/Data Analytics, or similar)

• 18 months’ work experience building quantitative and statistical models in the consumer financial lending or lease-to-own (LTO) industry.

• Experience must include leveraging Python, R, and Excel for statistical analysis and creating pivot tables and using decision-tree modeling tools for predictive analysis

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base Salary: Earn a competitive base salary $127,500 – $140,000

• Healthcare: We prioritize your well-being by covering 80% of medical, dental, and vision insurance costs, including coverage for your spouse, children, and other dependents.

• Retirement Benefits: Begin planning for your future from day one with our 401k plan.

• Paid Time Off: We understand the importance of work-life balance. That's why we offer flexible paid time off days starting from day one of your employment.

We're building a team as diverse as the customers we serve

Kafene is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, and we mean it. We welcome qualified applicants of every race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, veteran status, and all other legally protected characteristics.

Need accommodation during the application

process? We've got you. If you're applying for a U.S. position and require reasonable accommodation at any stage, reach out to [e-mail] with details about your request and contact information. We're here to help make the process work for you.

Note: This email address is specifically for accommodation requests and will only respond to those inquiries.