Sr. Lead First Line Risk Management - Paze (Temporary)

Early Warning; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 154,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Early Warning seeks a Sr. Lead First Line Risk Management specialist to drive high-impact risk programs across complex areas such as products, data, and operations. You will anticipate challenges, guide governance, and lead remediation with senior leadership input.

The role requires expert-level risk management experience and the ability to influence across departments while upholding regulatory and internal standards. Hybrid work model supports collaboration in multiple U.S. locations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• Typically 12+ years of progressive experience.
• Expert-level experience in first-line risk management or related disciplines.
• Experience advising senior stakeholders on risk and control matters.
• Background check and drug screen.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-impact first-line risk programs and cross-functional initiatives.
• Anticipate and advise on risk and control changes to processes, products, and practices.
• Resolve complex risk problems integrating data, controls, and stakeholder input.
• Shape risk governance, metrics, and escalation practices for effectiveness.
• Lead audits, examinations, and remediation efforts with executive reporting.
• Coach teams and elevate capability with standards and tools.

Skills

First-line risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Advising senior stakeholders

Risk governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, risk management, finance, technology, data, operations, or related field

Job description

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses. Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment. Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship. Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States at the date of hire. The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position.

Overall Purpose

The Sr. Lead First Line Risk Management - Paze serves as a recognized first-line risk expert for complex or high-impact business, product, platform, technology, data, or operational areas. The role anticipates risk and control challenges, leads major initiatives, influences functional practices, and develops solutions to unique problems with broad business impact.

Essential Functions

• Lead high-impact first-line risk programs, assessments, control strategies, and cross-functional initiatives involving complex or emerging risks.
• Anticipate internal and external risk challenges and recommend changes to processes, controls, products, services, or operating practices.
• Resolve unique and complex risk problems with broad business impact by integrating business context, data, control evidence, and stakeholder perspectives.
• Shape functional risk practices, methodologies, governance routines, metrics, and escalation approaches to improve consistency and effectiveness.
• Advise senior business leaders on material risks, control tradeoffs, risk acceptance, remediation priorities, and change readiness.
• Lead major issue-management and remediation efforts, including root-cause analysis, sustainable corrective action, and executive-level reporting.
• Represent first-line risk in significant audits, examinations, governance forums, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Lead project teams or communities of practice and elevate capability through coaching, standards, and reusable tools.

Focus Areas

Controls, RCSA, Testing, Governance, Reporting

• Lead or shape process, risk, and control inventories; risk and control self-assessments; control design reviews; monitoring; and first-line testing approaches.
• Use control results and risk evidence to identify systemic gaps, strengthen control performance, and drive sustainable remediation.
• Lead risk metrics, key risk indicators, dashboards, governance materials, issue reporting, and risk-acceptance approaches for significant risks.
• Lead first-line readiness for material audits, examinations, independent assessments, and complex issue remediation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, risk management, finance, technology, data, operations, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Typically has 12 or more years of progressive experience or demonstrated portfolio consistent with experience required of the role.
• Expert-level experience in first-line risk management or a closely related risk, controls, audit, compliance, technology, data, product, or operational discipline.
• Demonstrated experience solving unique and complex risk problems with broad business impact and contributing to functional strategy or operating practices.
• Experience leading major cross-functional initiatives and advising senior stakeholders on significant risk and control matters.
• Bacakground and drug screen.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services, payments, financial technology, or another highly regulated environment.
• Experience using governance, risk, and compliance technology for risks, controls, assessments, testing, issues, remediation, or reporting.
• Experience with relevant risk, control, security, data, resilience, audit, or regulatory frameworks applicable to the assigned focus area.
• Relevant risk management, audit, technology, security, data, product, or compliance certification.
• Experience developing risk metrics, dashboards, governance materials, procedures, testing approaches, or process improvements.
• Experience advising senior stakeholders and leading cross-functional risk initiatives with broad business impact.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling, and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers. Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

The Base Pay Scale For This Position In

Phoenix, AZ/ Chicago, IL / Washington, DC in USD per year is: $129,000 - $161,000.

New York, NY/ San Francisco, CA in USD per year is: $154,000 - $193,000.

Additionally, Candidates Are Eligible For Some Benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate’s education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Early Warning Services, LLC (“Early Warning”) considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.

Early Warning Services LLC is a proud participant in E-Verify, a federal program to help ensure a legal and authorized workforce. As part of our hiring process, we electronically verify the employment eligibility of all new hires through E-Verify. For more information on your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify please visit Home | E-Verify.