**Who this is for** This role is for a senior risk professional looking to establish and scale an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and operational risk function
Work type: remote
Location: United States | Remote
Salary: $18,900 – $334,200/yr
Type: Full-time
**Who this is for** This role is for a senior risk professional looking to establish and scale an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and operational risk function for a national bank during a transformative growth phase. **Key highlights** You will lead the development of risk appetite statements, governance frameworks, and operational risk assessments. As a leader in the second line of defense, you will work across the organization to ensure compliance with banking standards and serve as a primary liaison with bank examiners. **You might be a good fit if you...** - Have a proven track record of managing ERM programs and operational risk teams in a regulated financial setting. - Are skilled at designing risk reporting infrastructure and methodologies for executive-level and board review. - Possess strong leadership abilities to hire and mentor teams capable of meeting rigorous national bank requirements. - Enjoy cross-functional collaboration to integrate risk mitigation strategies across complex business operations.
About Upstart
At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.
As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.
We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.
If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.
The Team:
Upstart’s Risk team is hiring to enhance its second line of defense function in support of its application to establish a national bank. The Risk team is responsible for Upstart’s enterprise risk management program and risk governance, as well as for providing independent oversight and credible challenge across the following risk categories: operational risk, treasury risk (including liquidity risk, interest rate risk, price risk, and capital management), and operational risk. We partner with first-line business functions, senior and executive leadership, and the board of directors to ensure effective identification and assessment, measurement, monitoring and reporting, and response and control for all core risk types and in alignment with regulatory expectations.
Upstart is hiring a Director, Enterprise Risk Management to lead and grow the Risk team’s ERM function for Upstart Bank. This role will establish, maintain, and continually enhance the bank’s ERM program and framework, including: management and maintenance of the risk appetite statement and other ERM program governing documents; ownership of risk assessment processes and methodologies; collection and monitoring of risk metrics; coordination of all risk governance activities, including aggregated management and board risk reporting. Additionally, this role will oversee the operational risk team responsible for conducting ongoing risk and control assessments across the bank’s operations. This includes establishing an operational risk program framework and risk assessment schedule, recommending actions to mitigate operational risk, and producing risk reporting and insights on the bank’s aggregated operational risk profile, trends, and high risk areas.
This role will manage the ERM Program and Operational Risk teams, and will be responsible for building out existing risk infrastructure and processes to meet the rigorous expectations of a nationally chartered bank, including hiring additional roles to expand existing team capacity. As a senior member of the Risk organization, this role works collaboratively with internal leaders across all three lines of defense, and will serve as a primary point of contact for management as well as external stakeholders such as bank examiners on matters related to the bank’s ERM and Operational Risk programs, including during the charter application process.
How you’ll make an impact
Define and maintain the Bank's enterprise risk management framework, including risk appetite statement, risk assessment methodology, and aggregated risk reportingLead the ERM Program team in executing enterprise risk assessments; maintaining risk and control inventories and gap tracking; and measuring risk quantitatively via key risk indicators for all risk categoriesEnsure consistent quantitative and qualitative risk identification, assessment, and measurement methodologies Direct the team's work on risk committee and board reporting, policy management, and ERM program maintenance and executionDirect the Operational Risk Program activities, ensuring consistent assessment methodology is applied across all product lines and providing actionable analysis and insights on high risk areas requiring actionServe as a senior point of escalation and relationship manager for external stakeholders including OCC examiners, internal and external auditors, capital markets partners, and lending partnersDevelop, manage, and hire for the ERM Program and Operational Risk Program teams
Minimum Qualifications
Time zone requirements The team operates on the East/West coast time zones.
Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.
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At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).
United States | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$18,900—$334,200 USD
What you'll love
At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect: