Lead Analyst, Credit Risk Strategy

Overview

This role is responsible for developing, delivering, and monitoring bank credit risk strategies for card, consumer, and deposits credit portfolios to support profitable growth within risk appetite. The position also owns operational and compliance risk inherent in credit strategy and tracks internal and external factors that impact credit risk exposure for bank portfolio products.

This position is remote eligible in the continental U.S., with occasional business travel. Individuals residing within a 60-mile radius of a USAA office will be expected to work on-site four days per week.

Responsibilities

• Apply and share industry best practices and analytical skills to identify risks and opportunities within the managed portfolio and translate results into strategic solutions.
• Lead analyses to identify root causes and develop clear, concise recommendations that support credit risk strategy development and influence senior decision makers.
• Lead and partner to deliver bank credit risk strategies across lines of defense by developing and improving complex analytical frameworks, analyzing data and processes, and communicating insights/recommendations to key stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Analyze internal and external scores/data to support identification of first-party fraud.
• Use industry knowledge and competitive benchmarking to lead, inform, and influence credit strategy development.
• Proactively lead development of advanced, nuanced quantitative analysis based on internal and external data sources to address ambiguous and challenging problems.
• Develop, manage, and present comprehensive risk and financial reporting in support of senior management and committee oversight; escalate the quality and direction of credit performance as appropriate.
• Lead the design and execution of complex financial risk sensitivity analysis.
• Create and manage credit strategy infrastructure and ensure credit strategies are implemented as intended.
• Apply expert programming and analytical techniques to analyze credit data.
• Provide thought leadership, coaching, and mentoring to team members on analytics and risk management.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to guide and facilitate teams in the development and implementation of key initiatives.
• Coach and mentor analysts to develop analytically derived insights that inform strategic plans with significant impact to business results.
• Act as a thought leader within the analyst community; may coach and mentor junior analysts.
• May have model ownership responsibilities, including accountability for quantitative model requirement definition and/or implementation of advanced credit and/or financial modeling infrastructure.
• Ensure risks associated with business activities are identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree; OR 4 years of relevant education and/or experience.
• 8 years of experience in an analytical field, including leading analytical projects, advanced analytics, and risk assessments, or leading the analysis and interpretation of complex bank credit risk data to align to team strategy; OR an advanced degree in Business Management, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or in a Mathematical discipline with 6 years of experience as described above.
• Strong understanding of banking regulations and risk and/or compliance.
• Advanced presentation and communication skills.
• Advanced business acumen with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Advanced research and investigation skills with demonstrated good judgment in problem solving.
• Experience influencing cross-functional stakeholders by communicating complex analytical insights and risk-mitigating solutions.
• Experience developing and improving a variety of risk-related reporting.
• Experience coaching and guiding peers on analytics and/or risk management.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Advanced knowledge of data analysis tools, including ability to develop analysis queries and procedures in SQL, SAS, or other business intelligence and analysis software for data segmentation, aggregation, and statistics (e.g., SPS or Visual Basic).
• Knowledge of federal laws, rules, regulations, and applicable guidance, including: FCRA, Reg B, UDAAP/UDAP, OCC Heightened Standards, OCC CREDIT RISK GUIDANCE.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop and communicate data-driven credit strategy recommendations and complex analytical findings to senior leadership and diverse stakeholders (Credit Risk, Pricing, Product, Legal, Compliance, Underwriting, Operations).
• Extensive experience translating internal and external industry data into actionable credit and business insights that drive informed decision-making.
• Demonstrated expertise designing and executing credit strategy experiments (e.g., A/B testing, champion/challenger frameworks, and other causal evaluation methodologies), evaluating outcomes, and continuously optimizing the risk-reward framework.
• 6+ years of experience leveraging SAS, SQL, and other analytical programming languages such as Python to extract, transform, and analyze large-scale datasets, including integrating data across multiple sources, managing varying levels of granularity, resolving data quality issues, and performing advanced joins.
• Proven experience utilizing AI and LLM-based tools (e.g., GPT-powered copilots and similar technologies) to enhance coding productivity, accelerate analytical workflows, and develop intelligent agents and automation solutions supporting risk assessment and strategic decision-making.
• Strong track record of identifying and addressing emerging or ambiguous risk challenges with limited historical precedent, including evaluating credit impacts driven by macroeconomic conditions and policy developments such as inflationary pressures, changes in student loan repayment and collection programs, and shifts in federal government employment.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing portfolio-level credit performance, proactively identifying risk and growth opportunities, and influencing strategy through partnership with senior leaders.
• Proven experience owning end-to-end credit strategy development, implementation, monitoring, and performance optimization across key customer segments and lending products.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop junior analysts while driving analytical excellence and elevating team capabilities across complex credit initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead multiple high-priority initiatives simultaneously, navigate ambiguity, and deliver high-quality recommendations with limited direction.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation range: $164,780 - $314,960.
• The actual salary may vary by location and is determined using an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges.
• Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans
• 401(k) and pension
• Life insurance
• Parental benefits and adoption assistance
• Paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours
• Various wellness programs
• Career path planning and continuing education

Location

Remote eligible in the continental U.S. with occasional business travel. Individuals residing within a 60-mile radius of a USAA office are expected to work on-site four days per week.

Additional Information

• This posting is accepted on an ongoing basis and will remain open until the position is filled.
• No visa sponsorship is provided for this role.