Lead Analyst, Credit Risk Strategy

Overview

This role involves leading bank credit risk strategy development for card, consumer, and deposits credit portfolios to optimize profitable growth within risk appetite. The position owns operational and compliance risk inherent in credit strategy, and tracks credit strategy performance alongside internal and external factors that affect credit risk exposure for bank portfolio products within the organization’s risk taxonomy.

The work 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.

Visa sponsorship is not provided for this role. Applicants should not apply if they will need immigration support at any time now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, STEM OPT Training Plans, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Leverage and share industry leading practices and analytical skills to identify risks and opportunities within the managed portfolio, and translate findings into credit risk strategy solutions.
• Apply banking product knowledge and critical thinking to lead analyses, identify root causes, and develop clear, concise recommendations to drive credit risk strategy development and influence senior decision makers.
• Lead and partner with stakeholders to deliver bank credit risk strategies across lines of defense by developing and improving complex analytical frameworks, analyzing data and processes, and clearly communicating insights and recommendations to key stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Analyze internal and external scores/data to support the identification of first party fraud.
• Use industry knowledge and competitive benchmarking to lead, inform, and influence credit strategy development.
• Proactively identify the need for advanced, nuanced quantitative analysis using internal and external data sources to bring structure and clarity to ambiguous and challenging problems.
• Develop, manage, and present comprehensive risk and financial reporting to support senior management and committee oversight of existing and emerging risks; escalate the quality and direction of credit performance to appropriate levels of management.
• Lead the design and execution of complex financial risk sensitivity analysis.
• Create and manage credit strategy infrastructure, ensuring 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 regarding analytics and risk management.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to guide and facilitate teams in the development and implementation of key initiatives.
• Coach and mentor analysts to develop analytically derived insights and strategic plans with significant impact to business results.
• Coach and mentor other analysts and act as a thought leader within the analyst community.
• May have model ownership responsibilities, including driving 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 or in work focused on leading analytical projects, advanced analytics, and risk assessments, or leading analysis and interpretation of complex bank credit risk data aligned to team strategy;
  • OR an advanced degree in Business Management, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a Mathematical discipline and 6 years of experience in an analytical field or in work focused on leading analytical projects, advanced analytics, and risk assessments, or leading analysis and interpretation of complex bank credit risk data aligned to team strategy.
• Strong understanding of banking regulations and risk and/or compliance.
• Advanced presentation and communication skills.
• Advanced business acumen and attention to detail and accuracy.
• Advanced research and investigation skills with demonstrated good judgment in problem solving.
• Experience influencing cross-functional stakeholders to action by communicating complex analytical insights and risk mitigating solutions.
• Experience developing and improving 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 skills to develop analysis queries and procedures in SQL, SAS, or other business intelligence and analysis software applications 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 a diverse set of stakeholders (e.g., Credit Risk, Pricing, Product, Legal, Compliance, Underwriting, Operations).
• Extensive experience translating internal and external industry data into actionable credit and business insights.
• Demonstrated expertise in 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 to improve portfolio performance.
• 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 to create robust analytical datasets.
• 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 that support 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 collaboration 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.
• Pay is determined within the salary range based on experience and market data for the position; actual salary may vary by location.
• Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the organization’s Board of Directors.
• Benefits may include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans; 401(k); pension; life insurance; parental benefits; adoption assistance; paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours; and various wellness programs.
• Career path planning and continuing education support may be available.

Location

• 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.

Additional Information

• Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis; this posting remains open until the position is filled.
• Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.