VP of Credit & Underwriting

Role Description

The VP of Credit & Underwriting will be the senior leader running underwriting and credit operations day-to-day at Exponent. You will own the credit box, set pricing, and lead a growing team of underwriters across our card and loan products.

What You'll Do

Own the credit box and pricing. Set and continuously refine the credit policy across our charge card and term loan products today, and develop credit frameworks for the products on our roadmap — spot financing, AP financing, and lines of credit. Make individual credit decisions, calibrate the scorecards that scale the function, and own pricing logic across products. Be the person every underwriter on the team learns from.

Lead and grow the underwriting team. Hire, develop, and manage a team of underwriters. Set the standard for how files get worked, how decisions get made, and how the team operates. Build the career paths and the bench. Your team should ship more files, better, every quarter.

Drive throughput through product and process. Be the credit leader who actively partners with engineering and product to build technology that makes underwriting faster and better. Identify the workflow bottlenecks, the data points we're missing, and the automation we should build. Translate underwriting insight into product requirements that compound our data and credit advantage over time. We move fast because we use technology — you will be a force multiplier for that.

Manage portfolio risk and performance. Monitor portfolio health, contribute to reserve setting and loss forecasting, and operate the early-warning systems and workout playbooks across legacy and emerging franchise brands. Own the day-to-day credit quality of the book.

Qualifications

Required experience. 5+ years in franchise lending or specialty finance underwriting. Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring underwriters. Advanced proficiency in credit underwriting, pricing, and risk management. Comfort operating in fast-moving, tech-enabled environments.

Preferred background. Degree in finance or accounting, ideally post-graduate. CFA or CPA preferred. Direct experience building or improving underwriting technology, scorecards, or automation. Genuine desire to scale a startup company and contribute to a product roadmap dedicated to providing full financial automation and support for franchise owners.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive Base + Bonus + Equity, with significant upside as we scale originations and capital capacity.

Company-sponsored benefits (PTO, healthcare, 401(k), and HSA/FSA) are included.

Our offices are in Flatiron, NYC and Downtown Boston; we have an in-office culture driving collaboration, innovation, and a strong team dynamic.