Principal Underwriter, SMB Risk

About Clearco: Clearco is the premier global equity-free capital partner built by founders, for founders, to scale merchant momentum without equity dilution or personal guarantees. Having deployed over $3 billion to more than 10,000 fast-growing e-commerce brands, our performance-driven algorithmic models deliver competitive funding terms, capped weekly repayment schedules, and friction-free capital routing transitions in as little as 24 hours.

Role Summary

We are seeking a data-driven, highly analytical Principal Underwriter to join our credit diligence and underwriting team as a senior risk leader. In this high-agency position, you will independently own the end-to-end credit assessment lifecycle for high-volume SMB accounts—formulating robust approve/decline recommendations, defining custom exposure limits, and establishing optimized pricing terms. Operating as a trusted risk advisor to senior executives, you will test new financial ratios, refine predictive scorecards, and audit our structural portfolios to protect asset health at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Data-Driven Underwriting: Conduct thorough credit underwriting reviews of SMB applicants, leveraging real-world revenue signals to issue defensible, high-stature credit determinations.
• Financial Statement Diagnostics: Execute detailed analysis of balance sheets, cash-flow reports, corporate tax filings, and income ledgers to evaluate the underlying health of prospective borrowers.
• Risk Framework Optimization: Partner alongside the credit leadership team to design, calibrate, and continuously refine algorithmic risk frameworks, authorization caps, and internal escalation protocols.
• Metric Refinement Sprints: Test and tweak specialized financial ratios and banking metrics to continuously maximize underwriting speed without expanding risk profiles.
• Portfolio Performance Auditing: Run systematic trend reviews across our active credit portfolio to flag emerging operational risks, isolate concentration anomalies, and execute targeted remediation frameworks.
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Advisory: Deliver actionable, data-backed risk recommendations to executive leadership, acting as a tactical link between credit management and growth-oriented sales groups.
• Compliance Integrity: Verify that incoming accounts strictly clear core regulatory compliance milestones, including Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) screenings.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Degree in Financial Analytics, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Finance, or equivalent practical quantitative experience.
• 7+ years of progressive professional experience in commercial credit underwriting, corporate banking, specialty commercial finance, or fintech risk management tracks.
• Direct hands-on experience evaluating SMB credit parameters, cash-flow lending mechanics, and cross-border financial state reports.
• Deep expertise translating company banking metrics, e-commerce business models, merchant data sheets, and digital operational performance KPIs into clear credit views.
• Excellent quantitative writing abilities, with a history of delivering concise, high-signal, and actionable policy recommendations.
• Professional presence with comfort managing direct customer communications, structured term negotiations, and fast-paced cross-team projects under tight deadlines.
• Builder mindset with a clear history of introducing automated processes to scale manual underwriting loops.
• Location Context: 100% remote working infrastructure configuration open to qualified risk professionals operating within the United States or Canada .

Preferred Strategic Indicators (Nice to Have)

• Direct operational familiarity with programmatic SaaS models, subscription-based billing matrices, or digital advertising health parameters.
• Prior experience working within high-growth fintech startup structures or revenue-share funding platforms.

What We Offer

• A senior leadership runway to directly shape the risk profile for a category-defining fintech market leader.
• Highly competitive baseline salary accompanied by target bonus potential structures.
• Comprehensive health and insurance benefits tailored to your regional hub (US or Canada).
• Robust retirement matching plans, wellness programs, and generous or unlimited paid time off allocations.
• Complete technological home-office hardware provisioning setup delivered directly to your remote location.