Chief Risk Officer

Chief Risk Officer (CRO) – Sezzle Bank

Location: Nevada / Remote

Organization: Sezzle Bank (in formation)

Employment Type: Full-time | Remote

Reports To: President of Sezzle Bank and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee

About Sezzle:

With a mission to financially empower the next generation, Sezzle is revolutionizing the shopping experience beyond payments, blending cutting-edge tech with seamless installment plans that make shopping smarter and more accessible. We're not just transforming payments; we're redefining how people discover, interact with, and purchase the things they love while driving real impact on merchant sales through increased conversions and higher order values. As we continue to shape the future of fintech and retail, we're building an innovative, dynamic team passionate about creating more than just a transaction but a truly unique shopping journey. If you're excited about breaking new ground in tech and building products that make a real difference for consumers and merchants alike, come join us at Sezzle.

About Sezzle Bank (in formation):

Sezzle Bank is a planned de novo national bank in formation, headquartered in Nevada and wholly owned by Sezzle Inc. The Bank will serve as the regulated banking entity supporting Sezzle's financial product offerings and ancillary services, with a strategic focus on responsible lending, financial innovation, and exceptional customer experience. We are building a best-in-class team to stand up a safe, sound, and compliant institution from the ground up.

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly experienced Chief Risk Officer to develop and maintain an effective, independent second-line risk management program for Sezzle Bank. The CRO will measure and manage credit, market, liquidity, and operational risk — with operational risk encompassing legal, compliance, and technology risk — as well as model-related risk across the Bank. Working with the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee, the CRO will build the enterprise-wide risk governance framework that defines the Bank's risk culture, appetite, and limits, and will own the ongoing monitoring of these risks and of operational performance to ensure alignment with Board-approved policies and tolerances.

The CRO is a Bank-only executive with no concurrent Sezzle Inc. position and reports to the President of Sezzle Bank and to the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.

What You'll Do:

Risk Governance & Framework

Define enterprise-wide risk management strategies, policies, and the risk appetite framework; work with the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee to establish the Bank's risk culture, appetite, and limits.

Identify, assess, measure, manage, monitor, and report on risk across the Bank, and ensure compliance with Board-approved policies, tolerances, and risk limits.

Identify emerging areas of risk, including potential risks associated with proposed new products and services, and ensure business strategies align with regulatory rules, guidance, and supervisory expectations.

Develop and maintain a model governance framework that includes independent model validation.

Participate in ALCO as the independent second-line risk perspective.

Regulatory & Examination Relationship

Serve as the Bank's primary relationship manager for the OCC Examiner-in-Charge, coordinating with the Bank's President.

Communicate with regulators and address regulatory inquiries and examination activities.

Serve as the Bank's designated CRA Officer: administer the CRA Strategic Plan, monitor the Bank's progress against its CRA performance commitments, and ensure CRA examination readiness.

Second-Line Oversight

Oversee the Bank's Chief Compliance Officer and the second-line compliance risk management function, including complaints handling and emerging regulatory and consumer compliance requirements.

Oversee the Bank's BSA Officer; ensure BSA/AML/OFAC policies, procedures, risk assessments, and controls are properly designed and operationally effective.

Oversee the Bank's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to ensure information assets, sensitive customer data, and technologies are protected; ensure the CISO reports routinely to the Board or the appropriate Board committee.

Board & Business Partnership

Serve as the primary source for all risk program communication and reporting to the Board and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.

Develop and maintain strong relationships with business line management, effectively communicating emerging and present risk elements and issues.

Provide support and insight to the Bank's audit program, including addressing audit findings and remediation efforts.

What We Look For:

15–20+ years of banking or financial services experience, with significant time in risk management, credit, compliance, or audit.

Minimum 7–10 years in a senior risk leadership role (CRO, SVP Risk, or equivalent) at a regulated financial institution.

Extensive experience managing a risk organization in a regulated banking environment, including direct experience with federal banking regulators (OCC, FDIC, or Federal Reserve) and the examination process.

Deep knowledge of enterprise risk management frameworks, banking regulatory requirements, and second-line governance.

Experience managing compliance, BSA/AML, OFAC, CRA, and cybersecurity risk programs.

Strong communication skills with Board-level risk reporting experience.

Demonstrated experience working with Claude or equivalent large language model tools is required; candidates must be comfortable leveraging AI to enhance productivity, research, and communication.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or Mathematics; Master's degree preferred.

FRM (GARP), CERP (ABA), CAMS, CRCM, or CPA certification highly valued.

Experience with model risk governance and CECL/stress testing frameworks.

Prior experience with de novo bank formation or building a second-line risk function from the ground up.

About You:

You exhibit strong character. You do what you say you'll do and you do the right thing, even when no one is watching. You're a strong team member and secure enough to give others credit.

You communicate openly and honestly. You listen well, speak candidly, and stay open-minded. You hold yourself accountable, and when you disagree with a decision, you say so respectfully. Once the call is made, you commit fully.

You act like an owner. You put customers, merchants, and shareholders at the center of what you do. You bring solutions, not just problems. You seek out responsibility, work hard and smart, and move quickly, knowing that most decisions can be reversed.

You get things done. You're a doer, not just a planner. No task is beneath you, and you're always willing to roll up your sleeves and dig in. You take work from idea to finished, and you don't wait for someone else to pick up the slack.

You're driven to succeed. You're passionate, tenacious, and competitive. You hold yourself and others to a high bar, fix problems so they stay fixed, and keep going through setbacks.

You have fun. You enjoy working with your teammates, keep a sense of humor, and keep work issues in perspective.

What Makes Working at Sezzle Awesome:

At Sezzle, we are more than just brilliant engineers, passionate data enthusiasts, out-of-the-box thinkers, and determined innovators. We believe in surrounding ourselves with only the best and the brightest individuals. Our culture is not defined by a certain set of perks designed to give the illusion of the traditional startup culture, but rather, it is the visible example living in every employee that we hire.

Compensation:

Compensation is market-competitive and commensurate with experience. Specific compensation offered to a candidate will be dependent on factors such as education, experience, qualificatio