General Manager of Lending

About the Opportunity

Varo is seeking a strategic, visionary, and execution-focused General Manager of Lending to lead and grow our lending portfolio. This critical executive leadership role is responsible for the end‑to‑end P&L, credit policy, risk governance, and portfolio management of Varo's credit products, including Varo Advance and Varo Line of Credit.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is part of the Executive Leadership Team and will drive the lending strategy that underpins Varo’s customer growth, financial performance, and regulatory integrity.

Lending sits at the heart of Varo’s growth strategy — as both a customer engagement engine and a gateway for acquisition. The GM of Lending will drive expansion across our cash‑flow–underwritten products, including upcoming modalities such as BNPL and Flex, while deepening customer relationships and lifetime value.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with deep experience in consumer credit, fintech innovation, and regulatory affairs, passionate about delivering fair, transparent, and financially empowering products while operating within a robust bank risk framework.

• P&L Management and Business Growth
  • Drive the complete Lending P&L, overseeing forecasts, budget management, and capital deployment to ensure profitable and sustainable growth.
  • Define the multi‑year Lending Product Roadmap, identifying, championing, and launching new compliant credit products.
  • Partner with Finance and Treasury to optimize capital efficiency, portfolio funding, and return‑on‑equity performance.
  • Drive lending’s contribution to customer acquisition and engagement through cross‑product metrics such as deposit activation and retention lift.
  • Oversee the successful execution and delivery of the Lending Product Roadmap, ensuring timely and impactful launches.
  • Collaborate with Product, Engineering, AI & Data, Marketing, and Operations teams for speed to market while maintaining high standards of control and customer experience.
• Credit Policy, Risk Governance, and Regulatory Oversight
  • Own the development, documentation, and enforcement of the Credit Policy Framework for all lending products, aligning with the bank’s Risk Appetite Statement.
  • Serve as key subject‑matter expert for internal audit, compliance, and regulatory bodies such as the OCC.
  • Oversee underwriting strategies, pricing models, and eligibility criteria, ensuring products are both accessible and risk‑adjusted.
  • Manage portfolio performance in collaboration with Finance, including CECL inputs, loan loss forecasting, and capital planning.
• Active Portfolio and Performance Management
  • Monitor and manage core credit metrics (delinquencies, net charge‑offs, vintage performance, collections efficiency).
  • Develop engagement‑oriented dashboards linking lending activity to broader customer behavior.
  • Work with Operations and Risk to optimize fraud prevention and servicing processes.
  • Lead, manage, and mentor a high‑performing team of Credit Strategists and Product leaders.
  • Balance disciplined execution with entrepreneurial experimentation, leveraging data‑driven rigor.

• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in consumer lending, with at least 5 years managing a significant P&L.
• Deep expertise in operating within a regulated banking environment (OCC, FDIC).
• Proven ownership of a Credit Policy Framework.
• Exceptional command of consumer credit risk management, using both traditional and alternative data.
• Strong understanding of CECL accounting standards and collaboration with Finance and Treasury.
• Ability to build, scale, and optimize credit products while balancing customer needs with risk controls.
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and presentation skills with proven influence over executive stakeholders and regulators.
• Comfort supporting a vision for focused experimentation to enable growth and profitability with ML and AI.
• Ability to translate lending insights into customer engagement and product design improvements.

Base pay range: $200,000 – $350,000 per year. The role is also eligible for bonus, equity, and competitive benefits.

Varo is…