Associate, Lines of Defense – Early Career Development Program

What You’ll Contribute

Launch Your Career as a Future Analytics Leader. The Associate Lines of Defense Early Career Development Program is a selective 24‑month development program designed to build the next generation of risk, compliance, controls, and audit talent at Sallie Mae. Through rotational experiences across key Lines of Defense functions, you’ll develop the combination of business acumen, analytical thinking, risk awareness, and professional judgment needed to identify emerging risks, strengthen controls, support regulatory readiness, and influence sound business decisions.

Complete three eight‑month rotational assignments across key Lines of Defense groups. Each rotation will strengthen your understanding of the business, develop your risk and controls mindset, and build the analytical and communication skills needed to help teams identify issues, evaluate processes, and drive meaningful improvements.

• Business Controls – Learn how first‑line controls help teams manage operational, process, and business risks before issues arise; evaluate practices, processes, and controls to identify potential risk areas and improvement opportunities; support issue identification, root‑cause analysis, remediation planning, and control enhancement efforts; partner with business teams to strengthen accountability, process discipline, and risk awareness; document observations, recommendations, and progress.
• Enterprise Risk Management – Build a broader understanding of enterprise‑wide risk frameworks, governance practices, and risk oversight across business lines; support analysis of key business processes, emerging risks, and control environments; contribute to assessments that identify gaps, trends, and opportunities to reduce risk exposure; assist with risk reporting, governance materials, and leadership‑ready insights; learn how enterprise risk practices inform strategic decisions.
• Compliance – Develop an understanding of the regulatory environment and how compliance programs help protect customers, the business, and Sallie Mae; research regulatory expectations and help assess how they apply to business processes; support compliance monitoring, testing, issue tracking, and reporting activities; translate complex information into clear insights that help inform leadership decision‑making; build awareness of consumer finance, operational compliance, and regulatory risk considerations.
• Internal Audit – Gain exposure to independent assurance work that evaluates governance, risk management, and control effectiveness; assist with planning and executing audit procedures, including walkthroughs, testing, and documentation; analyze evidence, identify themes, and summarize findings in a clear and professional manner; support reporting that helps leadership understand risks, control gaps, and recommended actions; develop professional skepticism, attention to detail, and sound judgment through hands‑on audit work.

Throughout the program, you’ll solve meaningful business problems through risk‑based, analytical, and process‑oriented thinking; develop technical, analytical, communication, and consulting skills through hands‑on experience; communicate findings and recommendations through presentations, reporting, and concise business writing; partner with stakeholders across multiple functions and business areas; participate in mentorship, networking, and leadership development opportunities; gain exposure to senior leaders and strategic business initiatives;

join a cohort of high‑performing early‑career professionals committed to learning, growth, and collaboration.

• Expected graduation between December 2026 and June 2027 with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Business, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Management, Data Science, Risk Management, Compliance, or a related field.
• Experience with SQL, Python, SAS, or similar programming languages through coursework, internships, research, or work experience.
• Exposure to Power BI or other data visualization tools is a plus.
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to evaluate information,…