Manager, Credit Risk

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students. We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey, help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life and a partner who acknowledges that their education path is unique, who will evolve and not only meet but surpass expectations.

We’re changing and looking for people excited to drive this transformation, break barriers, and create better experiences for all students and each other. Diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter, and you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work, with benefits that care for the whole you—physical, mental, financial, and professional.

The Manager, Credit Risk serves as a key leader within the Second Line of Defense (2

LOD), providing independent oversight, credible effective challenge, and governance support across the credit life cycle. This role is responsible for assessing credit risk practices, portfolio trends, risk appetite alignment, and control effectiveness to ensure the organization’s credit strategies across the credit lifecycle remain safe, sound, data‑driven, and compliant with evolving regulatory expectations. The Manager will partner closely with First Line business teams while maintaining independence, contribute to executive and committee‑level risk reporting, and support regulatory examinations and audit activities.

• Conduct independent credit risk assessments and thematic reviews across origination, servicing, loss mitigation, and recovery activities, identifying emerging credit risks and exposure across the credit life cycle.
• Provide effective challenge to First Line credit strategies, assumptions, control frameworks, and portfolio actions; document conclusions and elevate concerns as appropriate.
• Assess adherence to credit policies, risk appetite statements, underwriting standards, and concentration limits, recommending enhancements where misalignment is observed.
• Oversee monitoring and reporting of credit risk KRIs, portfolio trends, and emerging risks, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and executive readiness.
• Provide second‑line oversight of credit strategy and decisioning frameworks across the lifecycle, including policies, analytics, and supporting models/tools, with emphasis on governance, performance outcomes, and risk alignment.
• Support issue management activities, including identification, root cause assessment, remediation tracking, and closure validation related to credit risk matters.
• Prepare risk summaries and credit risk assessment materials for senior management, risk committees, and regulatory audiences.
• Collaborate with various internal stakeholders, such as finance, originations, and collections teams, to ensure alignment of credit risk objectives and practices.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Model Risk Management, Operational Risk, and Internal Audit to ensure comprehensive risk coverage and consistent messaging.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of credit risk governance frameworks, reporting standards, and oversight practices.

• Ability to perform analytics as well as coding in multiple languages (Python, SAS, SQL) and expertise in BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Microsoft Office Suite).
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field; advanced degree or certifications (CRC, FRM, CFA) preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in consumer credit risk management within a financial services environment, including second line oversight or comparable governance roles.
• Demonstrated understanding of lines of defense frameworks, risk appetite governance, and regulatory supervisory expectations.
• Experience delivering effective challenge to senior stakeholders and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong analytical capability and problem‑solving skills with the ability to translate complex credit risk information into clear executive and committee‑level insights, with strategic thinking and informed decision‑making.
• Familiari…