Director, 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. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking "why not?" when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

The Director, 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 Director 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.

• Provide effective challenge to First Line credit strategies, assumptions, control frameworks, and portfolio actions; document conclusions and escalat concerns as appropriate.
• 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.
• Assess adherence to credit policies, risk appetite statements, underwriting standards, and concentration limits, recommending enhancements where misalignment is observed.
• Lead oversight of the Risk Appetite for credit risk by monitoring and reporting on key risk indicators (KRIs), portfolio trends, and emerging risks, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and executive-readiness.
• Deliver independent oversight and effective challenge to business line strategies, risk assessments, and control frameworks.
• Provide second-line oversight of credit strategy and decisioning frameworks across the lifecycle, including policies, analytics, and supporting models/tools, with an emphasis on governance, performance outcomes, and risk alignment.
• Collaborate with various internal stakeholders, such as finance, originations, and collections teams, to ensure alignment of credit risk objectives and practices.
• Support governance and validation of Allowance for Credit Losses (ACL) methodologies and assumptions.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Internal Audit, and Operational Risk to ensure comprehensive risk coverage.
• Prepare and present risk reports to senior management, risk committees, and regulatory bodies.
• Drive adoption of advanced analytics and reporting tools to enhance risk identification, monitoring, and reporting.
• Mentor and develop future risk leaders within the organization.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not…