Director, Bank Origination

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Who we are Founded in 1997, Merrick Bank is an FDIC-insured financial institution headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, with over $10 billion in assets. A wholly owned subsidiary of Card Works Financial Group, Merrick Bank serves roughly five million card members and more than 100,000 merchant customers nationwide.

What we do We provide credit cards, recreational loans, deposit accounts, merchant services and bank sponsor ships to consumers and businesses. As a leader in non-prime lending and merchant acquiring, we combine innovative technology with data-driven insights to help underserved consumers build and strengthen credit while delivering integrated, scalable payment solutions for businesses. Merrick Bank ranks among the top 20 FDIC-insured credit card issuers in the U.S. and among the top 15 merchant acquirers by transaction volume.

Position Summary and Role Impact:
Merrick Bank works with strategic partners in order to offer nationwide lending programs (the "Program"). These partners administers the Program on behalf of the bank, which is responsible for ongoing oversight. The Director Bank Partnerships is a key member of Merrick Bank’s Bank Origination team, serving as the primary steward of relationships with new and existing fintech partners. This role blends strategic vision with hands-on execution, ensuring that Programs are safe, sound, compliant and positioned for sustainable growth.

As the Program relationship owner the individual will oversee Program due diligence, performance, adherence to contractual requirements, and coordinate ongoing oversight with internal risk managers. Success in this position requires an understanding of lending products and regulatory frameworks. The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of finance, risk and relationship management—driving innovation while safeguarding the bank’s reputation and regulatory standing.

The Director Bank Partnerships plays a critical role in coordinating the day-to-day oversight of Programs by tracking ongoing reporting requirements, assessing data, identifying trends or issues, scheduling periodic meetings with the Partner and summarizing insights for consumption by internal resources. The position reports to the VP, Bank Origination.

Essential Functions:

• Partnership Development & Management:
  Assists with due diligence and onboarding of new partners as needed. Serves as the primary relationship owner for assigned Programs. Fosters long-term, mutually beneficial collaborations.
• Program Oversight & Optimization:
  Primary point of contact for origination partners. Oversees day-to-day operations. Monitors partner performance against contractual requirements and financial KPIs. Recommends program enhancements. Ensures operational efficiency, service excellence, and compliance across multiple Programs. Tracks origination volumes and pricing to inform Program performance and process improvements.
• Regulatory & Risk Alignment:
  Collaborate with internal risk and operational teams on bank’s ongoing oversight. Work with legal and compliance to address audit findings and issue remediation. Ensures audit readiness and leads Program management implementation aligned with regulatory and internal risk frameworks. For each Program, confirms business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities and bank contingency plan.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or related field.
• Coursework or certification in fintech, banking compliance, third-party management or project management is a plus.
• 5+ years in banking, fintech, or financial services, with at least 3 years in third-party management or operations management.
• Experience in sponsored lending and lending products.
• Proven track record working cross-functionally with internal and external stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and

Qualifications:

• Understanding of lending products and loan lifecycle.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple high-value…