Forward

Risk Intelligence Lead

Texas · Senior

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 63 days ago

PythonSQLSnowflakeMachine LearningData ScienceLLMsAgentic AIProduct ManagementProduct StrategyCadenceCommunicationMetabase

About the role

Own the Day-to-Day Merchant Lifecycle
Manage the merchant application review queue: evaluate onboarding submissions for accuracy, completeness, and risk indicators - including multi-layered KYB verification (legal structure, beneficial ownership, UBO identification, PEP and sanctions screening) and Enhanced Due Diligence for high-risk merchant segments.
Act as subject matter expert for onboarding and operational risk - training and guiding junior team members as the function scales, building playbooks that help others reach your level of judgment.
Own the auto-adjudication boundary: define what should be handled without manual touch (low-risk, clean profile, within thresholds) versus what requires human review - and push that boundary forward systematically.
Perform root cause analysis on recurring issues and own the fix through to deployment. Not just "I found it" - "I fixed it."
Partner with Engineering to translate operational patterns into Taktile rule changes, Metabase dashboards, Retool screen improvements, or CommsHub triggers.
Build the Intelligence Layer
Own the SQL-based reporting and analytical infrastructure that powers RCO decision-making: activation trends, TM alert patterns, onboarding funnel drop-off, chargeback attribution, volume anomalies, and VAMP/ACMP ratio tracking against Visa and Mastercard program thresholds by partner and vertical.

4-7 years in fraud analysis, risk operations, compliance operations, or fintech - with hands-on queue ownership (merchant onboarding, TM case review, dispute resolution), not just oversight.
Strong working knowledge of AML/BSA: SAR filing obligations and thresholds, structuring and money laundering typologies, high-risk red flags, and OCC/FinCEN examination standards.
Strong working knowledge of card payment processing: authorizations, settlements, Visa VAMP and Mastercard ACMP chargeback and fraud monitoring programs, dispute timelines, and acquirer liability frameworks.
Strong working knowledge of ACH processing: return codes, NACHA guidelines, bank return resolution, and exception handling.
Demonstrated experience using AI tools (LLMs, agentic workflows, automation frameworks) to augment operational work: case summarization, triage acceleration, multi-step investigative workflows.

Experience with Metabase, Retool, Snowflake Cortex, or similar data and ops tooling.
Experience in a PFAC, ISO, or payment facilitator environment.
Exposure to model governance, risk policy documentation, or bank sponsor audit preparation (SR 11-7 framework).
Familiarity with ECOA fairness requirements: disparate impact analysis and the operational implication of risk rules that have unintended demographic effects.
What Success Looks Like
Operational Throughput
Case review SLA attainment is 95%+ across all tiers.
Nothing ages without a decision.

Track record of driving process and tool improvements from identification through deployment.

Competitive salary and equity package.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
Flexible work arrangements and generous PTO.
Learning & development budget for conferences, courses, and certifications.
alert volume and SLA attainment by tier, auto-adjudication rate trending, false positive rate by rule, merchant health scorecards, and chargeback rate by partner and vertical.

Identify manual workflows that can be eliminated through Python scripting, automation, or AI tooling - and own delivery of those improvements through to deployment.

Handle bank returns, disputes, and chargeback escalations with timely resolution - operating within Visa VAMP and Mastercard ACMP thresholds, which now govern both fraud and chargeback disputes in a single consolidated ratio with conseque

This listing is sourced directly from Forward's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.