Director of Risk and Fraud [REMOTE]

Ottimate - Oakland, CA

Full-time - Senior

Remote - Oakland, CA

About the position

The Director of Risk and Fraud at Ottimate is a strategic leadership role responsible for shaping and executing the company's fraud prevention, detection, and risk management strategies. This position collaborates with various teams and external partners to ensure the security and growth of the organization, focusing on optimizing customer experiences while maintaining robust security measures.

Responsibilities

• Define and operationalize Ottimate's fraud and payments risk strategy in collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Act as the accountable individual in setting, monitoring, and achieving data-driven goals across stakeholders.
• Fully understand and optimize the end-to-end customer journey, balancing user experience with robust security measures.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams to establish risk product requirements focused on fraud prevention, detection, and response.
• Develop and implement fraud/risk rules and strategies to improve detection accuracy with a focus on automation and scalability.
• Partner with risk management to co-create policies, procedures, and controls that align with third-party fraud standards, setting benchmarks within the industry.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to technology and financial operations while maintaining compliance with external fraud prevention programs.
• Work closely with the data team to develop and refine models, address data gaps, and incorporate new variables to improve risk assessments.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key fraud and risk management vendors, including card acquirers, banks, and payment networks.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, or related field; advanced certifications in risk management or fraud prevention are a plus.
• 8+ years in risk management or fraud prevention directly managing Fraud Operations teams, ideally in a high-growth or tech company, with proven leadership in strategy and execution.
• Strong knowledge of fraud detection tools, payment processing, and financial crime prevention technologies.
• Familiarity with payments, card networks, and dispute processes, with a focus on industry standards and emerging trends.
• Experience in regulated financial services, with review of such activities as payments (ACH Debit etc), money movement, disputes, chargebacks, AML, and compliance frameworks such as KYB/KYC.
• In-depth knowledge of the financial services/banking regulatory environment: FACT Act, Bank Secrecy Act, Suspicious Activity Reporting (SARs), Reg E, FINRA/SEC, etc.
• Skilled in managing cross-functional teams and third-party relationships, with clear, effective communication.

Benefits

• Compensation: $120K + Bonus
• Work from home in an energetic remote-first environment that supports flexible working hours and understands work-life balance.
• Competitive salary based on skills & experience.
• Medical, Dental, Vision and other Company-Subsidized Benefits for you and your family.
• Employer sponsored 401(k) with company match.
• Paid Time Off (and the encouragement to use it).
• Annual company retreats.
• Promote from within philosophy.