Risk Modeling Lead

Clara is the leading spend management platform for companies in Latin America. Our end-to-end solution includes locally-issued corporate cards, bill pay, and our highly-rated software platform; already being used by thousands of the most successful companies across the region.

Clara is backed by top investors and strategics including Accial Capital, Canary, Citi Ventures, Coatue, DST Global, General Catalyst, Goldman Sachs, ICONIQ Growth, Kaszek, Monashees, and Notable Capital, as well as prominent angel investors.

We’re looking for a Risk Modeling Leader to guide and inspire a high-performing team of data scientists in building advanced risk models and predictive analytics. This role works hand-in-hand with Credit Risk teams, playing a pivotal part in shaping the company’s modeling strategy and data initiatives.

You’ll be responsible for driving innovation, improving credit decision-making, developing regulatory and strategic models, and overseeing risk monitoring (MIS) and policy performance. Your work will directly impact business growth, resilience, and risk control — making data and analytics a core business enabler.

Responsibilities:

• Lead strategic planning for modeling initiatives, collaborating across teams to align with business and risk goals
• Drive innovation in data science to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency
• Provide data intelligence and analytics to support risk strategies and portfolio performance
• Develop and maintain predictive models that identify opportunities and mitigate risk
• Build and enhance advanced statistical models, including credit decision models where data is limited or incomplete
• Own the development and maintenance of regulatory risk models (e.g., expected credit losses)
• Monitor model performance and drive continuous improvements and recalibrations
• Own the Risk MIS: monitor risk policies, model outcomes, and performance of credit analysts
• Identify and implement process enhancements to improve efficiency, scalability, and outcomes
• Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to senior leadership and key stakeholders

Skills:

• Proven leadership of high-impact data science or modeling teams
• Strong project management and cross-functional coordination skills
• Deep understanding of credit risk modeling techniques and practices
• Hands-on experience deploying models into production environments
• Advanced knowledge of machine learning for risk modeling and credit scoring
• Proficient in building scalable, robust data pipelines and model architectures
• Strong skills in predictive analytics and business-driven model design
• Experienced in model monitoring, backtesting, and performance evaluation
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and risk reporting in financial services, including deep knowledge of regulatory models for credit losses
• Passion for mentoring and elevating team capabilities

Non-negotiable Requirements:

• Academic background in Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or similar, with a solid grasp of programming and systems design
• Proven experience in credit risk modeling in Latin American markets
• Advanced proficiency in SQL and data visualization tools
• Strong command of machine learning techniques applied to credit and risk modeling
• High attention to data quality and integrity, especially within financial datasets
• Proficient in Python and other common modeling languages

Preferred Qualifications:

• Fintech industry experience, ideally in fast-paced, high-growth environments
• Experience navigating financial audits, understanding documentation and compliance expectations
• Understanding of financial conciliation processes and operational finance systems
• Exposure to credit card and payments ecosystems
• A collaborative, solution-oriented mindset with a passion for building from scratch
• Familiarity with Latin American regulatory and compliance standards
• Comfortable using modern collaboration tools (Slack, Notion, etc.)

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