Director of Collections Strategy

Earnest empowers ambitious professionals to make confident financial decisions and build the life they envision. Earnies are committed to helping borrowers move forward with confidence by offering smarter borrowing options with a clearer path to taking control of their debt. If you’re as passionate as we are about our mission, read more below, and let’s build something great together. The Director of Collections will report to our Chief Product Officer. As the Director of Collections you will: Build and lead the end-to-end collections strategy across personal loans and student loan refinance, with an initial focus on scaling the personal loan portfolio. Leverage advanced risk modeling and analytics to design collections and loss-mitigation strategies that improve portfolio performance throughout the delinquency lifecycle while delivering a positive customer experience. Design and optimize treatment strategies spanning early-stage outreaches, hardship programs, and pre-charge-off interventions. Design and execute tests across digital and traditional communication channels, continuously optimizing customer engagement through rigorous experimentation and measurement. Lead the AI integration roadmap for collections strategy and leverage AI tools to improve productivity and outcomes. Define and monitor portfolio KPIs, and translate complex data into actionable business decisions. Drive clear performance expectations and accountability with third-party vendors, and develop the long-term operating model for the optimal balance between internal capabilities and third-party partners. About You: 10+ years of experience in consumer lending collections strategy, with significant ownership of loss mitigation strategy and collections analytics. Deep expertise in unsecured consumer lending, preferably Personal Loans, Student Loan Refinance, Credit Cards, or other installment lending products. Proven track record of improving collections performance while balancing customer experience, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Strong analytical and quantitative background with extensive experience using data to identify opportunities, develop strategies, and measure business impact. Expert understanding of collections performance metrics, charge-offs, and vendor management. Proficiency with SQL and familiarity with Python, statistical modeling, and modern business intelligence platforms (e.g., Tableau, Looker). Excellent cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to align stakeholders across Risk, Data Science, Product, Engineering, Operations, Legal, Compliance, and Finance. Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex analytical findings into clear business recommendations. Even Better: Experience building, scaling, or modernizing a collections strategy function in a high-growth fintech or digital lending environment. Experience applying AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics to collections strategy, customer engagement, or operational optimization. Deep knowledge of collections operations, regulatory requirements, and vendor management. Experience with modern digital collections capabilities. Where: This role will be based in the US. Compensation: A little about our pay philosophy: We take pride in compensating our employees fairly and equitably. We are showcasing a range of your potential base salary based on the roles location. The successful candidate’s starting pay will also be determined based on job-related qualifications, internal compensation, candidate location and budget. This range may be modified in the future. Salary Range: $221,000 - $253,000 USD. Employees are also eligible for an annual performance-based bonus and equity. #LI-JP Earnest believes in enabling our employees to live their best lives. We offer a variety of perks and competitive benefits, including: Health, Dental, & Vision benefits plus savings plans Mac computers + work-from-home stipend to set up your home office Mo…