VP Bank Origination Partnerships

Join our team - and take the next step in achieving a fulfilling career!

What We Do

At CardWorks, we aim to help people connect with possibility and opportunity using our financial servicing expertise. Building meaningful, long-term relationships with consumers, our employees, and our clients is what matters most.

Who We Are

CardWorks Servicing, LLC provides end-to end operational servicing functions for credit cards, secured cards, and installment loans.  We service consumer and small business loans across the credit spectrum and offers backup servicing and due diligence services to capital providers and trustees.

Merrick Bank is an FDIC-insured Utah Industrial Loan Bank.  Merrick operates three main business lines:  credit cards, recreational lending, and merchant services.

Carson Smithfield, LLC provides a variety of post-charge-off debt recovery services, including digital self-service, IVR, live agent, and external agency management.

The Vice President, Bank Origination Partnerships role will be a valuable member of the Consumer Lending leadership team, responsible driving the company’s Bank Origination Partnerships business. In this capacity, Merrick Bank will act as the legal originating bank for loans that are typically sourced through distribution channels as technology owned and operated by third parties while also potentially serviced by third parties. The Vice President is responsible for ensuring product market fit, profitable operational efficiency, compliance, and alignment with Bank policies. Further, the qualified candidate will lead and collaborate with a team of professionals, overseeing capacity planning, training, and performance while continuously identifying areas for process optimization and risk mitigation. Our ideal candidate will possess demonstrated experience in lending operations and partner management with solid familiarity of bank and regulatory requirements.

Essential Functions

Strategic Leadership, Market Awareness and Sourcing

• Develop and execute strategic plans to grow the Bank Origination Partnerships business in line with the company’s goals and risk appetite.
• Builds and maintains strong market, industry, and client relationships to manage business development, product development, and growth opportunities.
• Uncovers attractive and appropriate opportunities and relationships in the market for Bank Origination Partnerships (and refers opportunities to other business units where appropriate)
• Enhances brand visibility and fosters strategic partnerships.

Underwriting, Diligence and Negotiation

• Drives upfront triage analysis to ascertain probability of success and attractiveness of opportunity
• Initiates the process to underwrite each opportunity, including collaborating with internal stakeholders, including Credit Risk Management, Legal, and Compliance departments to perform detailed underwriting due diligence
• Analyzes financial data and credit and deal modeling to inform decisions and competitive deal structuring
• Negotiates all aspects of Bank Origination Partnership relationships in conjunction with internal and external legal counsel as appropriate

Operational Oversight & Client Management

• Primary point of contact for senior relationships as origination partners for escalation as well as day to day operations
• Provides direction and oversees the effective oversight of product construction, marketing approvals, pricing approvals, funding, and servicing.
• Ensures operational efficiency, service excellence, and compliance across multiple product lines.
• Tracks origination volumes and pricing to inform product, performance, and process improvements.
• Serves as point of escalation for partner questions, challenges, and operational issues.

• Monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) while developing reports to assess partner performance and loan quality.

Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Credit Risk Management, Legal, and Compliance to maintain strong internal controls and adherence to applicable laws and regulations.
• Ensures audit readiness and leads policy implementation aligned with regulatory and internal risk frameworks.
• For each partner, confirms appropriate business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities are in place both at Merrick and at the partner

Team Leadership & Development

• Builds, leads, mentors, and manages high-performing teams with a focus on accountability, engagement, and professional growth.
• Aligns staffing and capacity planning with business goals, ensuring effective resource management and team readiness.

Technology, Innovation & Change Management

• Identifies opportunities to streamline workflows, improve technology use, and enhance the customer and partner experience. 
• Supports implementation of new systems and processes to drive efficiency and scalability. 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Operations Management, or related field is required; MBA or certifications is preferred.
• Eight (8) years’ experience in lending operations, bank origination, or partner management, preferably in a FinTech or digital banking environment.

Candidate Qualifications

Lending & Regulatory Expertise

• Experience  in structuring deals, launching products, optimizing pricing strategies, and managing key accounts is essential.
• Demonstrated success in deal structuring, strategic planning, product introduction, pricing strategy, and forming high-impact alliances while maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Solid capabilities in financial modeling, credit analysis, deal execution, and leading complex credit transactions
• Understanding of commercial and consumer lending practices and associated regulatory requirements.
• Proven leadership in compliance initiatives and audit readiness within regulated financial institutions.

Leadership & Strategic Management

• Ability to manage cross-functional teams and aligning them with enterprise goals through consensus building, clear leadership, resource planning, and coaching.
• Skilled in capacity planning and team development to support scalable, high-performing operations.

Client Engagement & Business Development

• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills with a track record of managing internal and external constituencies.
• Effective communicator with the ability to represent the company.

Analytical & Technical Proficiency

• Proficient in using data to support business decisions
• Familiar with origination platforms, Excel, and reporting tools.

#INDHP1

Our Employee Value Proposition

• Competitive Pay, including a Bonus Target or Variable Pay Incentive Program 
• Benefits Package -Medical, Dental, and Vision (plus much more) 
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match 
• Short- & Long-Term Disability 
• Wellness Programs 
• Group Life and AD&D Insurance 
• Paid Vacation, Sick Days and bank Holidays 
• Employee Engagement Activities including Employee Appreciation Day, DEI Employee Resource Groups, Corporate Social Responsibility, Service Recognition

We offer a total rewards package comprised of a competitive base rate of pay, variable pay incentive programs based on the role, and a comprehensive benefit suite.  Offered rates of pay are determined based on job-related knowledge, relevant experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.  We will conduct a thorough background check for all hires in compliance with applicable.