Director, Risk Engineering & AI - job 1 of 2

The role:

SoFi’s Director of Engineering & AI (2LOD) is a leadership position within SoFi’s growing second line of defense organization. This strategic role will be instrumental in implementing SoFi’s member trust-oriented strategy by building a best-in-class risk management team.

This role will work closely with the VP, Head of Risk Analytics, and plays a pivotal role in driving data, reporting, and infrastructure solutions supporting the 2LOD function and enabling automation and innovation through cutting-edge engineering and AI techniques. This is a crucial role for the second line of defense as we execute our mission to help more members get their money right.

What you’ll do: 

• Build out the new Engineering and AI team within the 2LOD Risk Analytics function, including developing the Engineering and AI strategy for the second line of defense, aligning key deliverables, and resourcing the new team.

• Work closely with risk oversight leaders in the 2LOD group to define, track, and report economic metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) across risk stripes (e.g., credit risk, operational risk, fraud risk, treasury risk, and technology risk).

• Drive automated reporting mechanisms and data visualization tools to uncover patterns, trends, and correlations in data.

• Direct the detailed analysis, coding, testing, implementation, and maintenance of reports and dashboards. Provide regular presentations and updates to the 2LOD leadership team.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in risk and IT to drive data, infrastructure, and system solutions that meet risk oversight needs from pilot projects to scalable solutions, while maintaining a focus on quality and innovation.

• Lead the design, delivery, and scaling of innovative AI solutions (e.g., Generative AI, NLP, LLM) and AI-powered reporting and analytic applications across the 2LOD business.

• Identify areas for process enhancements and automation to streamline workflows and increase productivity within the 2LOD function.

• Stay abreast of emerging trends, tools, and technologies in engineering and AI that can enhance data analysis capabilities and improve operational efficiencies.

What you’ll need:

• 10+ years of progressive experience building, architecting, and implementing data, reporting, and engineering solutions within U.S. global systemically important financial institutions’ risk organizations, including 5+ years in senior leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a quantitative field required. Master’s or Ph.D. degree preferred.

• Possess profound knowledge of data and reporting capabilities and technologies, including account-level and attribute-level data and dictionaries, data extraction, business intelligence, and visualization tools (e.g., Tableau).

• Extensive experience in driving datasets, systems, reporting, and automation for risk management organizations, preferably in financial services.

• Passionate about cutting-edge technology and keen on applying new Engineering and AI algorithms and applications. Experienced with NLP, LLMs/Gen AI-driven applications, LLM fine-tuning, and strong familiarity with higher-level trends in LLMs and open-source platforms.

• Proven track record of leading and managing high-performing Engineering and AI teams.

• Experience in enabling service models and delivering SLA-based services to internal stakeholders.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts to audiences at all levels in the organization, including executives.

• Strong programming skills in Python, and proficiency in various data catalog and visualization tools, including but not limited to Tableau, Power BI, Informatica, and/or Snowflake.