Merchant Risk Data Analyst

Upgrade helps customers move in the right direction with affordable and responsible financial products. Since 2017, we’ve helped over 7.5 million customers access over $42 billion in consumer credit. With a relentless focus on improving our customers' financial well-being, we build products that put more money in their pocket and support their journey toward a better financial future. We’re backed by some of the most prominent technology investors and were most recently valued at $7.3B. We’re consistently recognized for our collaborative and inclusive culture. Most recently, we were named one of the World’s Top Fintech Companies by CNBC, Best Places to Work by Built In, Best Places to Work by the San Francisco Business Times, America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek, Best Startup Employer by Forbes, and Healthiest Employers by Phoenix Business Journal. We’re looking for new team members who get excited about designing and delivering new and better products. Come join us and help build a better financial future for millions of people.

About the Role: Upgrade is looking for a Merchant Risk Data Analyst to transform how we identify and mitigate merchant risk through data analysis and visualization. You'll combine merchant risk expertise with analytical skills to build predictive models, automated monitoring triggers, and actionable insights that protect our platform from fraud, compliance violations, and operational failures. You'll turn millions of transactional data points into strategic risk decisions, applying analytical rigor to catch problems early and safeguard our merchants, borrowers, and business.

What You'll Do:

• Analyze large volumes of transactional data to identify merchant risk patterns and trends
• Build predictive models to forecast merchant fraud, financial distress, compliance issues, and operational red flags
• Develop risk scoring methodologies that prioritize high-risk merchants for proactive review
• Conduct historical trend analysis to understand how merchant risk evolves over time and across verticals
• Identify leading indicators of merchant misconduct, project abandonment, chargebacks, and borrower harm
• Design automated merchant risk triggers based on transactional behavior and performance metrics
• Create early-warning systems for financial distress, fraud patterns, compliance violations, and operational deterioration
• Optimize trigger logic to balance detection accuracy with operational efficiency
• Collaborate with Engineering and Product to operationalize triggers into monitoring workflows
• Monitor trigger performance and adjust thresholds based on investigation outcomes
• Build and maintain Tableau dashboards for merchant investigations using transactional data, WIP trends, chargeback patterns, and complaint analysis
• Create visualizations that empower the Merchant Risk team to investigate merchants quickly and effectively
• Develop performance metrics reporting for team productivity, investigation outcomes, and risk mitigation effectiveness
• Design executive-level reporting on merchant risk trends and portfolio health
• Ensure dashboards are intuitive, accurate, and actionable
• Partner with Merchant Risk Managers and analysts to understand investigation needs and data gaps
• Provide data-driven recommendations to improve risk detection and investigation efficiency
• Collaborate with Sales, Credit, Compliance, FinCrimes, and Product teams on risk strategy
• Present findings and recommendations to leadership in clear, compelling formats
• Stay current on merchant risk trends, fraud schemes, and industry best practices

What We Look For:

• 3+ years merchant risk experience in fraud detection, compliance monitoring, underwriting, or risk operations (fintech, payments, or lending preferred)
• Strong SQL skills for querying large datasets and performing complex data analysis
• Proficiency in Tableau (or similar BI tools) for building dashboards and visualizations
• Experience with predictive modeling and statistical analysis (regression, classification, clustering)
• Excel/Google Sheets expertise for data manipulation, pivot tables, and analysis
• Deep merchant risk knowledge: fraud patterns, financial distress indicators, compliance red flags, operational issues, borrower harm signals
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail and ability to spot patterns in complex data
• Clear communication to translate analytical findings for non-technical audiences

Nice to Have:

• Experience with Python or R for data analysis and modeling
• Familiarity with machine learning techniques and model validation
• Knowledge of merchant underwriting, credit risk, or transaction monitoring
• Experience with WIP (Work-in-Progress) data in project-based lending
• Background in home improvement, solar, elective medical, or other merchant verticals
• Understanding of regulatory requirements (UDAAP, state licensing, consumer protection)
• Prior experience building automated alerting systems or risk triggers

What We Offer You:

• Competitive salary and stock option plan
• 100% paid coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO
• Competitive 401(k)
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Paid parental leave
• Health & wellness initiatives

For California residents: Upgrade's California Notice at Collection and Privacy Policy describes our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of the personal information of job applicants.

Environmental & Working Conditions Work is performed indoors in a fast-paced environment that requires the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet established workflows, schedules, and service expectations. Employees regularly input, retrieve, and exchange information accurately using digital systems and applications to support operational and customer service objectives. The role requires the ability to receive and exchange information with customers, peers, supervisors, and cross-functional partners through available communication channels, which may include meetings, email, phone, and digital collaboration tools, and may involve real-time, verbal, or in-person exchanges depending on business need. Job duties may involve managing a high volume of inbound and/or outbound customer interactions and work activities using telecommunications and computer systems. The role requires the ability to read, analyze, and interpret information displayed on computer screens and remain in a working posture for extended periods, consistent with the demands of the position. Work may be performed in a contact center, office, or remote environment, depending on business needs and the nature of the role. Onsite work environments may include shared workspaces, standard office lighting, and moderate background noise typical of customer service or operational settings. Employees working remotely are responsible for maintaining a secure and productive workspace with reliable internet connectivity that supports company systems and safeguards the confidentiality of company and customer information. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state and local laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Upgrade does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing agencies, search firms, or any third parties. Any resume submitted to any employee of Upgrade without a prior written agreement in place will be considered the property of Upgrade, and Upgrade will not be obligated to pay any referral or placement fee. Agencies must obtain advance written approval from Upgrade's Talent Acquisition department to submit resumes and only in conjunction with a valid, fully executed agreement.