Analyst Merchant Advance US Underwriting

Job description

**Senior Analyst Merchant Advance US Underwriting** Position Summary We are seeking a **Senior Analyst – Merchant Advance US Underwriting** to support underwriting decisions for a merchant advance product that is unsecured in nature. The role requires the analyst to independently assess merchant processing information, evaluate repayment capacity, identify key risks, and make sound underwriting decisions within defined policy and approval guidelines. The analyst will also be expected to identify process gaps, recommend practical improvements, and support a controlled, consistent, and scalable underwriting operating model. Key Responsibilities Underwriting Assessment & Decisioning - Review merchant advance applications and assess eligibility based on available merchant processing information. - Evaluate processing history, volume trends, refund activity, chargeback exposure, settlement behavior, and other available risk indicators. - Assess repayment capacity and overall risk profile for unsecured merchant advance exposure. - Make independent underwriting decisions within defined policy, delegation, and approval guidelines. Risk Review & Documentation - Document underwriting rationale clearly, including key risk factors, supporting data points, and decision outcome. - Identify inconsistencies, missing information, abnormal processing behavior, or potential red flags requiring escalation. - Ensure decisions are supported by available information and aligned with applicable underwriting procedures. - Maintain accurate case records and audit trails for completed underwriting reviews. Process Improvement & Control Support - Identify gaps in underwriting procedures, data availability, decision logic, or operating controls. - Recommend practical improvements to strengthen decision consistency, efficiency, and risk controls. - Support updates to SOPs, checklists, and review templates based on process learnings and policy changes. - Work with managers and stakeholders to resolve recurring issues and improve the overall underwriting process. Qualifications - **MBA / Postgraduate degree in Business, Finance, Commerce, Economics, or a related field is mandatory.** - 4–6 years of experience in risk, loan underwriting, and financing is mandatory, preferably in unsecured business loans, merchant advance, small business lending, or related credit risk operations. - 4–6 years of experience in evaluating financial statements and bank statements to assess credit risk. - Strong ability to review merchant processing data and convert available information into clear underwriting decisions. - Good understanding of risk indicators such as processing trends, refunds, chargebacks, negative balances, and abnormal merchant activity. - Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to document underwriting rationale clearly and communicate decisions or escalations professionally. Preferred Qualifications - Prior experience in unsecured business lending, merchant advance, merchant acquiring, or small business credit assessment. - Exposure to US merchant processing, underwriting queues, decision workflows, or risk review tools. - Comfortable working in a production environment while maintaining decision quality and documentation standards. - Ability to identify recurring process gaps and suggest simple, practical improvements.