VP, Strategy & Operations

Strong Growth and Profitability

OppLoans has grown 1,500 percent over the past three years. In 2018, we made the Inc. 500 for the third year in a row. We have originated hundreds of thousands of loans and surpassed $125 million of annual revenue this year. In 2019, we’re projected to exceed $200 million, all while maintaining strong profitability.

Customers Love Our Product

OppLoans is committed to delivering a best-in-class experience to our customers. Don’t believe us? See what our borrowers are saying on Google and the BBB!

Employees Love Working Here

With a dynamic startup culture and generous benefits, we’ve attracted top talent and boast one of the happiest offices in the country. We were recently named the 3rd fastest-growing startup by Built In Chicago and are looking to hire 100 new employees in 2019. In 2018, Glassdoor named us the 6th best place to work in the nation. Check out our reviews to see why our employees love us!

What You Can Expect From Us

A fast-paced environment with dynamic challenges and opportunities to make an impact. A commitment to professional development and support for your growth. Ability to work with a team of hard working professionals who truly value excellence and providing a phenomenal customer experience. A group committed to a fantastic employee experience from the very first interview to the everyday experience.

What We Are Looking For

OppLoans has grown exponentially over the past 3+ years with no signs of slowing down. We are looking to add a VP, Strategy & Operations to our executive ranks to continue to optimize our operations and streamline efficiency. You will own our “north star” KPIs - funding rate, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency - and be responsible for deploying a playbook of best-in-class strategies to continuously improve these metrics and transform the business. This cross-functional role is the central hub to key stakeholders across all functions - Sales, Credit, Marketing, Finance, Product, Technology, Legal and Compliance.

Responsibilities

• Build strategy: Develop a compelling strategy that optimizes all stages of the customer conversion funnel, maintains/increases customer satisfaction and streamlines operational efficiency. Bring your playbook of best-in-class strategies as well as novel ideas to the table. Create and prioritize the roadmap of initiatives that will continue to accelerate our growth.
• Drive operational excellence: Ensure consistency of execution across the Sales, Underwriting and Service teams. Reimagine and redesign processes to maximize conversion and increase the effectiveness of our Contact Center. Launch high-impact initiatives that reduce customer friction, decrease costs and reduce manual processes. Relentlessly iterate on these processes to enhance our operations and improve the customer experience.
• Own business-critical KPIs: Obsess over and manage our “north star” KPIs - funding rate, instant bank verification rate, decision rate, and other related metrics. Lead the instrumentation and daily monitoring of operational processes to proactively identify issues before they arise and respond quickly to resolve issues when they arise. Implement systematic controls to reduce operational risk and ensure high uptime.
• Create a culture of Continuous Improvement: Leverage existing process reengineering / continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, etc.) to create a culture where everyone is looking to improve the customer experience and operating efficiency.
• Maximize Customer Satisfaction: Partner with Sales and Service to maintain and improve upon our industry leading NPS and Customer Ratings. Build out Voice of the Customer functionality leveraging existing platforms, including Review Trackers, BirdEye and Delighted, as well as new technologies and platforms.  
• Maximize omni-channel effectiveness: Lead our omni-channel efforts across phone, email, text, chat, and chatbot to create a coherent communications strategy to enhance the customer journey. Find the balance between deflecting unnecessary interactions to our Contact Center vs. providing a five-star personal experience that keeps customer engagement and satisfaction high.
• Drive Analytics & Automation: Own our automation efforts and launch intelligent algorithms that automate decision making, customer routing, and call strategies. Build on our culture of “Data + Action” by translating data insights into tangible initiatives. Lead our Data Science team and empower them to drive deep insights and operational transformation. Recruit and retain top-tier talent to further build out these high-performing teams.
• Next generation technologies:  Identify and drive the next generation of operations technology for our company, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Speech Analytics, Alexa/Conversational UI, and others. Stay abreast of key trends and industry insights by keeping a close pulse on our competitive landscape.

Ideal Candidate:

• 10+ years of operational experience including Management Consulting experience from a top-tier firm and direct experience in Operations or Process Improvement, including automation. 5+ years of managing high-performing teams. 
• FinTech experience strongly preferred.
• Call Center experience is preferred, especially omni-channel contact experience across phone, email, text, chat, and chatbot. 
• A quantitative mindset is required. Experience in data programming languages such as SQL/R/Python and data visualization tools such as Periscope and Tableau are a plus.
• Experience in Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma is a big plus.
• Demonstrated quantifiable, high-impact achievement in previous roles. Focus on execution with a bias towards action.
• All-around “athlete” who is intellectually curious, highly analytical, and purposefully strategic.
• Ability to multitask, execute quickly, and get things done.
• Ability to tackle ambiguous and complicated problems and create robust, scalable solutions.
• Organized, meticulous, and detail-obsessed individual.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially in conveying analytical findings with key stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field. MBA preferred but not required.
• Chicago area candidates preferred but not required.

Level

• Executive, reporting directly to COO

Competitive Salary And Benefits Package Including

• Competitive Benefit package.
• Free PPO Medical option with BCBS for Employee Only Plans.
• Flexible Spending accounts & Health Saving plans with employer contribution up to $500.
• Dental, Vision, Accident coverage.
• Disability plans & Life insurance 100% employer paid.
• Wellness & EAP Programs.
• CTA, Metra & parking programs.
• Opportunities to donate to charity.
• Fully stocked kitchen with healthy snacks & drinks available including a Bevi machine and unlimited free coffee.
• Subsidized daily lunches. 
• Free gym membership onsite.
• Free shuttle passes to Metra stations. 
• Casual dress policy. 
• Discounted Divvy memberships & ClassPass classes.
• 401(k) plan with employer match that is fully vested upon enrollment.
• Employee and peer recognition program. 
• Dynamic start-up culture in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to make an immediate impact in a growth stage company. 
• Flexible paid vacation policy. 
• Intramural sports leagues.
• Weekly office events including but not limited to: happy hours, massages, trivia & game nights, private yoga sessions, catered breakfasts & lunches, professional development seminars, fitness classes, etc.
• Dual monitors and stand-up workstations. 
• Convenient downtown Chicago office located in the heart of the city. 
• Awesome panoramic office view of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan, with rooftop access. 
• Equal opportunity employer.