# Senior Director, Operational Excellence

**Company:** [Upstart](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/upstart)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** Business Operations
**Salary:** $198k – $275k/yr
**Experience:** 12+ years
**Skills:** Operational Excellence, Issue Management, Complaint Management, Quality Control, Regulatory Compliance, Root Cause Analysis, Executive Reporting, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Process Improvement, Data Analytics
**Posted:** 2026-06-04

> Build and lead Operational Excellence functions covering issue management, complaints, identity theft, credit disputes, and quality control. Drive strategy, governance, and continuous improvement across lending operations in a regulated fintech environment.

## Job Description

## How you’ll make an impact

- Build and lead a high-performing Operational Excellence organization spanning Issue Management, Customer Complaints, Identity Theft & Credit Disputes, and Quality Control.
- Develop the long-term strategy, organizational design, operating rhythms, and performance management framework for the Operational Excellence function.
- Establish scalable processes for identifying, investigating, tracking, and resolving operational issues while ensuring appropriate governance and accountability.
- Create and oversee complaint management programs that drive timely resolution, root-cause identification, trend analysis, and continuous improvement.
- Lead the strategy and execution for identity theft investigations and credit dispute operations, ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and customer protection standards.
- Design and mature a quality control program that evaluates operational performance, identifies process gaps, and drives measurable improvements in customer and business outcomes.
- Partner with Compliance, Legal, Risk, Internal Audit, Product, Engineering, and Operations leaders to strengthen operational controls and mitigate emerging risks.
- Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, and governance mechanisms to provide visibility into operational health, customer experience, and risk trends.
- Drive a culture of accountability, operational rigor, and continuous improvement through data-driven decision making.
- Recruit, develop, and mentor leaders and team members while fostering an inclusive, high-performance environment.
- Lead large-scale operational improvement initiatives that improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance the customer experience.

## Minimum Qualifications

- 12+ years of experience in operations, operational risk, operational excellence, complaint management, quality assurance, compliance operations, or related functions within financial services, fintech, banking, lending, or consumer finance.
- 7+ years of people leadership experience, including managing managers and leading multi-functional organizations.
- Experience building and scaling operational programs, teams, and governance frameworks in a regulated environment.
- Experience leading customer complaint management, issue management, quality control, audit, risk, compliance, or related operational functions.
- Experience developing and presenting operational performance metrics and executive-level reporting to senior leadership.
- Experience driving cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Product, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Technology teams.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience leading Operational Excellence, Operational Risk, Complaint Management, Quality Assurance, or Control functions within a lending, banking, fintech, or consumer financial services organization.
- Experience supporting regulatory examinations, audits, remediation programs, and control enhancement initiatives.
- Knowledge of consumer protection regulations and operational risk management practices applicable to lending operations.
- Experience building issue management and root-cause analysis frameworks that drive measurable business outcomes.
- Experience leveraging automation, workflow tools, and data analytics to improve operational effectiveness and customer experience.
- MBA or other advanced degree.
- Experience operating in a high-growth technology or fintech environment.

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