Director of Credit Risk

About the job 

About us

N26 is Europe’s leading digital bank with a full German banking license, headquartered in Berlin and operating across more than 20 markets. As we enter a pivotal growth phase, we are innovating beyond banking, from launching eSIM-mobile services in Germany to embedding digital finance and connectivity in everyday life. We've eliminated physical branches, paperwork, and hidden fees for an elegant digital experience and supreme savings. Giving people the power to live and bank their way is what gets us out of bed in the morning and inspires the work that we do. 

About the opportunity 

This is a senior leadership role with end-to-end accountability for the bank’s Credit Risk Management function and true international exposure. As Director of Credit Risk, you will set the strategic vision, operating model, and risk appetite for credit risk across retail and wholesale/treasury portfolios. You will act as the primary senior interface to regulators and supervisors and serve as a trusted sparring partner to the Executive Leadership Team on all material credit risk matters.

📍Based in Berlin- reporting directly to the Chief Risk Officer  

Your impact 

• Transform the Credit Risk team into a proactive, business-enabling function that drives clarity, speed, and high-quality decision-making.
• Define and execute the bank’s credit risk strategy across all asset classes, aligned with business growth and regulatory expectations
• Strengthen regulatory posture through scalable frameworks, consistent execution, and strengthened relationships.
• Lead and continuously elevate a high-performing, international credit risk organisation, including the development of senior leaders
• Own the end-to-end credit risk lifecycle, from origination and decisioning to monitoring, provisioning, and NPL management
• Establish and maintain best-in-class credit risk models (Probability of Default, Loss Given Default, Exposure at Default), methodologies, policies, and governance frameworks
• Act as key contact for all credit risk topics with regulators and authorities (BaFin, Bundesbank, ECB)
• Ensure robust compliance with Basel Pillar II, IFRS 9, EBA, and German regulatory requirements (KWG, MaRisk)
• Provide clear, executive-level insight on portfolio performance, emerging risks, and strategic trade-offs

What You Need To Be Successful

• 10 years of senior experience in financial services with deep expertise in credit risk across retail and wholesale portfolios
• Proven track record leading credit risk functions in EU-regulated banks; experience in fintech or agile environments is a strong plus
• Multiple years of successful people leadership in international settings, including managing and developing senior managers
• Deep expertise in credit risk models and methodologies (PD, LGD, CCF, scorecards, decision engines, ECAI ratings)
• End-to-end experience across the full credit risk model lifecycle, including implementation, monitoring, and validation
• Comprehensive understanding of lending processes, back office operations, provisioning, collections, and NPL management.
• Extensive regulatory experience, including successful engagement with BaFin, Bundesbank, ECB, and external auditors.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence at Board and C-level, combining strategic judgement with a hands-on mindset.
• Fluent in English and German.

What’s In It For You

• Accelerate your career growth by joining one of Europe’s most talked about digital banks .
• Employee benefits that range from a competitive personal development budget, work from home budget, discounts to fitness & wellness memberships, language apps and public transportation. 
• Come together in our well-located office most days to collaborate closely with your team and benefit from working alongside senior leaders, while still retaining flexibility for remote work when appropriate..
• As an N26 employee you will have access to a Premium subscription on your personal N26 bank account. As well as subscriptions for friends and family members.    
• Additional day of annual leave for each year of service.  
• A high degree of autonomy and access to cutting edge technologies - all while working with a friendly team of peers of diverse nationalities, life experiences and family statuses. 
• A relocation package with visa support for those who need it.

We recognize that our strength lies in our people and the varied perspectives they bring to our workforce. We strive to build talented and diverse teams to drive our business success and empower our people to reach their full potential.

We genuinely welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, neurodiversities, and ages. We're committed to creating an inclusive workspace where everyone feels valued and respected, free from harassment and discrimination. If there's anything you need to make the application process work for you, please let us know by reaching out to candidate.exp@n26.com. 

Visit our website to learn more about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at N26.