AVP, Risk and Analytics - Specialty Finance

As a team member in Finance at Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales, the opportunities are endless! Let Nationwide help create your career journey! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Job Description Summary

Do you enjoy using quantitative analysis to understand complex financial risks and help shape business outcomes? In this Specialty Finance role, you can connect credit and portfolio insights with product decisions that support disciplined growth. If you thrive in an environment where you can improve risk decisions and risk-adjusted outcomes, we’d like to hear from you!

As AVP, Risk and Analytics, Specialty Finance, you will lead risk, analytics, and reinsurance for the Specialty Finance business. You will establish and govern the frameworks, models, processes, and management reporting that underpin product risk/return evaluation, product structuring, portfolio and capital management, reinsurance strategy and execution, and the related accounting and reserving outcomes—driving disciplined risk-adjusted performance aligned to enterprise capital objectives.

You will partner closely with other leaders and senior stakeholders across the company to ensure that risks are identified and quantified appropriately; products and portfolios are modeled and monitored with rigor; reinsurance is structured and placed effectively; and results are booked, reserved, and operated in line with Nationwide’s risk appetite, limits, and financial objectives.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the Specialty Finance risk and analytics framework for pricing, capital, limits, stress testing, and performance measurement.
• Partner with Investment Risk and Underwriting to develop credit assumptions and product- and portfolio-level models that assess losses, capital use, and risk-adjusted returns.
• Establish analytical and model-risk standards for assumptions, documentation, back-testing, product design, deal approval, and ongoing monitoring.
• Define risk appetite and limits and lead oversight through the Deal Committee and other risk and product governance forums.
• Integrate Specialty Finance exposure measurement with the Office of Investments and enterprise risk reporting.
• Sponsor audit, compliance, and regulatory reviews of Specialty Finance models, processes, and controls.
• Partner with the ceding reinsurance leader to develop Specialty Finance risk-transfer strategies, and coordinate execution of reinsurance terms and data requirements with Reinsurance, Legal, Underwriting, and Enterprise Risk.
• Partner with Finance, Controllership, Reserving, and Actuarial on appropriate GAAP and statutory accounting treatment and reserving methodologies.
• Lead and develop the risk, analytics, and reinsurance team, including recruiting, performance management, and professional development, while collaborating across functions to support risk-adjusted returns.
• May perform other responsibilities as assigned.
• Reporting Relationships:   Reports to VP, Chief Risk Officer Specialty Finance. Leads a team of 3+ risk, analytics, and reinsurance professionals.
• Typical Skills and Experiences: Education:  Undergraduate degree in Finance, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Economics, Engineering, or a related quantitative field. Graduate degree (e.g., MBA, MS in Finance, Financial Engineering, Applied Statistics, or similar) preferred.
• License/Certification/Designation: Professional credentials such as FSA, FCAS, CFA, FRM, PRM, or CPA strongly preferred.
• Experience:  Typically, 10 or more years of experience in insurance, banking, asset management, or specialty finance, with significant exposure to risk analytics and capital modeling, operating‑model and process design for complex financial products, and structured credit, specialty finance, or complex re/insurance transactions. Five or more years people leadership experience.
• Knowledge, Abilities and Skills:  Deep understanding of credit, market, and liquidity risk as applied to specialty finance, structured products, or complex re/insurance structures. Strong fluency in risk and financial metrics, including capital, return on capital, and risk‑adjusted performance measures. Proven ability to translate complex models and structures into clear financial, reinsurance, and operational requirements for Finance, Controllership, Reserving, Reinsurance, Technology, and Operations. Proven advanced analytical and problem‑solving skills, including comfort with data, modeling tools, and quantitative reasoning. Excellent communication and influence skills, with the ability to challenge and collaborate effectively with senior executives, technical experts, reinsurers, and external partners. Strong leadership capabilities, including talent development, prioritization, and execution in a fast‑moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.
• Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resource Business Partner.
• Values:   Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.
• Job Conditions: Overtime Eligibility: Exempt (not eligible)
• Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Some travel may be required. Job is located in Columbus, Ohio; remote may be considered.
• ADA:   The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job.  Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.
• We currently anticipate accepting applications until 11/11/2026. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.