Senior Underwriter

The Role

As the Italian Market Senior Underwriter, you will play a critical role in protecting Dojo from financial, fraud, and reputational risks while enabling sustainable growth in the Italian market.

Sitting at the intersection of commercial enablement and expert risk mitigation, you will take ownership of our most complex and high-value credit-risk cases, often involving bespoke financial arrangements, complex Italian legal structures, and scaling propositions.

You will bring deep credit and risk expertise to the table and will be trusted to mentor team members on advanced financial analysis, lead risk-related projects, and confidently represent the underwriting function with senior stakeholders, including Commercial Leads, Legal teams, and Country Managers. 
This is a high-impact role where your decisions directly influence Dojo's growth, risk appetite, and the professional development of the local team.

Advanced Credit Risk Analysis and Decision Authority

• Lead Complex Underwriting Cases: Assess and make recommendations on complex Italian merchant applications, focusing on those involving significant credit risk exposure, enterprise clients, high-risk industries, and bespoke financial arrangements.

• Card Schemes Knowledge: exercise decision authority with a deep understanding of all acquiring risks, card scheme regulations, and the chargeback process.

• Credit & KYC Expertise: Perform detailed credit assessments using expert analysis of Italian financial accounts, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Navigate multi-jurisdictional and complex Italian ownership structures during KYC/KYB reviews.

• Decision Authority & Escalation: Make decisions within your own delegated underwriting authority and recommend cases beyond your limit to the appropriate sanctioning level, always providing clear, concise rationale and comprehensive documentation.

Team Enablement and Mentorship

• Mentorship & Training: Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for credit risk, providing coaching, guidance, and training to underwriters and associates. Support the development of technical knowledge, underwriting judgment, and advanced financial analysis skills within the Italian team.

• Team Guidance & Workflow Support: Play a visible leadership role in supporting BAU operations through task allocation and prioritisation, monitoring daily workflows, and helping the team stay focused and engaged, particularly during periods of high volume or complexity.
  
  

Strategic Stakeholder Management

• Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with Commercial Leads, Legal, Compliance and the Italian Country Manager to resolve high-impact underwriting queries, escalate complex cases, and influence commercial strategies through an expert risk lens.

• Contract Review & Negotiation: Collaborate directly with the Legal team on reviewing, negotiating, and finalising contractual arrangements and security requirements for high-risk or custom merchant onboarding.
   

Project Ownership and Policy Development

• Project Ownership: Represent the risk function in cross-functional projects, system upgrades, automation initiatives and product launches, ensuring core risk requirements and Italian market nuances are built into solutions from the outset.

• Policy Development: Drive continuous improvement by contributing to local underwriting policies, process enhancements, and risk tooling with a focus on scalability and effectiveness for the Italian market.
   

Fraud & AML Mitigation

• Risk Oversight: Identify and escalate indicators of fraud, AML, or reputational risk associated with Italian applicants, recommending appropriate security measures or contractual protections to safeguard Dojo's interests.

• Regulatory Compliance: Apply an understanding of Italian and EU regulatory and risk frameworks while helping maintain consistency in global underwriting standards.

Expertise & Knowledge

• Depth of Experience: Extensive underwriting and credit risk experience in payments, banking, or financial services, with a proven background in credit analysis.

• Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of credit, fraud, AML risks, card scheme regulations, and chargeback processes.

• Educational Background: Degree-qualified (or equivalent experience) in Finance, Economics, or a related discipline. Relevant professional certifications are highly desirable.

• Languages: Fluency in Italian and English is essential.

• Authority & Judgment: Experience working under your own delegated underwriting authority and confidence in handling senior-level escalations.

• Commercial Acumen: Ability to balance risk and growth, offering solutions that enable strategic Italian merchant onboarding without compromising control integrity.

• Leadership Qualities: Motivated to contribute to the development of others through mentorship and thought leadership within the Italian team.