Strategy & Operations Lead

Strategy & Operations Lead

Faire is an online wholesale marketplace built on the belief that the future is local — independent retailers around the globe are doing more revenue than Walmart and Amazon combined, but individually, they are small compared to these massive entities. At Faire, we're using the power of tech, data, and machine learning to connect this thriving community of entrepreneurs across the globe. Picture your favorite boutique in town — we help them discover the best products from around the world to sell in their stores. With the right tools and insights, we believe that we can level the playing field so that small businesses everywhere can compete with these big box and e-commerce giants.

By supporting the growth of independent businesses, Faire is driving positive economic impact in local communities, globally. We're looking for smart, resourceful and passionate people to join us as we power the shop local movement. If you believe in community, come join ours.

About This Role

We're looking for a Strategy & Operations Lead to shape the strategy and operating model for Risk at Faire — with a focus on Underwriting and Fraud. This is an ideal role for someone who thrives in a hybrid of operational rigor and strategic problem-solving, with a strong desire to lead high-impact projects from ideation through execution.

This role blends strategy, analytics, and hands-on execution. You'll partner with Operations, Data Science, Product, Analytics, and Finance to define north-star metrics, design decision frameworks, and guide initiatives from hypothesis to scaled rollout.

You're excited about this opportunity because you will:

• Set strategy and goals across Underwriting, Recovery, and Fraud: define a multi-quarter roadmap and success metrics that balance growth, loss performance, and customer experience
• Lead cross-functional initiatives end-to-end: frame the problem, align stakeholders, test and learn, and land change management
• Enable our organization to continue to be highly data-driven as we scale by building reports and KPI dashboards for real-time monitoring of performance
• Own planning and forecasting for Risk, including headcount, budget, and scenario modeling; run crisp business reviews that inform prioritization
• Build decision frameworks and policies that improve decision quality and consistency
• Work cross-functionally to identify areas of opportunity for Faire to improve its business by understanding our customers needs

We're excited about you because you have:

• A Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) and 6+ years in strategy & operations, management consulting, investment banking, or business operations at a high-growth technology or fintech/marketplace company.
• Domain experience in Risk: familiarity with some combination of Underwriting, Recovery, Fraud, and Verifications (KYC/KYB/IDV), and a desire to go deep on these areas.
• SQL proficiency or a strong desire to learn
• The ability to build and maintain scalable financial models
• Demonstrated cross-functional leadership—able to partner with operators and technical teams, influence without authority, and drive initiatives from concept to impact
• Strong, structured communication (written and verbal) and executive-ready storytelling; experience leading business reviews and surfacing clear recommendations
• Team player who loves to deliver outstanding results while having a fun time with your teammates!
• Desire to work in a fast-paced environment with constant change

Nice to haves:

• Marketplace experience
• Prior experience standing up third-party collections partnerships

Salary Range

San Francisco: the pay range for this role is $158,500 to $218,000 per year. This role will also be eligible for equity and benefits. Actual base pay will be determined based on permissible factors such as transferable skills, work experience, market demands, and primary work location. The base pay range provided is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Hybrid Faire employees currently go into the office 2 days per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Effective starting in January 2026, employees will be expected to go into the office on a third flex day of their choosing (Monday, Wednesday, or Friday). Additionally, hybrid in-office roles will have the flexibility to work remotely up to 4 weeks per year. Specific Workplace and Information Technology positions may require onsite attendance 5 days per week as will be indicated in the job posting. Applications for this position will be accepted for a minimum of 30 days from the posting date.

We are entrepreneurs: Faire is being built for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. We believe entrepreneurship is a calling and our mission is to empower entrepreneurs to chase their dreams. Every member of our team is taking part in the founding process.

We are using technology and data to level the playing field: We are leveraging the power of product innovation and machine learning to connect brands and boutiques from all over the world, building a growing community of more than 350,000 small business owners.

We build products our customers love: Everything we do is ultimately in the service of helping our customers grow their business because our goal is to grow the pie - not steal a piece from it. Running a small business is hard work, but using Faire makes it easy.

We are curious and resourceful: Inquisitive by default, we explore every possibility, test every assumption, and develop creative solutions to the challenges at hand. We lead with curiosity and data in our decision making, and reason from a first principles mentality.

Faire provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Faire is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process and applicants with a disability may request to be accommodated throughout the recruitment process. We will work with all applicants to accommodate their individual accessibility needs.