VP, Portfolio Economics

Get to Know Us Kafene is revolutionizing the lease-to-own space. We're the point-of-sale powerhouse making flexible lease-to-own accessible to everyone—prime and non-prime customers alike. Our secret weapon? Cutting-edge AI and machine learning that analyzes 20,000+ data inputs in real-time, empowering retailers across furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, and durable goods to say "yes" to more customers. The numbers tell our story: over $500 million in originations and counting. But we're just getting started . Our 175-person team spans NYC headquarters, Wilmington, and remote talent across the globe—all united by a culture that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and genuine support. We don't just talk about great workplace culture; we deliver it. That's why Built In named us a Startup to Watch and Forbes recognized us as one of the Best Startup Employers . Ready to be part of the fintech revolution? Join us. The VP of Portfolio Economics owns the question at the center of the company: are we pricing risk correctly, and is the portfolio earning what it should? You will own pricing and portfolio profitability end to end — from lease-level unit economics to merchant- and vintage-level returns — and turn that analysis into decisions risk, revenue and finance can implement. This is a high-impact individual contributor role, reporting jointly to the CEO and CFO. As the function matures, there is potential to build a small team around portfolio economics — but the near-term job is to be hands on keys doing the work. What You’ll Do Own the portfolio profitability framework: unit margins, total dollar expected returns, concentration limits — by merchant, vertical, channel, score band, and cohort Build and maintain the recurring reporting for portfolio economics — projected and realized yield, cash on cash returns, expected profit by vintage, merchant cohort performance, emerging risk and concentration issues Drive every lever that moves portfolio economics — pricing, markup structures, early purchase option (EPO) discounts, approval rates, approval amounts, take rates — and own the portfolio-level outcome that results. Individual levers are jointly operated by finance, risk, and revenue; this role coordinates their interaction, identifies the trades worth making, and optimizes them across functions Identify where the portfolio can be improved, determine which segments, merchants, or verticals earning below target, and quantify the fix: reprice, restructure, or exit Design bespoke programs for the highest-value merchants, working directly across functions to structure programs that optimize wallet share or margin to maximize EV. Build and own the evaluation framework that governs bespoke program requests across the rest of the portfolio — the systematic process by which those requests get assessed, approved, or declined Design and evaluate profit tests; measure elasticity, adverse selection, and the downstream impact on funded volume and returns Operate with fluency within the company's data and analytics tools (Sigma and Snowflake); this is a daily, non-negotiable part of the job Translate findings into concrete recommendations with a clear P&L rationale that the CEO and CFO can act on What You’ll Bring You personally sort through our robust data using SQL (or equivalent) and are comfortable doing so every day — this is verified in the interview with a live analytical exercise Deep working fluency in consumer credit and lending unit economics: pricing and yield mechanics, vintages, cash-on-cash, cohort dynamics; lease-to-own or specialty consumer finance experience is a strong plus Analytical rigor paired with commercial judgment and a game theory mindset— you understand that pricing decisions are made against volume, merchant relationships, and funding costs, not in a vacuum You thrive as a party of one — you want to own a hard problem, not manage a team or build a function on day one Likely backgrounds: quant trading, pricing or portfolio strategy at a lender or fintech; credit or structured-finance investor; strategic finance at a specialty finance company; risk or data science with strong P&L orientation How We'll Assess You The core of the process is a live, ambiguous analytical exercise against a sanitized business dataset — a pricing or profitability problem. We're evaluating how you structure the investigation, whether you go to the data yourself, and whether you land a clear, actionable recommendation at the end. Compensation and Benefits: Base Salary: $225,000–325,000 along with an equity package Healthcare: We prioritize your well-being by covering 80% of medical, dental, and vision insurance costs, including coverage for your spouse, children, and other dependents. Retirement Benefits: Begin planning for your future from day one with our 401k plan. Paid Time Off: We understand the importance of work-life balance. That's why we offer flexible paid time off days starting from day one of your employment. We're building a team as diverse as the customers we serve . Kafene is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, and we mean it. We welcome qualified applicants of every race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, veteran status, and all other legally protected characteristics. Need accommodation during the application process? We've got you. If you're applying for a U.S. position and require reasonable accommodation at any stage, reach out to [email protected] with details about your request and contact information. We're here to help make the process work for you. Note: This email address is specifically for accommodation requests and will only respond to those inquiries.