Head of Venture Debt

About Us

Rho is the modern banking platform built for startups. Open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books – all in one connected platform backed by real human support.

About The Role

We're now building our next major growth engine: a comprehensive lending platform. Our transition to direct origination represents an expansion into a massive market opportunity. The Head of Venture Debt will own and build this franchise from day one.

We're looking for an experienced credit professional to architect, launch, and scale our venture debt platform. This is a senior leadership position with full ownership of building a profitable lending business within our established fintech infrastructure.

You'll combine deep credit expertise with startup ecosystem knowledge to create a differentiated offering that leverages our unique position. This role demands both strategic vision and hands-on execution as you build the team, technology, and partnerships to compete at the highest level.

This role is based in our New York office, 5 days a week. We believe in the power of in-person collaboration to build exceptional products and teams.

What You'll Own

Build the Platform

• Design and implement end-to-end venture debt infrastructure from origination through portfolio management

• Develop proprietary underwriting models leveraging both traditional credit analysis and our platform data

• Partner with engineering to build technology-first processes that scale

• Create systems that deliver exceptional borrower experience without compromising credit quality

Lead Credit & Risk

• Establish comprehensive credit policies and underwriting frameworks

• Structure and close deals ranging from $1M to $25M+

• Build monitoring systems and covenant packages that balance risk and founder experience

• Own credit committee governance and decision-making processes

Drive Growth & Partnerships

• Structure partnerships with private capital providers and institutional investors

• Design warehouse facilities and forward-flow arrangements

• Build relationships across the venture ecosystem for deal flow

• Develop go-to-market strategy that differentiates our offering

Build the Team

• Recruit and lead credit analysts, relationship managers, and operations professionals

• Foster culture of analytical rigor and commercial judgment

• Scale the organization while maintaining talent density

• Partner cross-functionally with sales, product, and engineering

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• 8+ years in venture debt with experience through multiple credit cycles

• Track record of personally underwriting and closing $100M+ in transactions

• Deep understanding of technology and life sciences lending

• Experience building and managing high-performing credit teams

• Proven ability to structure and negotiate institutional capital partnerships

Technical Excellence

• Expert-level understanding of venture debt structures, warrants, and equity considerations

• Sophisticated financial modeling and portfolio risk management capabilities

• Fluency with modern credit infrastructure and data-driven underwriting

• Understanding of AI/ML applications in credit decisioning

Ownership Mentality

• Builder who takes complete ownership of outcomes

• Comfortable operating with autonomy and making critical decisions

• Track record of building profitable businesses with strong unit economics

• Willing to be hands-on while scaling the franchise

• Obsessed with winning in competitive markets

Startup DNA

• Deep knowledge of venture capital dynamics and startup metrics

• Established relationships in the venture and growth equity ecosystem

• Understanding of how high-growth companies operate and scale

• Ability to move fast without breaking things

Our people are our most valuable asset. This role is based out of our NYC office, and the compensation range is $250k - $300k base. This role will also have a meaningful performance-based bonus component. Base salary and bonus may vary depending on relevant experience, skills, geographic location, and business needs. In addition to base pay, Rho offers equity, healthcare benefits and paid time off for this role.

Diversity is a core value at Rho. We’re passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable environment for all those involved with our mission, including employees, contractors, candidates, customers and vendors. We believe every member of the Rho community enriches our ability to provide a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the market, identify problems, and drive solutions that align with our mission. We welcome all qualified applications and support each of our Rho’ers with ongoing professional growth opportunities.