LendKey is solving a complex challenge – to improve lives with lending made simple – by helping financial institutions compete in the digital age and provide a delightful customer experience, while providing borrowers with the simple, transparent, digital borrowing experience they have come to expect and desire. LendKey works with hundreds of credit unions and banks to conduct their education finance and home improvement loan programs.

The Director, Education Lending, is accountable for the overall direction, performance, and readiness of LendKey’s education lending business, including private student loans, student refinance, and future market opportunities. This role is accountable for setting strategy, aligning cross-functional execution, and ensuring the education lending business is positioned for sustainable growth while remaining operationally sound and compliant. 

What you'll do:

Business Ownership & Strategy

• Own the overall direction, priorities, and success metrics for LendKey’s education lending business
• Define market focus and positioning, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional lending opportunities
• Make and escalate prioritization and tradeoff decisions when education lending initiatives compete with broader company goals
• Ensure the education lending business is positioned for growth, scalability, and regulatory compliance

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Ensure education lending requirements and constraints are clearly represented in platform modernization and transformation initiatives
• Own go / no-go readiness decisions for education lending launches, changes, and expansions
• Drive alignment across teams to ensure timely, high-quality execution

Partner & Ecosystem Oversight

• Own customer acquisition strategy for education lending
• Maintain executive-level awareness of lender, school, and ecosystem partner relationships
• Decide which RFPs, partnerships, and opportunities to pursue or decline
• Support escalation and resolution of critical partner and school issues as needed

Team Leadership

• Lead a high-performing team by setting direction, coaching talent, removing barriers, and driving a culture of ownership, transparency, and results
• Set clear priorities, protect focus, and prevent execution overload across the team
• Foster strong collaboration and accountability while maintaining clear ownership boundaries

What we're looking for:

Strong desire to work for a mission-based organization that emphasizes the importance of providing exceptional customer service and aligned with our core values: Truthful at all times; Helpful to teammates, clients, and customers; Present, committed & engaged to their teams and work; Driven to be courageous to make an impact; and Diligent & conscientious in executing every element of work.

Ideal Background & Skills

• 8+ years of experience in student lending within fintech, financial services, or other regulated environments, with a track record of driving operational execution, product delivery, or program ownership
   
• Experience owning or leading a lending product, program, or operational function, with accountability for end-to-end outcomes
   
• Strong systems thinker with the ability to balance growth, risk, operational rigor, and customer experience
   
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners and drive alignment without direct authority
   
• Experience leading through platform modernization, transformation initiatives, or complex change environments

Why Join LendKey?

• Growth & Opportunity: Be part of a company that values professional development and encourages new ideas.
• Community Impact: Join a team that supports local communities and social responsibility.
• Creative & Transparent Culture: An open, collaborative environment that values innovation and honest communication.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, and additional wellness coverage for your overall well-being.
• Unlimited PTO: Flexible time off to support work-life balance.
• Stock Options: Opportunity to share in the company’s growth and success.

The base salary range for this role is $150,000–$180,000, depending on your experience, skills, and location. 

What We Do:

LendKey offers a comprehensive digital platform for private student loans, student loan refinancing, and home improvement loans, allowing community-based financial institutions to expand their portfolios and serve more borrowers without increasing infrastructure. Through our ALIRO platform, lenders can efficiently participate in, buy, and sell loans, streamlining portfolio diversification and capital deployment.

For financial institutions, LendKey provides turnkey solutions that include:

• End-to-end loan origination and servicing expertise
• Seamless access to a national network of lending partners
• Advanced risk mitigation and compliance support
• Opportunities to efficiently deploy capital and diversify portfolios

For borrowers, LendKey delivers:

• Access to affordable, competitive student loan products from trusted local lenders
• A simple, transparent digital application and servicing experience
• The benefits of community-focused lending with the convenience of modern technology

LendKey’s network lending model empowers both lenders and borrowers, bridging the gap between local values and national reach.