Strategy and Operations Associate

The Role

You will work closely with the US Operations leadership to help scale YouLend's fastest-growing region (+100% year-on-year currently).

You will work on some of the most important and ambiguous problems facing the US business. From improving sales performance and removing friction from the merchant journey to identifying how AI can fundamentally change the way our teams work. You will use data to understand problems, develop solutions, and take ownership of implementing them and measuring their impact.

This is a highly analytical and hands-on role. We are looking for someone who is comfortable moving between analysing data, developing a strategy, testing solutions and working with teams to put them into practice. You will have significant ownership from day one and work cross-functionally with teams including Sales, Credit Operations, Product and Technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Own high-impact strategic and operational initiatives end-to-end, from identifying and analysing opportunities through to designing solutions, implementing changes and measuring their impact.
• Build and continuously improve KPI reporting and performance management, giving teams and leadership clear visibility into performance, identifying the drivers behind changes and translating insights into action.
• Identify and implement AI and automation opportunities across the organisation, reducing administrative work, improving productivity and enabling teams to focus on higher-value activities.
• Experiment with new AI-enabled ways of working, rapidly testing and validating solutions before partnering with Product and Technology to scale the highest-impact opportunities.

Example problems:

• How can we use AI to improve conversion rates and automate part of the sales process?
• How do we remove friction from the merchant journey and reduce pushbacks in the funnel?
• Why are certain salespeople, partners or customer segments outperforming others, and how can we replicate that performance?
• How should our sales team structure and prioritise their tasks?

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Strong analytical skills with experience using SQL (preferably), Excel, Python, or similar tools to extract insights, build models and support decision-making.
• Ability to make sound decisions using data and judgement, even when information is incomplete or ambiguous.
• Interest in fintech, lending, and the dynamics of scaling a high-growth business.
• Strong ownership mindset. You take responsibility for outcomes, not tasks, and proactively drive initiatives to completion.
• Comfortable challenging the status quo and driving change when better solutions exist.

Job Benefits

Why join YouLend?

• Award-Winning Workplace: YouLend has been recognised as one of the “Best Places to Work in 2024 and 2025” by the Sunday Times for being a supportive, diverse, and rewarding workplace.
• Award-Winning Fintech: YouLend has been recognised as a “Top 250 Fintech Worldwide” company by CNBC.

It’s just getting fun:

• We have developed powerful solutions, won some significant partnerships, and are growing at a rapid pace.
• But the global opportunity is still massive, and YouLend is a raw organisation where we are only just getting started.

Lots of upsides:

• High-growth (>100% growth during 2022 and 2023), so clear outlook to compensation (bonus or share option appreciation) and career growth (through growth with business).
• Well-capitalised with supportive private equity backing.
• Part of Banking Circle Group with a fully licensed Luxembourg bank, which can provide a balance sheet and support European expansion in otherwise complex regulated markets.

Motivating work environment:

• A high-quality team that pushes each other to succeed through direct feedback and aligned incentives.
• Strong and transparent team culture, we have each other’s backs.
• Independent work environment where results matter.
• Data-driven culture and emphasis on speed (anti-red tape).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Health Care Coverage. YouLend covers 80%; employee contribution is 20% of the premium.
• Medical Plan (medical insurance and prescription drug coverage)- Choice of 5 different plans through United Healthcare.
• Dental plan coverage
• Vision plan coverage
• Benefits can be for: Employee only; Employee & Spouse; Employee & Child; Employee & Family
• Retirement - 401K match. Employee match $1 for $1 up to 5% of salary.
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance.
• International travel insurance covered if traveling abroad for work purposes.
• Paid Time Off (PTO)- 20 working days (4 weeks) + US public holidays
• Paid Office Parking