[Hiring] Principal Data Scientist @Mariner Finance

Role Description

In this role, you will...

• Serve as a principal-level technical leader and advanced data science contributor responsible for developing, evaluating, scaling, and improving complex, high-impact AI, machine learning, and predictive modeling solutions across priority business areas, including credit risk, collections, loss mitigation, decisioning, pricing, fraud, and customer strategy.
• Lead end-to-end data science initiatives from problem definition and experimentation through model development, production deployment, monitoring, and ongoing optimization.
• Apply advanced technical judgment to determine appropriate modeling approaches for complex and ambiguous business problems.
• Partner with business and technical stakeholders to deliver measurable improvements in portfolio performance, profitability, risk management, and decision-making.
• Serve as an advanced technical resource within the Data Science function by providing technical direction, coaching, peer review, and escalation support.
• Raise the technical standard of the team by advancing modeling practices, AI evaluation and measurement methods, reusable development patterns, and scalable approaches for applying AI responsibly across model development and business decisioning.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead the development, evaluation, and operationalization of complex predictive, machine learning, and AI models.
• Own the end-to-end technical lifecycle of assigned modeling solutions.
• Translate complex or ambiguous business challenges into analytical and modeling strategies.
• Apply advanced statistical, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques to solve complex business problems.
• Design and lead statistically rigorous experiments and evaluation approaches.
• Develop and operationalize scalable modeling solutions using cloud and data platforms such as AWS and Databricks.
• Monitor model performance and business outcomes after implementation.
• Design and implement evaluation frameworks and measurement approaches for AI and machine learning solutions.
• Partner with Risk, Loss Mitigation, Technology, Data, and other business stakeholders.
• Serve as a technical escalation point for complex modeling, experimentation, data, or implementation challenges.
• Review and challenge modeling methodologies, technical designs, assumptions, and analytical conclusions.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and knowledge sharing to data scientists and other team members.
• Contribute to the development and advancement of modeling standards, reusable analytical approaches, methodologies, documentation practices, and technical patterns.
• Partner with senior leaders and other applicable stakeholders to support appropriate model governance.
• Evaluate emerging modeling techniques, technologies, tools, and data sources.
• Conduct advanced portfolio analyses and provide recommendations to business and technical stakeholders.
• Communicate complex analytical concepts, model performance, tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations clearly.
• May perform additional functions depending on business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, or a related field; additional applicable experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive data science, statistical modeling, or machine learning experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex modeling initiatives through the full model lifecycle.
• Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL.
• Advanced experience developing and deploying modeling solutions within cloud-based environments, including AWS.
• Experience working with modern data and analytics platforms such as Databricks or comparable technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of predictive modeling, machine learning, artificial intelligence, statistical analysis, experimentation, model evaluation, performance measurement, and practical use of AI.
• Demonstrated experience designing and evaluating statistically rigorous experiments and AI/ML evaluation approaches.
• Experience developing, evaluating, and scaling production AI and machine learning solutions.
• Strong understanding of model lifecycle management, model performance monitoring, documentation, and model risk considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to independently solve complex and ambiguous analytical problems.
• Experience providing technical guidance, coaching, peer review, or mentorship to other data scientists or technical team members.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives and priorities while working independently and collaboratively across functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Experience within consumer lending, particularly supporting credit risk, collections, loss mitigation, decisioning, loss forecasting, optimization, or related modeling use cases.
• Hands-on experience with advanced modeling approaches such as reinforcement learning, causal inference, multi-armed bandits, transformer-based models, optimization techniques, or similar methods.
• Experience working within established model risk management or model governance frameworks.

Benefits

• For information regarding our benefits, please visit: Mariner Finance Benefits
• All full-time employees are provided with a generous benefits package in addition to their monetary compensation.

Hours of Work

Full-time. Work hours will depend on the business hours of the time zone serviced. To the extent permitted by law, the Company may, in its sole discretion, change the work schedule to address business needs.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to move about. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty (20) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

EEO

Mariner Finance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, familial or caregiver status, citizenship status, status as a victim of domestic violence, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran.