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Lead Data Scientist

Zopa

Zopa

Data Science
London, UK
Posted on Jun 6, 2023
Our Story
Hello there. We’re Zopa.
We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward. Find out more about our fantastic offerings at Zopa.com!
We’re incredibly proud of our achievements and none of it would be possible without the amazing team here. It’s not just industry awards we’re winning, we’ve also been named in the top three UK’s Most Loved Workplaces.
If you embrace unconventional challenges, are unafraid to think differently and are driven to make an outsized impact, you’ll thrive here at Zopa, so join us, and make it count. Want to see us in action? Follow us on Instagram @zopalife
At Zopa, data and the application of machine learning is at the heart of what we do and the products we bring to market. Within consumer financial services we have pioneered modern data science techniques using advanced ML models for more than 7 years. Today more than 98% of our lending decisions are driven by ML models - so it's safe to say it is seriously impactful work!
We're constantly innovating and using new techniques; recently we deployed deep learning models to assess credit risk with a current focus being the interpretability and explainability of our models (read about our work with AWS team here).
#LI-JF1

A day in the life:

  • You will be responsible for all machine learning and statistical models across the company, with applications in credit decisioning, fraud detection, customer engagement and operations strategy.
  • You will drive innovation using new data sources for the benefit of our customers and business.
  • Reporting to our Head of Data & Analytics, you will define the roadmap and priorities for the Data Science Team in alignment with the company strategy.
  • Hiring, supporting and coaching new team members. Ensuring they are thriving in their role within the team.
  • Supporting the careers of our Data Scientists through pro-active coaching, mentoring and regular 1-2-1s.
  • Lead and coordinate the cross-functional efforts to deliver data science related projects ensuring a high standard of quality and governance of the models and data products.
  • You will also be passionate about furthering our competitive advantage in data science by leading new R&D into our data science methods and technology stack and will empower the team to develop their capabilities.

You are:

  • Passionate about innovative data and machine learning applications to drive positive outcomes for our customers and business
  • Excited by driving many exciting data projects at both a strategic and tactical level
  • A great mentor to a team of talented data scientists and the broader analytics community

You will have:

  • Experience leading small teams
  • Hands on experience with the PyData tech stack and mainstream machine learning frameworks
  • Strong analytical and problem solving skills
  • In-depth knowledge of ML algorithms
  • Extensive knowledge of the full ML development lifecycle including: experiment design, feature engineering, HPO, validation, deployment and monitoring
  • Extensive experience of statistical analytics, data visualisation and storytelling
  • Experience of managing data scientists and leading ML projects into production
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills to partner with product owners and business heads

It would be great if you also had:

  • Experience with Cloud services (ideally AWS)
  • Knowledge of microservice architecture and use of CI/CD pipelines for the deployment of data science products on real-time platform
  • Knowledge in survival analysis, causal inference and explainable AI
Flexible working? Yes please!
At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. We understand the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and the importance of a good work life balance. Our teams work in a hybrid manner from our open-plan, riverside London Bridge office and the comfort of their own homes at a frequency that suits the team and the work they do.
Not only that – you'll also have the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year!* But no matter where you are, we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to thrive, both in your work and home life, from day one.
*Subject to having the right to work in the country of choice
Diversity Statement
Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. We are made up of nearly 50 nationalities, have a DE&I forum made up of Zopians wanting to make a difference and we are proud of our culture where everyone can bring their full self to work. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.