Specialist Data Scientist

Role purpose:This is a pioneering fintech environment and global market leader in mobile money. From starting in 2007 as a convenient means by which the unbanked and underbanked can make digital payments, the platform has now grown to offer more than 50 million active customers financial services, enterprise, merchant, and retail solutions. The organisation is proud of its work in enabling the digital economy in its markets and driving financial inclusion.

The Commercial Team works with leadership across multiple operating companies to co-create product strategy, drive thought leadership and new strategic partnerships, design new products and features, set commercial priorities with engineering teams, and support the product development lifecycle.

Your responsibilities will include championing big data, analytics, and machine learning to help build the next generation of services that are personalised, contextualised, and smart. This could include work across the broader product suite, including the consumer and merchant app experience, financial services portfolio, international remittances, and business portal.

• Create Machine Learning and AI products that provide actionable business insight and drive user personalisation.
• Develop predictive models using large and varied datasets, working with colleagues across Advanced Analytics, technology, data, and customer functions.
• Develop machine learning models for various business areas on the Big Data Platform.
• Develop prototype code (e.g. PySpark) for automated training and scoring of machine learning models.
• Track and report on machine learning model performance.
• Use data visualisation to engage audiences in a compelling way, enabling effective storytelling.
• Work with lead data scientists to deliver key work packages to meet business needs.
• Partner with Big Data Engineering teams for data ingestion to support use cases.
• Partner with Production Data Engineering teams for model automation and production deployment.
• Contribute to the wider community to enable Machine Learning and AI capability globally.
• Manage and take ownership of a portfolio of work from model development to stakeholder engagement.

• Minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in Data Science or Statistical Modelling.
• Experience manipulating and analysing large, complex datasets.
• Experience in data visualisation and creating static and interactive displays that clearly communicate insight.
• Strong interpersonal communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of how AI and ML create commercial value.
• Ability to manage relationships with stakeholders across multiple regions.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Analytical and expansive thinking with a strong drive to deliver and develop.
• Experience building and deploying models (Churn, AML, Credit, Fraud, etc.).

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative field such as Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or similar (essential).
• Professional and/or academic experience in Big Data analytics and deploying models and algorithms to solve real-world problems, with strong statistical and machine learning expertise.
• Familiarity with visualisation tools (e.g. Tableau, Qlik, Power BI).
• Experience working with large datasets (e.g. SQL, Spark, SAS).
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python or R.
• Experience with major machine learning libraries (e.g. H2O, scikit-learn, PyTorch) and techniques such as random forest, gradient boosting, k-means segmentation, multiple regression, factor analysis, and time-series forecasting.