Senior Data Scientist

Job title:
Senior Data Scientist

Location:
London / Leicester / Bexhill

Welcome to Hastings Direct

We’re a digital insurance provider with a clear strategy to become the best and biggest player in the UK market. As a company, we’ve made huge investments in our technology, pricing, data and analytics capabilities over the past few years, along with nurturing our 4

Cs culture and substantial investment in our people. And as a Finance team, we're doing exactly the same – building a market leading finance technology platform, investing in our team and our approach to leadership development, with a real focus on commercially adding value to the business.

The fact you’re now reading this job advert means we’ve tempted you to find out more about #lifeat

HD. If you like what you see, we hope you'll consider joining our team.

We have high standards and understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you’re excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you’re not 100% sure, we would love to hear from you.

The Senior Data Scientist will oversee projects and modelling exercises which deliver cutting‑edge data assets and predictive models that feed into Hastings’ market‑leading pricing activities. This role is within a combined team of Actuaries and Data Scientists, championing the adoption of the latest machine learning (ML) techniques to leverage powerful insights from vast amounts of customer information beyond what traditional modelling techniques can provide.

The Senior Data Scientist will use their understanding of Data Science techniques to solve insurance problems and to deliver claims cost models. Established traditional techniques, but we are looking to leverage advanced ML techniques to maximise commercial value, while ensuring a fair outcome for customers. The DS Manager would manage a small team, who would assist the creation of models and would require mentoring and support in their development.

The role would suit a Data Scientist with a track record of delivering General Insurance pricing models, or a newly/nearly qualified Actuary with experience and a keen interest in Data Science.

• Taking the technical lead in projects that create and maintain analytical tools to support our technical models and serve as the foundation for our premium.
• Develop best‑in‑class models to predict claims outcomes, fraud and other KPIs.
• Engineer powerful new rating factors to be deployed into our rating algorithms and understand their impact and value.
• Identify, analyse and monetise new data sources.
• Manage and mentor more junior members of the Technical Pricing team.
• Ensure robustness of models across both traditional and non‑traditional model types.

• Experience undertaking predictive modelling – including the use of GBMs – in a General Insurance pricing environment.
• Experience in the creation and development of models in Python, using the main Data Science libraries.
• Keen interest in emerging ML techniques and the opportunities that these present for insurance companies.
• Experience in the delivery of large model reviews – from initial modelling to implementation.
• Strong Structured Query Language (SQL) coding skills and ability to manipulate data.
• Stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to present technical ideas to a non‑technical audience.

• Experience in a Personal Lines pricing team (motor or home).
• Experience with using Git Hub for version control and as a code collaboration tool.
• Eagerness to work cross‑functionally with Data Engineers, Data Scientists, Actuaries and Risk Pricing Analysts.
• Experience of the application of non‑traditional techniques to pricing.

Our interview process involves the following stages:

• Recruiter screening call
• 1st stage interview – initial intro with hiring leader
• 2nd interview (technical) will include a panel
• 3rd call with hiring leader

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you’re applying for a job with us, you’ll…