Senior Analytics Data Scientist, Small Business Le...

Description:

The Organization

Opportunity Fund is a different kind of financial institution – a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Over 20 years ago, the US Treasury Department created this designation for loan funds (like Opportunity Fund), credit unions, and others who are committed to using financial tools to help low-income communities.

We provide loans to low- and moderate-income immigrants, women, and other deserving, but underserved small business owners. We have seen firsthand the ripple effect of such loans. Businesses grow, jobs are added, healthier communities and families thrive.

Our mission is to drive economic mobility by delivering affordable capital and responsible financial solutions to determined entrepreneurs and communities.

We continue to drive economic mobility, fostering entrepreneurship, hard work, and ideas. We envision an inclusive world in which all entrepreneurs and communities have the opportunity to make their dreams come true.

In 2020, Opportunity Fund joined forces with Accion U.S. Network to create Accion Opportunity Fund to together provide national, scalable programs that leverage technology and data analytics with high-touch customer service to drive deep community impact. Together, we are building a diverse, vibrant community where opportunity, knowledge, and access to capital are within reach.

For more information about us, visit https://www.opportunityfund.org/about/ .

The Role

Reporting to the Senior Director, Analytics and Business Intelligence, Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF) is seeking a talented, enthusiastic, and results-driven Senior Analytics Data Scientist to join our growing team of analytics experts. The hire will be responsible for developing and managing predictive and forecasting data analytics initiatives in support of the organization’s lending decisioning across all aspects of Marketing, Sales, Product, Credit, Operations and Finance.

The ideal candidate should have a strong academic background in predictive modelling, be experienced in data mining and predictive solutions development for lending and financial services industry, with particularly deep expertise in scorecard development and scorecard lifecycle management, spanning inception, data preparation, development, validation, strategy design, implementation, and monitoring. The candidate should be experienced at gathering, incorporating, and integrating business knowledge and expertise from Risk, Product, Operations, IT, and Compliance managers for the solutions design and development. The ideal candidate is an avid and quick learner of new concepts, skills and technologies, with strong ability to productionalize basic and advanced analytic solutions.

Opportunity Fund has an analytics environment that encourages openness of discussion, knowledge exchange, constant learning and pursuit of intellectual curiosity. We encourage analytics development based on deep understanding of the intricacies of the evolving customer segments, loan product lines and their life cycle, and build advanced analytics solutions that drive business decisions, actions and results.

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Design and develop application and account behavior scorecards and predictive models for acquisition and account risk management. Develop scorecards and predictive models lifecycle management infrastructure including solutions design, data preparation, development, validation, strategy design, implementation, and monitoring.
• Drive actionable analytics insights development for continuous enhancement of lending business management in all aspects of credit risk, policy and strategy, marketing and sales, account behavior and collections.
• Develop credit loss forecasting infrastructures through credit risk modeling, loss forecasting, and incorporation of accounting standards for portfolio lifetime loss and regulatory compliance management.
• Develop monitoring and reporting infrastructure for analytics solutions tracking, validation, fine tuning, and redevelopment lifecycle management.
• Work with Risk, Product, Operations, Finance, IT, and Compliance managers for gathering, incorporating, and integrating business knowledge and expertise in designing and developing analytics solutions.
• Serve as an expert consultant to senior management on highly complex issues.
• Work with the executive team to match communications strategies with organizational strategies and objectives.
• Learn and understand the business in detail and educate the organization in the use and understanding of analytics and data.
• Perform other analytics, machine learning or data mining duties using basic to more advanced approaches. Handle complex solutions delivery initiatives.

. Requirements:

The Person

Highly qualified candidates will share Accion Opportunity Fund’s commitment to its mission and will embody the organization’s core values bringing a broad range of skills and experience including, but not limited to:

• 5+ years of experience in data processing, scorecard and predictive model development with strong analytical, conceptual and quantitative problem-solving skills.
• Bachelors, Master or Ph.D. Degree, preferably in a quantitative area such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering and economics.
• Knowledge of the lending business with knowledge of small business lending a plus.
• Knowledge of external credit/alternative data for assessing credit outcomes a plus.
• Knowledge and experience of new accounting and regulatory rules (e.g. CECL) a plus.
• Sound project management skills.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent and competing priorities.
• Ability to identify key issues, resolving and communicating the issues cross-functionally.
• Proficiency with SQL. Proficiency in at least one of the following: SAS, R, or Python.

Perks & Benefits

Our mission is what motivates us to come to work each day. We know that happy employees are productive employees, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• An environment that values work-life balance.
• 100% company-funded Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability coverage for employees. 90% company-funded dependent coverage (Based upon your plan selection).
• Voluntary benefits with payroll deduction for Supplemental Life & AD&D insurance, Auto/Renters/Homeowners insurance, Pet Insurance and Legal plans.
• Tax deferred & Roth 403(B) Retirement Plan with employer match. Employer match increases with tenure.
• Paid vacation days (increased with tenure), 12 paid holidays, and 10 Sick days, and family leave days per year.
• This is a fully remote (work from home) position.

Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply, especially BIPOC.
Opportunity Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. www.opportunityfund.org