Senior Director/Head of Risk Data Science, SoFi
$217.6-374k
+ Bonus
Mobile & online personal finance services
Open for applications
Mobile & online personal finance services
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$217.6-374k
+ Bonus
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help people reach financial independence to realize their ambitions.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader and a visionary who can transition the team from traditional modeling to next-generation machine learning platforms, leveraging emerging data sources (e.g. , cash flow, alternative bureaus) to significantly improve underwriting performance, reduce losses, and ensure rigorous adherence to Model Risk Management (MRM) standards
- This role requires exceptional organizational leadership, an ability to influence executive stakeholders, and proven success in delivering complex models into a regulated production environment
- Experience: 12+ years of progressive experience in credit risk, modeling, and data science within a regulated financial institution (FinTech, Bank, or similar), with at least 7 years in a senior leadership/management role (managing managers and/or technical leads)
- Education: Master’s or Ph.D. degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Operations Research, etc.)
- Technical Acumen: Deep expertise in advanced statistical and machine learning modeling techniques (e.g., Gradient Boosting, Deep Learning, Causal Inference)
- Regulatory Knowledge: Detailed working knowledge of model risk management standards (e.g., SR 11-7) and the ability to operate within a highly regulated environment
- Tools & Platforms: Expert-level proficiency in Python (PySpark, scikit-learn, TensorFlow/PyTorch) and SQL/data warehouse technologies (e.g., Snowflake, Hive). Familiarity with modern MLOps platforms and cloud computing (AWS)
- Communication: Exceptional executive presence and the ability to distill highly complex analytical concepts into clear, concise, and compelling narratives for non-technical leadership
What the job involves
- SoFi is seeking an inspirational and deeply experienced Senior Director to lead and define the strategic direction of our Risk Data Science function
- Reporting to the Chief Credit Officer, this executive role will lead the development, deployment, and governance of credit decisioning models - from underwriting and portfolio management to loss mitigation
- Define and Champion Strategy: You'll develop and articulate the 1-3 year roadmap for Risk Data Science, aligning all priorities with the broader Credit Risk and Business Unit objectives
- Drive Next-Generation Capabilities: Incorporate industry trends and advanced techniques (NLP, Graph Mining, LLMs, Deep Learning) to solve complex, high-impact risk problems where established principles may not fully apply
- Talent and Team Development: Lead the current team of high-performing Staff and Senior Data Scientists. Recruit, mentor, and foster talent through deliberate interactions, succession planning, and creating a high-accountability, low-ego culture
- Underwriting Excellence: You'll directly oversee the development and deployment of Next Generation Underwriting models designed to increase origination while maintaining loss guardrails
- Loss Mitigation & Collections: Drive the successful build-out and implementation of new Collection and Entry Rate Models to optimize outreach strategies and reduce losses
- Loss Forecasting & Compliance: Lead the development of Loss Forecasting and CECL models, ensuring they align with industry practices and meet all regulatory requirements for the firm's balance sheet and reserve calculations
- Alternative Data Strategy: Spearhead the evaluation and integration of alternative data sources (tri-bureau, LexisNexis, cash flow data) to enhance predictive power across all credit products
- Model Risk Management (MRM): You'll act as the primary owner for all models in the portfolio, ensuring robust documentation, monitoring, and successfully navigating the 2nd Line of Defense (2LOD) review and approval process (SR 11-7 familiarity is mandatory)
- Stakeholder Alignment: Interact and negotiate with senior management, executives (CCO, CFO, Product Leads), and external stakeholders to reconcile competing views and drive critical, high-impact business decisions
- Automation and Efficiency: Lead efforts to automate model monitoring and governance processes (ModelOps) to create scalable and auditable infrastructure
Our take
SoFi started by offering ways for students to secure better financial terms on their loans, and now offers a huge range of personal finance products, including bank accounts, loans, mortgages, investment advice, and investment opportunities. Many customers find they have to go to multiple financial service providers to meet all their finance needs, but SoFi overcomes this issue by putting it all in one place.
Its goal, to cover all the financial bases, sets it apart from many of the traditional banks and even some of their digital competitors, such as Avant, which has chosen to focus on providing credit alternatives. Although it is operating in a competitive market with a lot of big players such as Monzo, Revolut, and Starling, the company has managed to raise huge amounts of funding to support its rapid expansion.
SoFi has focussed on global expansion, moving outside the US, and has made a series of acquisitions to support this - including a Hong Kong-based investment app called 8 Securities. After going public on the New York Stock Exchange via a SPAC merger in June 2021, the company has continued to evolve and release more mission-oriented services into its roster, and strengthened its lending capabilities through a $350 million post-IPO loan. To date, the company has sold over $15 billion in personal loan collateral and continues to strengthen its offering.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 9 rounds)
Jan 2021
$369.9m
LATE VC
May 2019
$500m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Total funding: $2.7bn
Company benefits
- Comprehensive health, vision, dental, life insurance, and disability benefits
- Generous vacation and holidays
- Paid parental leave for eligible employees
- 401(k) and education on retirement planning
- Tuition reimbursement on approved programs, up to $5,250 per year
- Monthly contribution up to $200 to help you pay off your student loans
- Great health & well-being benefits including: telehealth parental support, subsidized gym program
- Flexible time off
- Fertility and family planning options
- Free financial classes
Company HQ
The East Cut, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Anthony Noto
(CEO)Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy after being a telecommunications officer and captain in the U.S. Army. Has worked as Head of Gobal Telecommunications, Media and Technology at Goldman Sachs, been the COO of Twitter, and also the CFO of the National Football League.
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