Data Science Associate, Avant
$95-130k
Eligible for additional incentives, including an annual bonus. These rewards are allocated based on level, impact and performance in the role
More information about location
Office located in Merchandise Mart, IL
Personal credit FinTech
Be an early applicant
Personal credit FinTech
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
$95-130k
Eligible for additional incentives, including an annual bonus. These rewards are allocated based on level, impact and performance in the role
More information about location
Office located in Merchandise Mart, IL
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To empower every customer with innovative solutions designed to help them reach their goals.
Role
Who you are
- We are looking for a self-driven candidate who is passionate about problem solving and interested in making a difference
- If you are looking for an opportunity to join a great team where you can be yourself, deepen your skills and experiences, and find new areas of inspiration then consider a career at Avant!
- Master’s or PhD degree in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, Operations Research or a related STEM fields
- 2-3 years of professional experience in machine learning or data science within the financial services or fintech industry
- Strong expertise in machine learning theories and practices (Generalized Linear Model, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Deep Learning, etc.)
- Familiarity with Object-Oriented Design (OOD) concept and functional programming with 2+ years experience writing production-level code
- Proficiency in Python with experience in the end-to-end development of machine learning models. Domain knowledge in credit risk is a plus
- Advanced in SQL for querying and analyzing large datasets
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex concepts and findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, and effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, with a keen attention to detail and data integrity
- Experience with ML and data analytics platforms/technologies such as Databricks, AWS (including AI/ML tools) and Looker is a plus
- If you are a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual with a passion for data and product management, we encourage you to apply for this position
What the job involves
- Avant is adding to our Data Science team!
- This person will be a key member of our Data Science team and responsible for the development of numerous kinds of customer lifecycle models
- Work with stakeholders throughout the company to identify opportunities for leveraging company data and third-party vendor data to drive business solutions using different modeling techniques
- Design and build predictive models to enhance customer experience, reduce risk, improve revenue generation, optimize direct mail targeting, and drive key outcomes throughout the customer lifecycle
- Mine and analyze data from company databases to drive optimization and improvement of product development, marketing techniques and business strategies
- Clean, process and validate data to ensure its quality and integrity for modeling and analysis
- Conduct feature engineering, select appropriate features and develop robust models using various machine learning techniques
- Perform ad-hoc analysis and present results in a clear manner to senior management. Provide timely and justified recommendations in response to ad-hoc analysis requested by internal groups
- Proactively collaborate with Data Engineering, ML Operations, Software Development, Credit Risk, Marketing, Legal & Compliance, and other internal groups to implement and monitor models across the customer lifecycle
- Develop and enhance processes and tools to monitor model performance and input and output data accuracy
Our take
Many Americans with below average credit scores are caught in a bind: they're unable to improve their score, and simultaneously cannot access traditional loans. Avant's alternative is to offer credit options that are powered by machine learning and based upon a large database that helps to manage risk.
For its users, the company offers a quick credit decision and speedy access to any allotted funds. It has issued over $8 billion in loans to date, and has also expanded its business through the acquisitions of ReadyForZero in 2015 and Zero Financial in 2021.
This expansion has enabled Avant to reach towards its goal of offering a whole suite of products in a single platform, such as loans, credit cards, and deposits. Although there are many FinTechs looking at ways to remove the barriers that people with low credit scores face when trying to take out loans, this expansion to banking products should help Avant to stand out.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-3% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Dec 2022
$125m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Sep 2015
$325m
SERIES E
Total funding: $779m
Company benefits
- Choice of great medical, dental, and vision insurance plan options
- 401(k) Match
- Unlimited paid time off
- Flexible work environment
- Generous paid parental leave
- Lunch allowance (Fooda) and in-office snacks
- WFH stipends for our remote employees
- Access to LinkedIn Learning for professional development
- No meeting wednesdays - (a.k.a. planned time to Get Sh!t Done)
- Summer fridays
- Fun in-office and virtual social events
- (And who doesn’t love the swag)
Company HQ
River North, Chicago, IL
Leadership
Al Goldstein
(Co-Founder & Executive Chair)They worked for a year at Deutsche Bank before founding Pangea Properties in 2008, and Avant in 2013. They have been Chair since, alongside founding Amount, Spring Labs, and StoicLane.
Paul Zhang
(Co-Founder & CIO)Having studied at the University of Illinois, they spent a year as a Software Engineer at CashNetUSA and Enova Financial. They founded Debteye in 2011, before starting Avant in 2013, serving first as CTO then Chief Architect, CTO again and finally CIO.
Matthew Bochenek
(CEO)Has been with the business since 2013, working in a range of positions including Head of US Servicing, Head of Operations and COO - before becoming CEO in 2021. Previously spend a decade at Superfund Asset Management.
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