Senior Data Scientist

Hybrid - Washington D.C. (preferred) or New York, NY

About The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative Senior Data Scientist (AI/ML) to join our brilliant team of analytics professionals and developers, supporting the cutting-edge development of credit scoring models, generation of unique insights, and delivery of transformative technologies rooted in innovative value propositions.

In this role, you will be essential to credit score model innovation, credit and open banking related research initiatives, pilot program analyses with lenders and fintech partners, and ongoing model monitoring and reporting processes. You’ll bring your expertise in AI/ML and GenAI/Large Language Models (LLMs) to advance our use of structured and unstructured data to deliver new products and insights.

You’ll partner cross-functionally to deliver scalable AI-powered products and solutions that redefine how consumers engage with credit — ensuring our models are accurate, explainable, and aligned with our mission to empower responsible lending and financial inclusion.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct advanced research on structured and unstructured data, developing insights to support product management and new product development.
• Contribute to the design, development, evaluation, and deployment of machine learning (ML) models, including credit risk and predictive models.
• Serve as the team’s expert on GenAI/LLMs, adapting and fine-tuning models and ensuring explainability and compliance.
• Drive pilot program analyses, including back-testing, rejection inference, and performance analyses using diverse data sets.
• Improve and maintain existing model monitoring processes and develop compelling data visualizations and dashboards to communicate key insights to stakeholders.
• Partner with engineers to operationalize models into production systems, ensuring scalability and resilience at high data and inference volumes.
• Research and apply emerging AI/ML, GenAI/LLM technologies, staying abreast of state-of-the-art methods, tools, and best practices.
• Translate complex analyses into clear, actionable business recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to thought leadership through white papers, presentations, and insights shared internally and externally.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Econometrics).
• 3-5 years of professional experience in advanced analytics, AI/ML/LLM, and data science in research and/or corporate environments.
• Proficiency in Python for data science and machine learning workflows.
• Proven experience with machine learning techniques (classification, clustering, regression, neural networks) for predictive risk and credit modeling.
• Strong track record of conducting research, developing analyses, and producing clear and impactful presentations or publications.
• Experience delivering insights and solutions that drive business impact.
• Experience working in Agile and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Deep expertise in GenAI - Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) - including training, fine-tuning, explainability, and deployment.
• Deep expertise in advanced ML techniques (self-supervised learning, training optimization, explainability) with focus on credit scoring.
• Proficiency with modern ML/AI technology stack, such as PyTorch, AWS and related tools.
• Experience delivering innovative, scalable AI/ML solutions integrated into production platforms.
• High-level analytical problem-solving ability, with creativity in defining and solving ambiguous problems.
• Exceptional communication skills, able to convey technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with a collaborative mindset and leadership presence — capable of challenging the status quo and championing innovation.

Compensation

• Salary Range: 120K-150K/year, plus a discretionary bonus

Benefits

• Generous Benefits: 401(K) matched up to 7%, Flexible Time Off, 12 Paid Holidays, Medical/Dental/Vision/Wellness benefits, Monthly Team Events, Modern Work/Collaboration Spaces

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in VantageScore’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at .

How do you know if you have a disability?

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.