Senior Analyst - Investment Analytics

We invite you to explore a future with us at PRA Group, a diverse and growing company that has a tangible impact on the global economy.

Position Summary: 

The Senior Investment Analyst role will work in the areas of Underwriting and Investment Analytics charged with performing routine day to day tasks that support the underlying business processes being maintained by the department to analyze account data and proprietary internal models used to evaluate consumer loans. This role involves developing, producing and presenting forecasts on owned and prospective portfolios aid in valuation and financial reporting. Owned portfolio analysis includes reviewing owned portfolio level performance, identification and documentation of portfolios in need of recasting. Prospective portfolio forecasting requires understanding of NPL markets and advanced modeling techniques. This role is expected to have a high level of capability as well as development capability for producing financial forecasts and analysis such as an understanding of financial measurements, statistics and machine learning models.

This role is onsite in Norfolk, VA OR we are open to Richmond, VA. 3 days per week and will be remote on Fridays and Mondays.

We will provide a relocation package and assistance to the right candidate.

What you will need

• Minimum 2-3 years of SQL experience with ability to write complex join, union, pivot, common table expression query statements for complex data calculations using time window functions in SQL.
• Ability to write and troubleshoot stored procedures in MS Sql server (TSQL and or PLSQL experience preferred).  Able to Create, Modify, and Execute SQL Server scheduled jobs & SQL Server stored procedures
• Knowledge of data preparation methods: handling of missing data and general imputation
• Strong conceptual thinking and problem-solving skills using data analysis and utilizing excel, R, Python or other statistical packages
• High level analytical problem-solving skills; high level of analytics autonomy
• Ability to create, develop and modify reports based upon operational requirements
• Proficient at developing and maintaining reporting packages through visualization tools (Power BI, R\python Notebooks, or Shiny preferred).
• Must have effective organizational, time-management and high attention to detail.
• Must have effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong excel skills (charts/graphs/formulas/macros)
• Basic version control knowledge. (Github)
• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following disciplines: Quantitative Analytics, Finance, Accounting, Mathematics, Physics, Economics
• 4-6 years’ experience in NPL markets is preferred.

What you will do

• The Sr. Analyst must independently prepare materials needed by the underwriting department and use data driven decision making to apply assumptions to valuations for the underwriting department to review and present. This includes developing and running SQL procedures, VBA macros, R and Python scripts and applications to perform analysis and data ingress operations to aid in decision making. 
• This role will maintain, perform, develop and sign-off on audits for data generated by the department. This includes audits required for maintaining SOX compliance. 
• The Sr. Analyst must have strong communication, presentation and critical thinking skills to identify, propose and execute projects needed to enhance the departments operation. 
• The Analyst will be expected to gain a full understanding of PRA systems & processes, recommend improvements, convey requirements to the IT agile teams and test their work against acceptance criteria. Troubleshoot issues as they occur, identify root cause and effect remediation. Liaise with vendors and with other departments including IT, Operations, Legal Recoveries, Bankruptcy, General Counsel, Acquisitions, Compliance & Finance.
• Identify issues and process improvement opportunities and work with other areas of the business to analysis, report and resolve discrepancies (including taking ownership of actions/projects where appropriate)
• Maintain Policy and Procedure documentation along with change management and testing documentation as required.
• Perform Data analysis & reporting using Oracle SQL, MS SQL, and other statistical tools
• Manage multiple projects in addition to day to day process tasks management on larger value items.
• Oversight of complex SQL Stored Procedure processes
• Reviewing and improving analytics processes, methods, and tools to increase efficiency, accuracy, and security
• Dig into data and raw information through statistical analysis to discover trends and patterns that can be used to extract valuable business insights
• Maintain ongoing self-study program to enhance knowledge of various software and computer languages, including, but not limited to SQL, Visual Basic, MS Access, MS Excel, R and Python.  Must be able to discover and learn new programming languages and apply them to solve new business challenges.
• Prepare templated pricing materials as needed by the underwriting department.
• Verify data produced by the underwriting department is stored accurately. Develop audits where necessary.
• Assist in the documentation of new and existing processes to maintain compliance with SOX regulations.
• Gather source data and perform data preparation / data cleaning for modeling and analysis
• Provide Business Development with feedback to aid in negotiations.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations and company policies across areas of organizational responsibility.
• Act as the subject matter expert for one area of underwriting
• Interpret data concerning price and future trends of consumer loan purchase market. Prepare portfolio purchase recommendations for individual portfolios including recommended maximum bid price.
• Maintain a strong understanding of all PRA data sources with respect to their data structure and definitions
• Present analytical study/research findings to other stakeholders within the D&A department when required.
• Works with other departments to acquire or provide data necessary for portfolio valuation, analysis, and loading

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, race, color, sex, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, citizenship, or any other classes recognized by state or local law or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. We are a drug free workplace.