Senior / Lead Data Scientist

Company Description

At Neilson, we help families put financial protection in place for their loved ones. We are a Life insurance provider who offers a wide range of first class Life insurance products via multiple direct brands and corporate partnerships. We believe in offering our customers straightforward life insurance.

We’ve evolved from our origins in the UK to become an international operation with offices in the USA, Canada, Ireland, the UK and Australia, with our head office based in Windsor and an in-house digital marketing agency, Thinkbait, based in Dublin, Ireland.  Having multiple locations worldwide enables Neilson to attract the absolute best people, allowing us to achieve our aim of being a leading global provider of life insurance.

We aim to provide a comprehensive range of innovative products and deliver exemplary service levels to our customers and corporate partners, providing a consistently high quality, fully integrated customer experience. We’ve been awarded Feefo’s top rating, the Trusted Merchant Gold Award, for our outstanding customer service.

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our innovative team and lead key projects involving machine learning, time series forecasting and LLMs. You will have a solid mathematical foundation and proven experience in developing and deploying production-level code.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of data science models, responsible for designing and delivering technically complex Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives that produce significant business value
• Utilize advanced techniques in machine learning, deep learning, and causal inference to drive business insights and optimize performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business needs and translate them into actionable data science solutions.
• Develop production-level code using Python, ensuring scalability and integration with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Use SQL and ETL processes to manipulate and extract data from relational databases.
• Communicate findings and insights effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide mentorship to junior team members and contribute to the overall growth of the analytics team.

The Successful candidate:

• Significant, demonstrable experience in data science or analytical roles
• You will have a track record of achievement in data science, analysis, applied statistics or machine learning
• Advanced Technical Skills: Expert-level knowledge of machine learning algorithms, model development, and deployment, with proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, R) and one database querying language (e.g., SQL). Experience with visualization tools like PowerBI is a plus.
• Business Acumen: Strong ability to align technical solutions with business strategy, and to communicate complex findings to senior stakeholders
• An academic background in statistics, mathematics, computer science, actuarial studies or similar is required
• You will have experience working in a cloud (AWS / GCP / Azure) environment
• You will have demonstrated clear and thorough logical and analytical thinking, as well as problem-solving skills and high attention to detail.
• Project Management: Experience in managing large, complex projects or multiple concurrent projects, including setting timelines, deliverables, and navigating resourcing challenges

Why Join Us:

• Work in a dynamic and innovative team driving real business impact.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a leadership role.
• Collaborative culture and cross-functional engagement with various teams and stakeholders.
• Competitive salary and benefits.

Additional Information

Why Join Us:

• Work in a dynamic and innovative team driving real business impact.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a leadership role.
• Collaborative culture and cross-functional engagement with various teams and stakeholders.
• Competitive salary and benefits.