Hastings Direct is a UK general insurance provider focused on digitally delivered personal insurance, including cover for cars, vans, bikes and homes. Its work combines customer-facing insurance services with pricing, data analytics, claims, underwriting, actuarial, fraud and technology operations. The company has around 4,800 employees across multiple UK offices and hires across the specialist and operational teams that support its insurance business.
Data Scientist – London (Hybrid)
Data Scientist role at Hastings Direct, developing predictive models that support insurance pricing and underwriting decisions. The position uses Python, SQL and machine learning in a hybrid London setting.
Description
- Support the design, development and deployment of predictive models for Hastings Direct’s pricing activities.
- Build and maintain predictive models that assess insurance risk and guide pricing and underwriting decisions.
- Help integrate predictive models into production systems.
- Contribute to ongoing model monitoring and maintenance.
- Create and enhance reusable tools, pipelines and processes for efficient, reliable and reproducible modelling.
- Work to established standards for coding, documentation, testing and model development.
- Identify, assess and prepare new data features.
- Assess feature predictive value, stability, interpretability and potential effects on customer pricing outcomes.
- Take part in recruiter screening, hiring manager introductions and case-study interviews with the hiring team.
Requirements
- Experience building and evaluating predictive models, including linear and gradient-boosted models.
- Proficiency in Python and suitable machine-learning libraries.
- Proficiency in SQL, including data preparation and transformation for predictive modelling.
- Basic knowledge of Git or another code version-control system.
- Strong communication and time-management skills.
- Demonstrable experience delivering data science solutions that shaped business decisions and produced measurable commercial value.
- Experience with Azure Machine Learning Studio or a comparable cloud machine-learning platform is desirable.
- Experience with Snowflake or a comparable cloud data platform is desirable.
- Experience in general insurance is desirable.
- Applicants must be able to work without sponsorship; sponsorship is not available for this position.
- Successful completion of reference, credit and criminal-record checks is required.
Benefits
- Flexible hybrid working arrangement.
- Competitive bonus scheme, including an annual 4Cs performance bonus.
- Life assurance providing cover of four times salary.
- Income protection provided at no additional cost.
- Matched pension contributions of up to 10%.
- Discounts and cashback offers.
- Free independent mortgage advice.
- Free access to financial wellbeing support.
- Access to the Thrive mental health app.
- 24/7 colleague assistance programme.
- In-house mental health first aiders.
- Support groups and a dedicated mental wellbeing team.
- 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Option to buy or sell one week of annual leave.
- Healthcare cashback plans.
- Dental plans.
- Discounted health assessments.
- Cycle-to-work scheme.
- Technology schemes.
- Discounted and free onsite facilities.
- Social events throughout the year.
- Training and development support.