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.
Senior Data Scientist at Hastings Direct — London Hybrid
Lead predictive modelling and guide a data science team at Hastings Direct. Develop pricing analytics that support fair customer outcomes and profitable growth in UK insurance.
Description
- Own predictive modelling initiatives from initial problem definition through development, validation, production integration and continuous monitoring
- Build expertise in Hastings Direct’s systems, processes and technology to strengthen team performance
- Source, evaluate and prepare data features based on predictive value, stability, interpretability and their impact on customer pricing
- Create and champion reusable, maintainable and reproducible modelling tools, pipelines and development practices
- Manage a small data science team while supporting its members’ technical growth
- Partner with senior leaders to set data science strategy and enhance modelling capability, processes and working practices
- Define and advance standards for modelling, software engineering, testing, documentation and deployment
- Support recruitment through candidate screening, introductory interviews and case study interviews
Requirements
- Strong knowledge of predictive modelling and machine learning methods, including linear and gradient-boosted models
- Proven experience delivering data science solutions that informed business decisions and produced measurable commercial value
- Advanced SQL skills for extracting, transforming and preparing data for predictive modelling
- Practical Python experience with machine learning libraries for building and integrating data science products
- Experience using Git for version control and collaborative software development
- Confident leading technical discussions, influencing senior stakeholders and communicating complex analytical ideas clearly
- Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams
- Experience reviewing the technical output of other data scientists
- Azure Machine Learning Studio or a comparable cloud machine learning platform experience is desirable
- Snowflake or a comparable cloud data platform experience is desirable
- Experience leading, supporting and mentoring junior colleagues is desirable
- Experience applying data science or predictive modelling in general insurance is desirable
- Successful completion of a thorough referencing process, including credit and criminal record checks
Benefits
- Car allowance
- Annual 4Cs performance bonus
- Flexible hybrid working
- Support, training and development
- Recognition and rewards
- Private medical insurance
- Life assurance worth four times salary
- Income protection
- Pension contributions matched up to 10%
- Retailer and own-product discounts and cashback
- Fee-free independent mortgage advice
- Free financial wellbeing support
- Mental wellbeing programme
- Thrive mental health app
- 24/7 colleague assistance programme
- In-house mental health first aiders
- Support groups and dedicated mental health support team
- 27 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
- Option to buy or sell one contracted week of 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