Hastings Direct is a UK-based digital general insurance provider serving more than 2.7 million customers with car, van, bike, home, and pet insurance. Its business combines product manufacturing and distribution, supported by pricing, fraud management, customer relationship management, and digital marketing capabilities. Hastings Direct also works closely with major price comparison websites and has a workforce of more than 3,400. For job seekers, its careers profile reflects a large, digitally focused insurance organisation with opportunities connected to insurance operations, technology, marketing, and customer service.
Senior Data Scientist, Market Pricing at Hastings Direct (Hybrid)
Lead machine learning and market modelling initiatives that support Hastings Direct’s live insurance pricing. The hybrid role is available across London, Bexhill, and Leicester.
Description
- Lead strategic Market Modelling projects from initial discovery through implementation
- Take ownership of complex analytical challenges and deliver practical solutions
- Provide specialist modelling expertise to Market Pricing teams
- Find opportunities to enhance Market Pricing and increase model accuracy
- Build, assess, and deploy advanced statistical and machine learning models for live pricing
- Evaluate market models rigorously for robustness and relevance
- Enhance existing models with new features, data sources, and analytical methods
- Decide how market models can be combined to improve competitiveness while remaining feasible
- Promote strong data science and software engineering practices
- Govern market models and supporting tools through documentation, code control, and peer review
- Support fair and transparent customer outcomes throughout model development
- Partner with Market Pricing, Retail Pricing, and Underwriting teams
- Collaborate with Data and ML Engineering teams to deploy models and analytical solutions
- Advance capabilities and establish best practices across Market Pricing
- Communicate complex modelling clearly and provide actionable recommendations
- Coach and support junior colleagues
- Run projects independently from start to finish
Requirements
- Demonstrated success delivering commercial value with supervised machine learning methods
- Advanced proficiency in Python programming
- Strong working knowledge of SQL and Git
- Advanced understanding of data science technologies and platforms
- Hands-on experience building and deploying predictive models
- Capability to lead projects from initiation through completion
- Excellent numerical reasoning and problem-solving ability
- Skill in explaining complex subjects to audiences with different levels of expertise
- Curious, proactive mindset focused on finding opportunities and improving established approaches
- Experience in general insurance or personal lines pricing is desirable
- Experience with market models, PCW data, or competitive insight tools is desirable
- Experience deploying solutions in Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform is desirable
- The recruitment process includes thorough credit and criminal record checks
Benefits
- Salary package aligned with experience
- Car allowance
- Annual salary reviews
- Flexible hybrid working
- Annual 4Cs performance bonus
- Private medical insurance
- Life assurance worth four times salary
- Income protection provided at no additional cost
- Pension contributions matched up to 10%
- Retail and company-product discounts with cashback opportunities
- Independent mortgage advice without arrangement fees
- Access to financial wellbeing support
- Thrive mental health app
- 24/7 colleague assistance programme
- In-house mental health first aiders
- Support groups and a dedicated mental wellbeing team
- 27 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
- Ability to buy or sell one contracted week
- Healthcare cashback plans
- Dental plans
- Discounted health assessments
- Cycle to work scheme
- Technology schemes
- Discounted and complimentary onsite facilities
- Social events held throughout the year
- Training and development support
- Recognition and rewards