Data Scientist

IMMEDIATE MANAGER: Chief Actuary GRADE : 13 REGION / DEPARTMENT : Actuarial Department PURPOSE OF JOB : SALARY: Up to £70,000 My client has data stretching back decades about builders, building projects and associated issues that can give rise to costly repairs and remediation claims on the insurance against structural defects. This includes structured data, such as type of building, building methods and materials, location etc. as well as unstructured data, such as site inspection reports. The actuarial department is already using structured data to assess factors influencing claims costs, but there is an appetite in the company to expand the analyses that are provided to management to inform and support their decision making and improve the way the company does business. An example could be the analysis of site inspection reports in order to identify risk factors that could be used to move to a risk based inspection regime. The data scientist would work within the actuarial department in order to support these wider applications. The role holder will represent Actuarial/the team as required on relevant internal working groups. Role Lead in conjunction with the Data Knowledge Manager and Chief Actuary the development and improvement of the analytics and reporting capabilities. To develop and implement the practical application of advanced techniques to their data to increase and improve forecasting and predictive capabilities. The initial focus of this work will be on its application to Actuarial work areas of pricing and reserving but with a planned extension to apply such techniques to other business areas Develop solutions based upon best practices, methodologies, state-of-the-art tools and systems, and have the confidence to constructively challenge the status quo Work independently or as part of a team on complex projects from beginning to end. Understand the customer business needs, select the appropriate tools and methodologies, develop sophisticated solutions, present and document them Analyse and interpret large amounts of data assets, and articulate business insight in a clear and consistent manner. Communicate complex analytics results in terms that are meaningful to management Collaborate with internal/external customers to ensure proper use of analytical solutions, and engage in brainstorming sessions on the development of value added products and solutions To work alongside the other members of the actuarial department and other departments to investigate areas of application of such techniques and undertake investigative projects as needed To investigate the utilisation and leverage of the wider data set (insurance and non-insurance aspects of their operations) and the use of external datasets To support the Data Strategy Work with the Data Knowledge Manager and Chief Actuary to continue the implementation of Tableau as a reporting tool; this to include the establishment of a centre of excellence within Actuarial with capabilities to produce reports as required and to train and instruct others as required depending on their desire for self-service capabilities Support other actuarial requirements as appropriate via the sharing of knowledge and information, via peer review and specific joint work activities as required Criteria Essential Desirable Experience Required Experience with proven track record of developing new and innovative predictive analytics solutions that solve real business problems. Proven track record of managing large complex projects from beginning until the end Proficient Stats base & experience Strong SQL ability to query/join/transform data from various databases (Hadoop, Teradata, AWS) Strong Excel and PowerPoint desired, proficient Word Strong and broad experience of analytics and reporting including the use of predictive analytics and other statistical techniques Proven ability to interact with stakeholders at a range of levels Enthusiastic driver and innovator of data analytics with a track record of success Insurance experience would be beneficial A minimum of two to four years of work experience in a business environment is highly preferred Hands-on experience using SAS, SPSS, R, Python and SQL. Experience processing Big Data within the Hadoop environment for data mining and analysis. Experience analyzing commercial data will be desirable. QUALIFICATIONS Postgraduate degree (MSc or PhD) in a quantitative/applied field with good academic credentials in Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, Operational Research, Engineering or Economics. Skills/competencies Ability to demonstrate strong collaboration, communication, problem solving, project management, and stakeholder management skills Extraordinary analytical skills - likely to have been honed through relevant work experience in an analytical role Proficient user of Analytics software (prefer R, SAS or SPSS if no R) Hands-on practitioner of multivariate statistical analysis (regression and segmentation) Ability to interpret data and analysis results to generate insights Effectively communicate complex ideas to primary business partners, both verbally and in writing Strong client service skills Strong time management and project management skills Eagerness to learn the business Problem-solving skills; desire to push the team forward from a technical perspective; desire bring in new solutions to improve efficiency and allow new ways of looking at tasks and process Strong IT skills relating to Actuarial software and standard office products Planning and project management experience Working knowledge of tableau Knowledge The application and interpretation of data to form relevant outputs Knowledge of actuarial techniques, market practice, relevant legislation and insurance market environment, awareness of emerging market developments 3 Broad and holistic understanding of general insurance company operations Personal qualities (for example, self-motivation)