Senior Data Scientist

Guild Mortgage Company, closing loans and opening doors since 1960. As a mortgage banking firm we are dedicated to serving the home owner/buyer. Our goal is to provide affordable home financing for our customers, utilizing the best terms available while providing a level of professionalism and service unsurpassed in the lending industry. 

Position Summary

The Senior Data Scientist is a key technical position and plays an important role in the organization by leading and performing number of activities related to the company’s Information Technology functions. The Sr. Data Scientist is responsible for leading the development and deployment of innovative and impactful data products and services that solve various business problems and create value for the company and its customers. The role requires a strong background in machine learning, statistics, programming, and data engineering, as well as excellent communication and collaboration skills. The Sr. Data Scientist works closely with other data scientists, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to understand the business needs, define the data requirements, design and implement the data pipelines and workflows, apply and evaluate the machine learning models, and deliver and communicate the data analysis results and findings. The Sr. Data Scientist also mentors and coaches’ junior data scientists and engineers and stays updated with the latest research and trends in data science and related fields.

Compensation 

This role is an exempt position with a Targeted Salary Range of $124,000 to $170,000 annually.

Compensation at Guild is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to local and federal minimum wage requirements, education, level of experience, and applicant’s geographical location.

Essential Functions

• Lead the development and deployment of sophisticated analytics models to predict, quantify, and interpret complex data related to mortgage lending. Utilize machine learning, statistical analysis, and other advanced techniques to improve decision-making processes, risk assessment, and customer segmentation.
• Work closely with business units to identify opportunities for leveraging company data to drive business solutions. Innovate and implement new modeling techniques and algorithms for predictive analytics and data mining Act as a thought leader, staying abreast of the latest industry trends and technologies in data science.
• Applying advanced machine learning techniques and algorithms to analyze large and complex data sets, such as supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, recommender systems, anomaly detection, etc.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of data used for analysis. Implement data collection systems and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and data quality. Collaborate with data engineering teams to improve data collection, storage, processing, and security practices.
• Partner with IT, software development, and business teams to translate business needs into technical specifications. Design and build data-driven products and services that enhance the customer experience and contribute to the bottom Facilitate the integration of analytics and machine learning capabilities into the company’s operations and decision-making processes.
• Develop and present clear, comprehensive reports and visualizations for both technical and non-technical audiences. Communicate complex analytical results and insights in a manner that is easily understandable, facilitating informed decision-making across the company.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior data scientists and Lead project teams, ensuring the timely and successful completion of projects. Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and collaboration within the team.
• Identify, track, and monitor trends and avoidable technology-related errors; work across functions to develop complex solutions, improvements, and stop-gaps.
• Focus on the continual improvement of policies, procedures, and processes falling under the scope of authority.
• Use expertise to resolve high level issues that cannot be solved by teammates.
• Stay abreast of latest technology trends and participate in high-level decisions impacting the direction of the Information Technology function.
• Partner with the DevOps team to setup scalable MLOps pipelines.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science, or related quantitative field is required.
• Master's Degree directly related to the position or equivalent, preferred.
• Minimum five years' experience in Data Science related role(s) and two of those years spent in a senior level role(s) required. A combination of education and related experience may be considered in lieu of experience requirements.
• Expertise in statistical software (e.g., R, SAS), programming languages (e.g., Python, SQL), and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark). Strong experience with machine learning libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI).
• Proven experience with data lake and warehouse best practices and leading products in the marketplace.
• Experience collecting structured, semi-structured and unstructured data in various popular formats and sourced from internal core systems as well as 3rd partner providers such as Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Zillow, CoreLogic, MLS Data, Public Records, and Property Data.
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills. Ability to work with complex datasets and extract meaningful Strong understanding of statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and machine learning algorithms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage projects and Strong mentoring and coaching skills to nurture talent within the team. Ability to inspire and drive innovation.
• Strong strategic thinking and planning Ability to align data science activities with business objectives. Proven capability to work under pressure and adapt to changing business environments.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks in a deadline-driven environment, strong sense of urgency and responsiveness.
• Strong detail orientation and highly organized with proven ability to lead effectively and drive results in a matrixed management environment.
• Ability to think critically, including the ability to evaluate facts and data to draw conclusions, determine the downstream impact of decisions and associated risks.
• Self-starter with the demonstrated ability to learn/adapt to new technologies and techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented; ability to work in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Word, Excel, Wiki, collaborative cloud-based programs, and third-party software applications required.
• Commitment to company values.
• Customer Service - Proactive attention to each person
• Integrity - Do and say what's right
• Respect - Treat others with dignity
• Collaboration - Listen and work together
• Learning - Seek knowledge and strive for improvement
• Excellence – Deliver the unexpected

Requirements

Physical: Work is primarily sedentary; mobility in an office setting.

Manual Dexterity:  Frequent use of computer keyboard and mouse.

Audio/Visual: Ability to accurately interpret sounds and associated meanings at a volume consistent with interpersonal conversation. Regularly required to accurately perceive, distinguish and interpret information received visually and through audio, e.g., words, numbers and other data broadcasted aloud/viewed on a screen, as well as print and other media.

Environmental:  Office environment – moderate noise, no substantial exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

Travel: 5% or less

Mental: Learn new tasks, remember processes, maintain focus, complete tasks independently, and make timely decisions in the context of a workflow. This role requires effective adaptation to workplace stressors, including customer service complaints, security responsibilities, and competing priorities. Must be able to adhere to process protocol. Must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner.

Schedules: Work is primarily performed during the business week, Monday - Friday

Supervision

• Job Scope: Responsible for understanding the department/functional area objectives and goals and how own job contributes to achievement of these goals; may recommend changes and enhancements based on analysis and evaluation of circumstances
• Complexity: General precedents may exist for most problems; conducts independent research/analysis to identify the appropriate approach
• Impact: Decisions and actions primarily impact own work with limited impact on peers in their area, contributes as team member rather than leader
• Interaction/Supervision: Acts as a mentor/guide to less experienced professional contributor staff in a similar role; works independently and only under general direction; guided by professional standards, desired outcomes, and project plan specifications

Guild offers a pleasant work environment, competitive compensation and excellent benefits package; including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, LTD and 401(k) with employer match.

Guild Mortgage Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

REQ#: SENIO017874