Data Science Manager - Finance Al-Futtaim Automotive

Data Science Manager - Finance Al-Futtaim Automotive

Al-Futtaim Automotive is the automotive division of Al Futtaim Group, headquartered in Dubai, UAE. The Group operates in automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare, employing more than 35,000 people across more than 20 countries. Our values are respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, and we are committed to customer focus and innovation.

Overview of the Role

As a Data Science Manager (Finance) you will lead AI and data science initiatives that optimize financial performance, strengthen risk management, and improve business decision making. The role focuses on advanced predictive modeling, financial forecasting, and portfolio optimization to create measurable impact across the organization.

What You Will Do

• Build and deploy predictive models for residual value optimization, credit risk scoring, probability of default, and F&I leasing pricing optimization.
• Standardize financial KPIs and risk dashboards using statistical process control and advanced visualization tools.
• Generate financial insights through time series analysis, portfolio optimization, survival analysis and risk modeling.
• Collaborate with finance and risk teams to identify and prioritize high potential data driven use cases.
• Lead and mentor a team of data scientists, ensuring the delivery of scalable machine learning and AI models.
• Report to the Head of Financial Data Science and oversee a team that plays a critical role in enhancing financial planning, risk management, and profitability.

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced expertise in time series forecasting, regression, logistic regression and random forests.
• Strong skills in survival analysis, reinforcement learning, and genetic algorithms.
• Deep knowledge of portfolio optimization, risk modelling and causal inference techniques.
• Proficiency in deep learning (CNNs, RNNs, LSTMs, Transformers) and advanced pattern recognition.
• Strong understanding of financial regulations and their impact on AI/ML model development.
• Excellent stakeholder management and ability to translate complex financial models into actionable insights.
• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in Financial Analytics, Computer Science or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in financial analytics, data science and machine learning.
• Hands on expertise in advanced statistics, optimization, causal and Bayesian modeling, Monte Carlo simulations, graph neural networks and recommender systems.
• Proficient in Python, SQL, Databricks and ML libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit learn, ARIMA/SARIMA, Prophet.
• Knowledge of NLP, autoencoders, transformers, NER, computer vision (OpenCV, YOLO) and model explainability (SHAP, LIME).
• Experience with MLOps, Git and visualization tools (Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly).
• Strong leadership, problem solving and communication skills to manage teams and deliver business impact.

About The Team

You will report to the Head of Financial Data Science and lead a team of Data Scientists and a Data Science Manager within the Finance Department.

About Al-Futtaim Automotive

Al-Futtaim Automotive is an industry leader with presence in 10 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We specialize in distribution, manufacturing, leasing and aftersales, and represent iconic automotive brands. Our mission is to become the leader in custom made mobility solutions by delivering world class omni channel experiences.

We empower talent to move forward.