Principal Data Scientist – ML & AI model development

As a leader in digital financial services, our customer and employee experiences run on data. We depend on the Ally analytics community to fuel these journeys and to help nearly 10,000 leaders and employees make countless data-driven decisions every day. Our analytics community has hundreds of analytics professionals across Ally in communities focused on business analytics, data science, R, Python, Power BI and more and continues to grow every day. As you read this, our Technology and Digital organization is deploying our new Cloud Computing platform to accelerate and expand our digital capability.

We're looking for a passionate Principal Data Scientist with technical expertise and GenAI knowledge for our Auto Consumer Strategy & Analytics group. This candidate will report to the Data Science Director, with responsibilities of (1) preparing, preprocessing, and validating consumer data for Ally Auto Finance business, (2) utilizing data science techniques to facilitate servicing analytics & asset management strategy, and (3) supporting through-the-cycle predictive/quantitative modeling & advanced analytics for Ally Consumer Servicing Organization. The ideal candidate should be passionate about data science and consumer risk analytics for banking & financial services. Strong SQL and Python programming skills are a must. A successful candidate should have strong analytical skills and the desire to make an impact, while also be a creative and critical thinker, storyteller, learner, and innovator and want to work in an environment focused on using data science and big data tech.

Do you have a focus on measurable business outcomes, strong analytical skills, and a desire to make an impact? If you are a creative and critical thinker, storyteller, learner and innovator and want to work in an environment focused on using data science and big data tech, keep reading.

This role is quantitative in nature and requires the individual highly capable of interrogating and analyzing massive account-level data using Snowflake SQL and Python. The candidate will join the data science team to advance predictive analytics and modeling for consumer asset management of Ally auto finance business, with the responsibility of completing all phases of data science projects, including account-level data preparation, variable cleaning and screening, pre-processing and exploratory data analysis, data validation and documentation. This principal data scientist must be an innovative and strategic thinker, willing to challenge status quo, can learn quickly, and is self-motivated and detail oriented.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply rigorous quantitative techniques to build and/or test predictive ML & GenAI models and risk scores (internally developed or vendor sourced) for usage in account management, consumer risk, collection & servicing functions.
• Heavy emphasis on advanced modeling techniques (Regression, Clustering, Tree-based algorithms, GBM), independent data processing by Snowflake SQL and Python, and ability to create predictive and statistical models from the ground up.
• Independently prepare and analyze large, account-level consumer data from internal and external sources to identify strong risk indicators for Ally auto finance consumer’s delinquency, loss & recovery.
• Support data science projects such as customer segmentation and strategy optimization to advance servicing analytics and consumer asset management.
• Facilitate data projects with 3rd-party vendors under regulatory and compliance rules.
• Actively working with Model Risk Management to ensure the high-standards of model development, validation, performance monitoring, and regulatory review & auditing

Minimal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Quantitative/Technical Discipline (Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science/Analytics, Economics)
• Minimum 5 years of analytics or data science / quantitative modeling work experience, with hands-on experience working with large account-level datasets using SQL and Python programming packages

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in loan-level predictive data mining for consumer finance industry
• Experience with machine learning techniques (e.g., gradient boosting, regression, decision trees, cluster analysis)
• Experience with GitHub and repositories
• Master's degree or PhD in a quantitative field
• Deep expertise in statistics and exploratory data analysis (EDA), paired with the ability to establish trustworthy benchmarks and operational performance monitoring for deployed models
• Strong knowledge in programming languages of Python, Snowflake SQL
• Solid written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively present data analytics results to internal and external stakeholders
• Highly self-motivated, with the ability to work effectively in fast paced environment

• Time Away: Program starts at 20 paid time off days in addition to 11 paid holidays and 8 hours of volunteer time off yearly (time off days are prorated based on start date and program varies based on full or part-time status and management level).
• Planning for the Future: plan for the near and long term with an industry-leading 401K retirement savings plan with matching and company contributions, student loan pay downs and 529 educational save up assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, employee stock purchase plan, and financial learning center and financial coach access.
• Supporting your Health & Well-being: flexible health and insurance options including medical, dental and vision, employee, spouse and child life insurance, short- and long-term disability, pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions, Healthcare FSA, critical illness, accident & hospital indemnity insurance, and a total well-being program that helps you and your family stay on track physically, socially, emotionally, and financially.
• Building a Family: adoption, surrogacy and fertility assistance as well as paid parental and caregiver leave, Dependent Day Care FSA back-up child and adult/elder care days and childcare discounts.
• Work-Life Integration: other benefits including Mentally Fit Employee Assistance Program, subsidized and discounted Weight Watchers® program and other employee discount programs.
• Other compensations: depending on the role for which you are considered, you may be eligible for travel allowances, relocation assistance, a signing bonus and/or equity.
• To view more detailed information about Ally’s Total Rewards, please visit this link: https://www.ally.com/content/dam/pdf/corporate/ally-total-rewards-snapshot.pdf

Who We Are:

Ally Financial is a customer-centric, leading digital financial services company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions. We are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.ally.com.

Ally is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy status, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic disposition or any other reason protected by law.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical or mental disabilities. For accommodation requests, email us at hrpolicy@ally.com. Ally will not discriminate against any qualified individual who is capable of performing the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.