Senior Manager, Advanced Analytics and Data Science, Accion Advisory

About Accion:

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the 1.6 billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build 299 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 77 countries, reaching over 500 million people. More at https://www.accion.org.

About Accion Advisory:

We are a diverse, close-knit global team with a common social purpose: building a financially inclusive world for small businesses and low-income households. The Advisory team is composed of deep technical experts who are passionate about working with a wide range of financial service providers, digital platform providers, FinTech's, and others across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to build sustainable businesses to achieve financial inclusion.

Combining cutting-edge innovation and a deep understanding of client needs, Accion’s Advisory team offers our partners and the industry unique and strategic insights, as well as operational expertise, grounded in decades of hands-on support to leading financial service providers (FSPs). Accion Advisory leverages innovations in financial services to lower costs and improve quality at scale, helping build sustainable, scalable institutions focused on serving the financial needs of underserved individuals and micro and small businesses (MSEs). Bringing customer-centric, data-driven, tech-enabled solutions and tools, Accion Advisory delivers support to FSPs and other value-added service providers to MSEs. We provide strategic and operational support to enhance our partners' capabilities and maximize their impact on underserved populations. We connect local ecosystem actors, harnessing philanthropic capital, digital public infrastructure, and the latest technologies to test, improve, and scale responsible financial solutions that enable small business owners and their families to improve their economic well-being.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Advanced Analytics and Data Science, will develop end-to-end statistical models required to drive decision-making and quality improvement in the delivery of financial products, working either directly with Financial Service Providers (FSPs) or consulting organizations that support and work with FSPs or new-age fintech companies.

The ideal candidate will have proven expertise in machine learning tools, exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, and exposure to financial services. The role requires technical expertise in designing and developing decision tools based on advanced machine learning and AI in the Asian region.

Some key responsibilities include supporting the integration of statistical models with financial product delivery, participating in discussions with executive and project teams to clearly define and ensure delivery against strategic objectives, and overseeing the application and adoption of advanced analytics and risk frameworks, tools, and techniques, both internally and with external project teams.

Position Responsibilities

Data science team management

• Define scope, milestones, KPIs, and deliverables to ensure focused execution for statistical/ML model development.
• In coordination with project managers and appropriate teams, lead the assigned model development projects from proposal through implementation, working closely with other project areas and project teams.
• Set expectations and data requirements for all ML and other statistical model developments with data analyst/engineer teams and work with the project teams to ensure all the data required for model design, development, deployment, and statistical analysis is prepared within defined standards.

Advanced Analytics & Risk

• Develop and control statistical transactional analytic models, integrating applicable Machine learning and relevant AI techniques.
• Manage, develop, and implement statistical models to support credit, collection, account maintenance, recovery processes, customer profiling, and segmentation for product-related marketing and uptake, etc.
• Validate, through statistical tools, the consistency of the information required for constructing the statistical and expert models required.
• Guide to continuously validate the prediction capabilities of the statistical models developed and implemented.
• Coordinate the preparation and documentation of the specific ML developments and follow up on related results.
• Develop and present training material to facilitate the implementation of the risk-based segmentation tools and other models developed.
• Contribute to the development of monitoring and maintenance tools for the risk-based segmentation tools implemented
• Ensure that overall project plan objectives are met and advise Regional leads and project managers on performance through timely reporting

Product Development & Strategy

• Support business development and project delivery meetings with partners to effectively represent and communicate the value of the Advisory’s modeling and analytics service offering and how it can be integrated into solutions for partners.
• Lead solutions efforts with partners and support project managers in refining and finalizing specific project related deliverables from a model development and analytics perspective.
• Lead and coordinate model development requirements for agreed-upon business implementations with platform/FSP partner teams. Ensure timely communications and updates to project managers and appropriate teams on all interactions with partners and support any partner discussions with modeling, data science, and analytics requirements.
• Develop high quality documentation and project collaterals to support all BD and implementations.
• Support documentation and collateral development to disseminate learnings and information from various implementations to support knowledge exchange both internally and for external consumption.

Position Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's/MSc/MA in Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, or Business. MBA is desirable.
• 10+ years of experience in the development of statistical models, including proven experience in guiding teams of data engineers and data scientists supporting financial institutions/financial service provides in statistical decision modeling.
• Strong experience in model development and statistical analysis
• Experience in MSE-focused technology businesses and/or Fintech; a financial services background is preferred .
• Use and advanced understanding of statistical modeling tools (SPSS, SAS, or similar platforms)
• Knowledge of Web programming languages like Python and Java.
• Knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, or PostgreSQL
• Knowledge in DevOps tools like Git, Jenkins, Docker is ideal
• Advanced statistical and financial skills, Credit Risk Modeling/Analysis, Data Mining, Financial knowledge; background in statistics or programming is preferred.
• Hands-on experience working in the design, building, and implementation of financial solutions/services. Strong experience in score-building and statistical analysis
• Excellent relationship-building skills, orientation to customer service, and an ability to sell ideas and motivate others.
• Ability to create and share project management-related documentation, including comprehensive and appealing presentations to partners.
• Ability to structure and scope complex problems and apply various analytical tools to develop solutions.
• Curious mindset & demonstrated initiative to learn the developments in fintech and the financial inclusion domain, with an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Excellent people skills and experience with multi-cultural environments are preferred.
• Willingness to embody Accion’s values of excellence, respect, and passion for social change
• Interested in our mission and working globally.
• Willingness to embody our values of excellence, respect and passion for social change.

• Excellence: Accion staff should always put forth their best effort in all activities, strive for high quality of collective and individual performance; and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times while in the workplace and while working on behalf of the organization.
• Respect: Accion staff should value one another’s roles and responsibilities as much as their own, be encouraging, and value the diverse and unique perspectives of colleagues. They should honor obligations and commitments to each other and to external partners.
• Passion for Social Change: Accion staff should be committed to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, value the greater good of the organization over personal gain, and promote a productive workplace by acknowledging the accomplishments of others.

Travel Requirements

• Travel up to 30% domestically and occasional international trips.

Accion is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Accion seeks qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, change of sex or transgender status, or any other basis protected by law. Accion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.