Vice President - Data Science
First seen by Alion on Oct 10, 2026.
Role & responsibilities :
We are seeking an experienced Credit Risk professional with 10+ years of experience in Credit Risk Modelling, Portfolio Analytics, and Risk Strategy. The role will be responsible for driving end-to-end credit risk strategy across the customer lifecycle including model development, monitoring and deployment, portfolio management, IFRS 9/ECL analytics, and other data science initiatives.
- Own and define the credit risk strategy and risk appetite framework across retail lending portfolios ensuring alignment with business objectives and long-term risk tolerance.
- Oversee the end-to-end model lifecycle for Application, Behavioral, Collections, and IFRS 9/ECL models, including development, governance, validation, implementation, and ongoing performance optimization.
- Drive portfolio analytics and performance management through continuous monitoring of acquisition quality, vintages, delinquencies, losses, credit costs, early warning indicators, concentration risks, and emerging portfolio trends.
- Recommend enhancements to credit policies, underwriting frameworks, and decision strategies by translating analytical insights into actionable risk controls, customer segmentation, approval criteria, exposure management, and portfolio optimization initiatives.
- Build and enhance automated decisioning and Straight-Through Processing (STP) frameworks, leveraging bureau data, open banking data, alternative data sources, and advanced analytics to improve risk-adjusted growth and customer experience.
- Establish robust model risk management practices, including model validation, performance monitoring, drift detection, periodic recalibration, redevelopment, documentation, governance, and audit readiness.
- Partners with Business, Product, Technology, Data Engineering, and Operations teams to evaluate growth opportunities, implement risk strategy changes, optimize customer acquisition, and enhance portfolio profitability.
- Present portfolio insights, model outcomes, stress-testing results, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership, management committees, board-level forums, and risk governance committees.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory, governance, and audit requirements, including RBI guidelines, model governance standards, IFRS 9 requirements, internal audits, and external regulatory reviews.
- Drive risk transformation and innovation initiatives by improving data infrastructure, analytical capabilities, decision engines, monitoring frameworks, and end-to-end credit lifecycle processes.
- Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing analytics and risk teams, fostering technical excellence in statistics, machine learning, risk modelling, portfolio analytics, and strategic decision-making.
Essential requirements :
- Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Engineering, or quantitative Finance or Management.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in data science, Credit risk analytics, with a clear track record of owning portfolio risk in a bank, NBFC, or fintech.
Preferred :
- Master's degree from Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Engineering, or quantitative Finance or Management.
Functional Traits :
- Credit Risk Strategy & Portfolio Management : Ability to define risk appetite, optimize portfolio performance, and balance growth, profitability, and risk.
- Risk Modelling Expertise : Strong experience scorecards development, stress testing, model governance, and validation.
- Advanced Analytics & Decisioning : Expertise in statistics, machine learning, portfolio analytics, automated decisioning, and risk policy design.
- Regulatory & Governance Knowledge : Deep understanding of RBI regulations, IFRS 9, model risk management, and audit/compliance requirements.
- Business & Stakeholder Management : Ability to translate analytical insights into business strategy and influence senior leadership decisions.
Desired Behavioural Traits :
- Strategic Thinker : Anticipates emerging risks and aligns risk strategy with long-term business objectives.
- Strong Leadership : Builds, mentors, and develops high-performing analytics and risk teams.
- Influential Communicator : Effectively presents complex analytical insights to senior stakeholders and governance forums.
- Change & Innovation Driven : Champions transformation, automation, and data-driven decision-making across the credit lifecycle.
Skills
Data Science, Machine Learning, CAIO, Data Management, Data Scientist, Credit Risk Modeling, Artificial Intelligence