Data Science Manager

Hello. We’re Teya.

Teya was founded on a simple belief: local businesses deserve better.

They are the cafés, restaurants, salons, shops and entrepreneurs that bring character to our high streets, create jobs and keep communities moving. Yet for too long, financial services has made life harder for them - with clunky tools, poor support and complexity that gets in the way of running a business.

Teya exists to change that.

We’re building a financial platform for local businesses across Europe - one built around simple tools, thoughtful design and real human support. Our Members rely on us to help them run their business with confidence, and that responsibility shapes the way we work.

We move fast. We care about quality. We stay close to the detail. And we believe great performance and genuine hospitality should go hand in hand.

If you want to build meaningful products, solve real problems and make a genuine difference for local businesses, we’d love to hear from you

Data Science Manager

Your Mission

We're looking for a Data Science Manager to build and lead the data science function within the Credit & Analytics team at Teya. You will own the credit risk, pricing and customer value models that underpin our lending products, and shape how data science drives decisions across our credit, acquiring and business account products.

You will lead a team of data scientists, setting the modelling roadmap and the standards the team works to, while staying hands-on with the most complex and commercially important problems. You will take ownership of the full model lifecycle, from problem formulation and data exploration through to deployment in our credit decisioning system and ongoing performance management.

Working closely with Credit Strategy, Product, Finance, Engineering and Data Engineering, you will make sure our models are statistically sound, operationally robust and commercially meaningful. Your work will directly influence credit decisions, pricing and portfolio performance as we launch new lending products to small businesses across multiple geographies.

You will also grow the team. That means hiring strong data scientists, developing them through coaching and clear feedback, and building a culture of rigour, ownership and impact. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced credit modeller who wants to lead a team and make a measurable impact in a fast-growing fintech.

Responsibilities

• Team leadership: Lead, mentor and develop a team of data scientists. Set clear goals, run regular 1:1s and performance conversations, and create an environment where people do their best work.

• Hiring: Own hiring for the data science team, defining the profiles we need, running rigorous interview processes and raising the bar with every hire.

• Strategy and roadmap: Translate Teya's credit and commercial priorities into a clear data science roadmap. Prioritise the work that will have the biggest impact and communicate trade-offs to senior stakeholders.

• Model development: Lead the development of credit risk models, risk-based pricing engines and customer lifetime value frameworks. Stay hands-on with the most complex modelling problems and review the team's work for statistical soundness.

• Decisioning framework: Shape the overall framework for making credit decisions, incorporating data, models, calculators and rules. Partner with Product, Engineering, Data Engineering and Credit Strategy to bring it into production.

• Model governance: Own best practice across the model lifecycle, including documentation, validation, testing, monitoring and governance, so our models stand up to internal and regulatory scrutiny.

• Innovation: Identify and assess new internal and external data sources and modelling techniques that give Teya a competitive edge in how we assess and price risk.

• Stakeholder influence: Present models and their business impact to non-technical audiences, up to leadership and the executive committee, and turn modelling outputs into clear, actionable recommendations.

Requirements

• 7+ years' experience in data science or quantitative modelling, with strong hands-on experience in credit risk modelling, ideally in SME lending within a fast-paced environment (fintech, scale-up etc.).

• 2+ years' experience leading or managing data scientists, including hiring, coaching and developing team members.

• Degree in a quantitative field such as Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering or a related discipline. Advanced degree is a plus.

• Excellent applied quantitative skills, including machine learning techniques and a sound understanding of statistical model validation.

• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL, and experience deploying models into production alongside engineering teams.

• Proven track record of leading models through the full lifecycle, from problem definition to deployment, monitoring and improvement.

• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to connect modelling work to credit performance, pricing and business strategy.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence senior stakeholders across technical and non-technical teams.

• Familiarity with lending economics is a plus - expected loss, risk-adjusted returns, cohort repayment curves, NPV or customer lifetime value.

The Perks

• We trust you, so we offer flexible working hours, as long as it suits both you and your team.

• Physical and mental health support through our partnership with WellHub, giving free access to over 1,500 gyms in the UK, 1-1 therapy, meditation sessions, and digital fitness and nutrition apps.

• Our company offers extended and improved maternity and paternity leave choices, giving employees more flexibility and support.

• Cycle-to-Work Scheme.

• Health and Life Insurance.

• Pension Scheme.

• 25 days of Annual Leave (plus Bank Holidays).

• Office snacks every day.

• Friendly, comfortable, and informal office environment in Central London.

Teya is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or background can thrive and do their best work. We believe that a diverse team leads to better ideas, stronger outcomes, and a more supportive workplace for all.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process whether for interviews, assessments, or other parts of the application-we encourage you to let us know. We are committed to ensuring that every candidate has a fair and accessible experience with us.