Position is open
Level:
Place: Data Science
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (Hybrid/Remote options available) Reports to: Data Science Manager
Pezesha is a leading embedded finance company that provides affordable and data-driven credit solutions to MSMEs across Africa. We combine technology, alternative data, and financial partnerships to close the $360B financing gap for small businesses while ensuring sustainable financial inclusion.
We are looking for a Senior Data Scientist to join our team and lead the development of advanced credit risk models, strategic insights, and business intelligence tools that drive high repayment rates, operational efficiency, and portfolio growth. This role is critical in strengthening our risk management framework and scaling our impact across the continent.
Credit Risk Model Development
Develop, test, and iterate credit risk models on a quarterly basis.
Ensure repayment rates consistently exceed 95%, with a default rate of less than 3% across all portfolios.
Strategic Data Insights
Provide data-driven insights and reports to portfolio leads, senior management, and external stakeholders.
Translate findings into actionable strategies to enhance performance and mitigate risks.
Data Extraction, Cleaning & Mining
Lead the end-to-end processes of data extraction, cleaning, transformation, and mining.
Build datasets that power descriptive, predictive, and spatial models to support decision-making.
Cross-Functional Experimentation
Design and lead experiments across business units to optimize products, processes, and risk strategies.
Measure and communicate results to ensure learnings drive continuous improvements.
Business Intelligence Development
Develop and enhance BI tools to maximize product efficiency, improve Lifetime Value (LTV), and gross margins.
Deliver at least two major BI tool enhancements or new feature implementations per quarter.
Real-Time Dashboards & Reporting
Build and maintain real-time dashboards with a 99% uptime and accuracy target.
Deliver monthly finance reports on-time and with > 99% accuracy in reports. Continuously add to exception reports to enhance portfolio quality and leverage AI + automation to improve reporting processes.
Ensure accurate and timely lender reporting, portfolio impact analysis, and internal business reporting.
Documentation & Transparency
Maintain clear documentation of models, experiments, and workflows to ensure reproducibility and transparency.
Mentorship & Team Leadership
Mentor junior data scientists and analysts, fostering a collaborative, learning-driven culture.
Lead the data science team in setting priorities, managing workloads, and delivering high-quality outputs.
Task Delegation & Ad Hoc Priorities
Execute tasks assigned by the CEO, COO, Data Science Manager or CDO, prioritizing based on organizational goals and impact.
LMS Accuracy: Achieve and maintain ≥ 98% accuracy in Learning Management System data validation.
Sprint Completion: Deliver 90%+ completion rate for planned sprints on time.
SLA Adherence: Maintain 95%+ adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) across data services.
Knowledge Transfer: Deliver and track quarterly KT sessions and training for the data team.
Credit Risk Model Performance: Maintain 95% repayment rate and < 3% default rate via model iterations.
Business Intelligence: Deliver at least 2 new BI enhancements/features per quarter to improve reporting and decision-making.
Master’s or higher in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, or related field.
6+ years of proven experience in data science, machine learning, and credit risk modeling (preferably in fintech or financial services).
Strong expertise in Python, R, SQL, and big data tools.
Experience with machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, XGBoost, etc.).
Proficiency in data visualization tools (PowerBI, ggplot, or plotly).
Strong understanding of credit risk management, repayment behavior, and portfolio analytics.
Excellent leadership, mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.
Be part of a mission-driven company enabling financial inclusion for MSMEs across Africa. Work with a high-impact, data-driven team solving real-world financial challenges.
Opportunities for growth, leadership, and regional exposure in a fast-scaling fintech. Competitive compensation and benefits package.
To apply, please send your CV and github link or work to jobs@pezesha.com with the subject line: REF 26 – Senior Data Scientist