Lead Data Scientist, Credit Risk

Chime is seeking a Lead Data Scientist specializing in Credit Risk to join their team in Chicago, IL, or San Francisco, CA. This role involves leading the credit strategy for new applicants, starting with Instant Loans and expanding to future unsecured credit products like credit cards. The position requires collaboration with cross-functional teams, including product, growth, data engineering, machine learning, and analytics, to develop and implement risk policies and strategies throughout the member lifecycle.

Key responsibilities include owning the credit strategy for new-to-Chime applicants, developing channel-specific credit policies, designing acquisition and repayment strategies, leveraging various data sources for underwriting, leading test-and-learn initiatives, partnering with Finance and Strategy for forecasting, collaborating with data teams to build monitoring dashboards, and working with cross-functional teams to implement risk models and strategies in production. Additionally, the role involves partnering with Compliance, Legal, Fair Lending, Model Risk Management, Fraud, and bank partners to document and govern credit policies, as well as mentoring other credit risk data scientists.

Candidates should have a Master's degree in a quantitative discipline, with a PhD being a plus, and at least 7 years of analytical or data science experience in Financial Services, preferably at a FinTech company. A minimum of 4 years of experience building and managing risk for unsecured credit products is required, along with hands-on experience with credit bureau data and prescreen, pre-approval, or direct mail credit programs. Proficiency in SQL, Python, and advanced Microsoft Excel is essential, as well as a strong grounding in statistics and machine learning for credit. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment are also necessary.

The base salary for this role is competitive and may vary based on location, skills, qualifications, and experience. Full-time employees are eligible for bonuses, equity, and benefits.

Chime offers a dynamic and mission-driven environment focused on solving challenging analytical problems. The company provides opportunities for growth and development, fostering a collaborative culture that values innovation and impact.