Lead Data Scientist

Allianz is one of the largest general insurers in the UK, offering a range of personal and commercial insurance solutions for our customers. We at Allianz Commercial are dedicated to harnessing the power of data to drive business growth and solve complex challenges. We are seeking a talented and experienced Lead Data Scientist with experience in leading, designing and delivering data & AI/ML products preferably in the Insurance sector, to join our data science team. As a Data Scientist, you will lead advanced analytics and ML projects, leveraging the power of Azure tools and services, mentor junior team members, and drive innovation through cutting-edge data solutions.

As a Lead Data Scientist at Allianz Commercial, you will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of sophisticated analytical models and strategies. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify business opportunities, design experiments, and develop predictive models. Your expertise in statistical analysis, machine learning, and data visualization within the Data Science ecosystem will be instrumental in extracting meaningful insights from diverse datasets. This role requires exceptional problem-solving skills, the ability to communicate complex findings effectively, and a proven track record of delivering data-driven solutions leveraging open-source tools/algorithms/models as well as the Azure cloud platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute complex data science projects using a combination of open-source and Azure cloud tools, driving innovation, and delivering actionable insights.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to identify data-driven opportunities, and design experiments and analytical approaches to address specific challenges.
• Identify opportunities for innovation through analytics in the business of Allianz, and influence business stakeholders in shaping them into viable candidates, which align with strategic objectives. Evaluate potential, scope projects, and define deliverables.
• Analyse business data and AI priorities, strategies and requirements and translate them into reusable architecture artefacts for the enterprise.
• Develop and deploy advanced machine learning models using Azure Machine Learning and open-source stack.
• Apply statistical analysis and hypothesis testing to validate model performance and ensure robustness.
• Coach, guide and nurture talent within data science team, fostering their growth, skill development and overall ability to deliver business impact.
• Create data visualizations and dashboards using tools like Streamlit or Dash Plotly, to effectively communicate insights to stakeholders, provide model explainability and model inference to end users.
• Stay abreast of the latest data science techniques, tools, and best practices, and proactively apply them to enhance our data science capabilities.
• Participate in cross-functional projects and collaborate with data engineers and analysts to ensure data quality and availability within databases and services.
• Quick to learn, ability to prioritise activities and responsive to the needs of the business.
• To liaise with business SMEs to achieve a common understanding of the business challenge, their needs, data requirements and expected Statistical modelling of data.
• Document methodologies, experiments, and results to ensure the reproducibility of analyses.

About you

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field.
• Experience and understanding of Insurance Domain, and ability to influence and shape business use-cases.
• Proven experience as a Data Scientist, with a strong track record of leading and delivering advanced data science projects.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, and extensive experience with ML algorithms and Models. (Regression, Tree based, Unsupervised, NLP, open-source models).
• Experience with other Azure cloud services like Azure ML studio, Azure functions, Azure Pipelines, Mlflow, Promptflow, Azure OpenAI, Azure Synapse Analytics, etc., is a plus.
• Understanding of Knowledge Graphs and LLM’s is advantageous.
• Solid understanding of statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and experimental design.
• Expertise in machine learning algorithms and frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch).
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to translate business challenges into data science solutions.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and CI/CD practices.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor data science teams, driving collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Passion for continuous learning and staying updated with advancements in data science and analytics.

What can we offer you

We believe you should be well rewarded for the passion and enthusiasm you put into your work. So we provide competitive remuneration and benefits to suit your needs. Just pick the benefits which suit you best so you end up with a package that’s perfect for you:

• Flexible and Hybrid working from our Guildford office
• Competitive salary plus great benefits
• Annual bonus based on business and personal performance
• Generous pension contributions from day 1 - 3% employee contribution and we will contribute an additional 5%. If you wish to contribute more Allianz will match this up to a maximum of an additional 5% (10% in total). After 3 years the company contributions increase to 8% and after 5 years 10%.
• Development days – we actively support your personal development with training, Allianz Pricing Academy, professional qualifications.
• A discount up to 50% on a range of insurance products including car, home and pet
• A range of optional flexible benefits that you can select

About Us

In the UK, Allianz Insurance employs over 8,000 people up and down the country. The company’s Head Office is situated in Guildford, Surrey, plus we have additional support services with over 1,000 people based in Trivandrum, India. We offer commercial insurance with a full range of products for sole traders, right up to large commercial organisations. We also provide a range of personal insurances including, home and motor, musical, legal expenses insurance and cover for pets and horses.

We're a global company, but from the very first day you join our team you’ll know that your contributions are valued. We offer world class learning and career development opportunities, while we celebrate an inclusive culture. Find out more about Allianz Insurance.

Growing your career with Allianz

We'll provide you with the tools to adapt and change with us, so you can grow your career, while building the skills needed for whatever the future brings.

Inclusion & Diversity

We believe that having a strong focus on Inclusion and Diversity enables us to better understand the customers we serve and the people across our teams. We recognise that people work in different ways and we value alternative viewpoints, celebrate individuality and foster a culture where everyone can bring their best self to work and feel a sense of belonging. It’s really important to us that we create a diverse workforce and we welcome and encourage applications from everyone.

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments and support to all applicants with a disability and we interview every applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact us at hr-recruitment@allianz.co.uk to let us know if you have a disability and to discuss how we can support you throughout the application process.

Join us - Let’s Care For Tomorrow