Principal Data Scientist

Company Description

Lendi Group is a market-leading digital platform business that is focused on revolutionising the entire property journey. It operates Lendi - Australia’s original and #1 digital mortgage brand - and the iconic Aussie franchise.

Powered by an advanced AI proprietary platform, a national network of 1,300 brokers, 230 retail stores, a team of experienced buyer’s agents, integrated property search and conveyancing, Aussie is supporting customers at every step of their property journey to find, buy and own with more confidence than ever before. Lendi Group’s loan book is more than $100b and it was named Australia’s Aggregator of the Year for 2024.

To learn more about life at Lendi Group check out our blog: https://www.lendi.com.au/inspire/category/life-at-lendi/

Why Join Us?

• Innovation at Our Core – We challenge the status quo and push boundaries to create better solutions.
• Work with the Best – Collaborate with some of the brightest minds in fintech, financial services, and strategy.
• Make an Impact – Contribute to meaningful projects that shape our business and the future of property finance.
• Grow & Evolve – Develop your skills and advance your career in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment.

To ensure we remain at the cutting edge of technological advancements, we are seeking a visionary and results-driven Principal Data Scientist to join our Data Supergroup.

This role is pivotal in shaping the AI/ML strategy of the Group and deploying value-accretive solutions across the business. This senior position involves managing a small team of data scientists and partnering closely with senior business stakeholders across the Group including Growth, Customer, Origination and Technology.

You will have end-to-end accountability for the AI/ ML data product lifecycle from requirements gathering and ideation, to ongoing model maintenance and innovative product roadmap platform across the enterprise. 

Job Description

Strategic Leadership:

• Utilise strong commercial acumen to effectively translate the objectives and pain points of business stakeholders into technical requirements.
• Operate as a strategic advisor to the business on value-drivers and return on investment for AI/ ML initiatives including identification of opportunities, prioritisation and end-to-end implementation)
• Develop and implement the strategic roadmap for AI/ML initiatives across Lendi Group, and manage a portfolio of initiatives, in alignment with strategic business priorities and OKRs
• Develop assessment frameworks for AI/ ML model deployment including measurable return on investment across business and customer interactions
• Executive and Board engagement as required, including preparation of Board papers, business case and investment case papers

Innovation and Solution Deployment: 

• Commercial assessment of initiatives and budget management, including use-case assessment and prioritisation, implementation of prioritisation frameworks and governance forums
• Lead the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge AI/ML solutions
• Conduct vendor assessments to evaluate and recommend solutions, supporting the buy/ build/ acquire decision-making process
• Ensure best practices in MLOps, model deployment and lifecycle management are followed to maintain high standards of performance, scalability, robustness and reliability
• Ensure appropriate management of data science initiative costs, including vendors
• Develop comprehensive solution design and implementation plans for AI/ ML solutions across the data science lifecycle and project stages including ongoing maintenance and monitoring
• Work with cross-functional teams to operationalise AI/ ML in business operations and processes

Collaboration and Influence: 

• Work closely with Growth, Customer, and Distribution teams to identify key business questions and use-cases that could be appropriately solved with AI/ ML solutions and determine the best solution
• Collaborate with other data, technology and product teams to integrate AI solutions seamlessly into existing systems and workflows

Research and Development:

• Stay current with the latest advancements in AI/ ML technologies and methodologies, integrating relevant innovations into the Lendi Group AI strategy and roadmap
• Drive innovation by exploring and implementing new AI/ ML techniques and tools to solve complex business problems.
• Deep engagement with end-users to understand requirements and take a product-led approach to problem solving and solution design

Mentorship and Team Development:

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to data scientists and analysts fostering a culture of innovation and excellence. 
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and creative problem solving within the data science team.
• Implement best-practice documentation and data science lifecycle management practices.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Communicate complex concepts and solutions effectively to non-technical stakeholders.
• Present AI/ML strategies and updates to senior management and other key stakeholders.
• Be able to effectively communicate the value of AI/ ML solutions to business users and brokers

Qualifications

• Degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of the AI/ ML lifecycle including data collection, model development, deployment and monitoring
• Demonstrated experience with MLOps and best practices in AI/ ML model management
• Strong background in customer and marketing related AI/ ML use cases such as customer lifecycle management and content personalisation
• Experience in leading cross-functional teams and managing initiatives across different business domains including working across data engineering, data analytics and data science
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R and SQL and experience with Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
• Familiarity with AI/ ML frameworks and tools e.g. PyTorch, Tensorflow
• Excellent problem solving skills, a strategic mindset and the ability to think critically and creatively 
• Passionate about the opportunity to push the envelope while protecting our customers data
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels

Additional Information

Lendi Group teams operate across Australia and the Philippines. Bringing together diverse expertise, innovative technology and a customer-first approach, our teams work seamlessly to simplify the property journey, helping Australians find, buy and own property with confidence.

We support our people in a variety of ways, but a few of the benefits that our people rave about include:

• A vibrant, relaxed, yet professional culture.
• Hybrid working arrangement designed to support work-life balance, while fostering meaningful connection and collaboration.
• A holistic wellbeing programs offering 24/7 support, including medical, mental health, and financial wellbeing services to enable our workforce to thrive at home and work.
• Generous paid Parental Leave: we celebrate our growing Lendi Group family with 18-26 weeks leave for primary carers and up to 4 weeks for secondary carers.
• An additional week’s Loyalty Leave each year after reaching 3 years’ service.
• Wellness initiatives with a strong focus on psychological safety.

We’re committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community at Lendi Group. We believe that a team reflecting the world around us leads to greater innovation, stronger collaboration, and a more engaging workplace.

Our culture is guided by our 3 core values: We Are Stronger United; Act Like You Own It; and Keep Home Loans Human. Our values are part of our core DNA that helps Lendi Group to attract, engage and evolve the right talent and build best-in-class products.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of a fast-growing, purpose-driven company that’s transforming the homeownership journey.

Ready to contribute to Lendi Group’s next chapter? Apply now and be part of something big!

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