Data Science Lead

#ZCC 

Zurich Capability Center is looking for a:

Data Scientist Lead

Your role As a Data Scientist Lead, you will drive the development and delivery of advanced analytics solutions and guide a team of data scientists to solve complex business problems. Your main tasks will involve:

• Understand business problems and structure analytical approaches to solve them, proactively engaging with stakeholders to translate business needs into data science use cases.

• Lead the design and development of proof of concepts from data that help deliver improved business results and decide which concepts to scale into production solutions.

• Oversee the preparation and pre-processing of datasets needed to deliver analytical solutions, ensuring data quality, consistency, and reusability.

• Generate distinctive risk insights that deliver improved business results, and challenge existing views using data-driven evidence.

• Build and implement predictive models and other analytical solutions using both structured and unstructured data, and coach team members on best practices and coding standards.

• Collaborate closely with Data Engineers, ML/AI Ops, and IT teams to deploy models into production environments, define monitoring frameworks, and ensure model performance and stability over time.

• Lead communication of findings, implications, and model performance to business stakeholders, helping them understand the impact on decisions, processes, and outcomes.

• Mentor and support junior data scientists, fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and adherence to Zurich’s standards for quality, security, and compliance.

Your Skills and Experience

As a Data Scientist Lead, your skills and experience will ideally include:

• University education (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in a quantitative field (e.g. Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, or similar).

• Several years of hands-on experience as a Data Scientist (or similar role) delivering models and analytical solutions into production.

• Working knowledge of Python and standard data science packages (e.g. NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow), and ability to set coding and documentation best practices for the team.

• Passion for working with data and developing insights for use in business decisions, and the ability to identify high-impact opportunities for advanced analytics.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including:

          o Advanced knowledge of statistical and predictive modeling techniques such as machine learning models (GBM, Random Forest etc.), decision trees, probability networks, association rules, clustering, regression, GLMs, SVMs, HMMs, time series, survival analysis, and neural networks and their application to business decisions.

          o Use of state-of-the-art deep learning approaches (e.g. CNN, transformer, RNN/LSTM/GRU, GCN/GNN) to extract value from massive amounts of unstructured data (text, images).

          o Advanced knowledge of fine-tuning (e.g. PEFT, LoRA, RLHF) and customizing large language models (e.g. GPT, BERT, Flan-T5, Llama, Dolly, BART), embedding approaches (e.g. Word2Vec, t-SNE), prompt engineering, and vectorization.

• Demonstrated experience in leading projects or small teams, including planning work, prioritizing use cases, and coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially the ability to translate technical results for business audiences and influence decision-makers.

• English – B2 or better; additional languages are an advantage depending on location.

• Experience with Azure and Databricks is an advantage, including using cloud-native tooling and MLOps practices.

• Experience with SQL and other programming languages (e.g. R, Scala, or Java) is an advantage.

• Prior work experience in insurance or financial services is a plus, particularly in risk, pricing, claims, or customer analytics. Data Scientist Lead 

Your role 
As a Data Scientist Lead, you will drive the development and delivery of advanced analytics solutions and guide a team of data scientists to solve complex business problems. Your main tasks will involve: 
• Understand business problems and structure analytical approaches to solve them, proactively engaging with stakeholders to translate business needs into data science use cases. 
• Lead the design and development of proof of concepts from data that help deliver improved business results and decide which concepts to scale into production solutions. 
• Oversee the preparation and pre-processing of datasets needed to deliver analytical solutions, ensuring data quality, consistency, and reusability. 
• Generate distinctive risk insights that deliver improved business results, and challenge existing views using data-driven evidence. 
• Build and implement predictive models and other analytical solutions using both structured and unstructured data, and coach team members on best practices and coding standards. 
• Collaborate closely with Data Engineers, ML/AI Ops, and IT teams to deploy models into production environments, define monitoring frameworks, and ensure model performance and stability over time. 
• Lead communication of findings, implications, and model performance to business stakeholders, helping them understand the impact on decisions, processes, and outcomes. 
• Mentor and support junior data scientists, fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and adherence to Zurich’s standards for quality, security, and compliance. 

Your Skills and Experience 
As a Data Scientist Lead, your skills and experience will ideally include: 
• University education (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in a quantitative field (e.g. Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, or similar). 
• Several years of hands-on experience as a Data Scientist (or similar role) delivering models and analytical solutions into production. 
• Working knowledge of Python and standard data science packages (e.g. NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow), and ability to set coding and documentation best practices for the team. 
• Passion for working with data and developing insights for use in business decisions, and the ability to identify high-impact opportunities for advanced analytics. 
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including:  

o Advanced knowledge of statistical and predictive modeling techniques such as machine learning models (GBM, Random Forest etc.), decision trees, probability networks, association rules, clustering, regression, GLMs, SVMs, HMMs, time series, survival analysis, and neural networks and their application to business decisions. 
o Use of state-of-the-art deep learning approaches (e.g. CNN, transformer, RNN/LSTM/GRU, GCN/GNN) to extract value from massive amounts of unstructured data (text, images). 
o Advanced knowledge of fine-tuning (e.g. PEFT, LoRA, RLHF) and customizing large language models (e.g. GPT, BERT, Flan-T5, Llama, Dolly, BART), embedding approaches (e.g. Word2Vec, t-SNE), prompt engineering, and vectorization. 

• Demonstrated experience in leading projects or small teams, including planning work, prioritizing use cases, and coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially the ability to translate technical results for business audiences and influence decision-makers. 
• English – B2 or better; additional languages are an advantage depending on location. 
• Experience with Azure and Databricks is an advantage, including using cloud-native tooling and MLOps practices. 
• Experience with SQL and other programming languages (e.g. R, Scala, or Java) is an advantage. 
• Prior work experience in insurance or financial services is a plus, particularly in risk, pricing, claims, or customer analytics. 

Who we are

Looking for a challenging and inspiring work environment where you can make a difference? At Zurich millions of individuals and businesses place their trust in our products and services every day. Our 53,000 employees worldwide form the basis of our success, enabling, businesses and communities to face a world of risk with confidence. Imagine if you could help people do this all over the world. You’d give them confidence and reassurance by protecting what they love most. It’s a big challenge, but you will be supported by a world-class team who believe in helping you to reach your full potential and deliver on our promises. So be challenged. Be inspired. Help us make a difference. At Zurich we are an equal opportunity employer. We attract and retain the best qualified individuals available, without regard to race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.