We are seeking a Lead Data Scientist to drive end-to-end data science initiatives, transforming complex data into strategic decisions and automated solutions across the organization. You will operate at the intersection of high-level technical execution and cross-functional business partnership, building and scaling advanced analytical solutions that deliver measurable impact across all business domains at Forward Financing.

In this role you will:

• Design, develop and deploy advanced statistical or machine learning models for credit risk, pricing, collections, fraud, and other high-impact business use cases that drive better data-driven decisions
• Lead end-to-end delivery of data science initiatives from problem framing and model design through deployment, monitoring and ongoing maintenance
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Portfolio Strategy, Engineering, Product, Underwriting, Sales and Collections to integrate models into our applications, and proactively identify and solve problems in critical business areas
• Define and set standards for model development, code quality, and documentation; guide technical design decisions across the team
• Act as a technical mentor to team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and rigorous analytical standards
• Communicate complex technical concepts and business implications to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Build and maintain production machine learning pipelines and monitoring systems to ensure models are reliable, scalable and continuously improving

Why you should apply:

• Mission driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options. When you join the team, you will help ensure all small businesses have access to the financial support they need to succeed.
• Flexibility is a top priority: Our employees are empowered to choose where they want to work (whether that's from home, in the office, or a combination of both) with flexible hours.

Role Requirements:

• 8+ years of hands-on model development and deployment experience using advanced statistical and machine learning techniques such as generalized linear models, gradient boosting and deep learning
• Deep experience in building and deploying credit risk models, especially underwriting models, in the fintech, lending or financial services industry is highly preferred.
• Experience with real-time models, decisioning engines, and production-grade machine learning pipelines is preferred.
• Expert in Python, SQL and Git
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools, such as Metaflow is preferred
• Experience deploying and managing models within a cloud platform (AWS, Sagemaker)
• Strong foundation in statistics and machine learning, and knowledge of experimental design
• Excellent project management and communication skills
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving ability
• Nice to have experience: cloud data warehouses (e.g. Snowflake, Databricks), Arize, Metaflow, Sagemaker, decision engines (e.g. Taktile), feature stores (e.g. Tecton)
• Bachelor's degree in Financial/Apfplied Math, Operations Research, Economics, and/or Statistics. Masters/PhD is a plus.

Compensation:
Annual Salary: $160,000 - $220,000 USD
Annual Bonus: You have the potential to earn an additional 12% annual bonus.

At Forward Financing, we're committed to fair and transparent compensation. We believe in providing a compensation package that recognizes your skills, experience, and the unique value you bring to our team. We take a market-based approach to pay, regularly reviewing benchmark data to ensure our compensation remains competitive, equitable, and aligned with our performance-driven culture.

Final offers are determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, specific skills, and internal equity. This approach ensures that our compensation is competitive and equitable. Your recruiter will provide specific details on the expected base and variable earnings as it pertains to this specific role.

Our Core Values:

• Drive the Mission: We believe in financial opportunity for underserved small businesses. We say "yes" when others say "no."
• Keep It Real: We value direct communication, candid feedback, and authenticity. We are an open book.
• Act With Kindness: We create an environment where caring is cool and helping is the norm. We do the right thing.
• Shoot for Extraordinary: We are inspired by innovative thinking and continuous improvement. We never settle for yesterday's best.

Perks & Benefits:

At Forward, our team members are at the heart of our company, and we are committed to taking care of them as people, not just employees. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, and commuter benefits, a flexible time-off policy, paid parental leave, 401k match for US employees, wellness reimbursement, volunteering days, annual professional development budget, and charitable donation match.

Workplace flexibility is a top priority at Forward too. Our Employee Choice policy means that almost all of our employees get to decide where they work. As a business, we are focused on impact; we are more concerned with your contributions to the success of the company than where you get your work done. If face-to-face time is desired, people managers are empowered to find a cadence that works for their team.

When we aren't collaborating to drive business and support our customers, we're finding virtual and in-person ways to get to know our colleagues, celebrate team wins, and have fun together!