Senior Data Scientist

Shift; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Parental leave 26 weeks

Wellbeing benefits

Strategy Week

Job summary

Shift is building the credit risk model platform behind every lending decision. You will develop predictive models and the deployment layer, ensuring scalable, versioned services that support automated decisions. You’ll work with AI tools and production-grade practices to keep models reliable and auditable.

You’ll partner with Credit, Product, Risk and Technology, explain complex results to senior stakeholders, and help lift the team’s engineering standards as we scale.

Qualifications

• 5+ years building predictive models in a business setting.
• Strong Python and SQL, with solid engineering habits: version control, CI/CD, testing and code review.
• Hands-on experience building model services or APIs, including serving, versioning and monitoring.
• Experience with Databricks or another distributed computing environment.
• A solid statistical foundation, including how to measure how confident a model is in its predictions.

Responsibilities

• Build and deploy machine learning models that predict credit risk (PD, LGD, EAD and expected loss).
• Turn prototype model deployment layer into scalable, monitored systems.
• Ensure models are production-ready with monitoring, data validation and documentation.
• Incorporate new data sources and leverage AI-powered insights.
• Lead projects end-to-end and raise engineering standards across the team.
• Collaborate with Credit, Product, Risk and Technology to align deliverables and explain results.

Skills

Python

SQL

Model APIs

CI/CD

Testing

Data validation

Statistical foundation

Explainability

AI curiosity

Tools

Databricks

Job description

Who is Shift?
Shift provides business finance to small, established and corporate sized businesses in Australia, including Business Overdraft, Equipment Line, Asset Finance, Term Loan and Trade Account. Founded in 2014, Shift has funded more than 30,000 Australian businesses.

At Shift, our unique approach to product innovation combined with our collaborative culture means you can build your career in a supportive environment. You’ll be joining a diverse team of over 300 people who are always looking to deliver better outcomes for Australian businesses.

About the role:

We’re building the credit risk model platform behind every lending decision at Shift. The goal is an always-on, confidence-rated view of risk for every customer, served straight to our Credit Decision Engine so models can make credit calls automatically and our people can focus on customers. Our team has deep statistical and research strength. What we need now is someone with real engineering rigour to take our models from prototype to production and make them scale. You’ll build predictive models and the deployment layer they run on. We use AI heavily in how we work: Claude sits beside us for coding and deployment, and Copilot helps review our PRs.

What you’ll do:

• Build and deploy machine learning models that predict credit risk (PD, LGD, EAD and expected loss), including how different types of security change our loss exposure
• Turn our prototype model deployment layer into something scalable: versioned, monitored and reliable enough for automated decisions
• Make sure every model can be trusted in production, with monitoring, data validation and documentation, so no model depends on the person who built it
• Bring in new data sources, including customer insights from our AI-powered Customer Knowledge Engine
• Lead projects from start to finish, then pass the knowledge on and lift the team’s engineering standards along the way
• Work with Credit, Product, Risk and Technology to agree what the models need to deliver and explain the results in plain language

What you’ll bring:

• 5+ years building predictive models in a business setting, with a track record of getting them into production and keeping them there
• Strong Python and SQL, with solid engineering habits: version control, CI/CD, testing and code review
• Hands-on experience building model services or APIs, including serving, versioning and monitoring
• Experience with Databricks or another distributed computing environment
• A solid statistical foundation, including how to measure how confident a model is in its predictions
• Experience in credit risk, lending or financial services is a plus, but not essential
• The ability to explain complex work simply to senior stakeholders
• Curiosity about using AI to work smarter, and the habit of fixing problems properly instead of patching them

Hybrid working:

we’re headquartered in North Sydney with state-based workplaces and offer a hybrid work policy. Our offices have spaces for collaboration, socialising and focused work.

Parental leave:

up to 26 weeks paid.

Strategy Week:

twice a year the whole team comes together to hear the business strategy and product and technology roadmap first‑hand, with fortnightly all-company business updates in between.

Flat structure:

everyone can learn from each other and senior leaders across the business.

Wellbeing:

benefits supporting your physical, psychological and financial wellbeing, from a day off on your birthday to end of trip facilities.

Learn more about working at Shift at shift.com.au/careers.