Senior Data Scientist - Credit Risk

Preacta Recruitment; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Preacta Recruitment is seeking a Senior Data Scientist, Credit Risk in Sydney. You will own IFRS 9 ECL modelling for PD, LGD, and EAD, calibrate models, monitor performance, and explain provisioning changes to Finance.

You’ll also build scorecards and segmentation models while analyzing arrears, losses and vintages to inform risk appetite and policy decisions. Collaboration with data engineers ensures robust productionization.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in data science, credit risk modelling or portfolio analytics in lending or financial services
• Hands-on experience building, calibrating or monitoring ECL models under IFRS 9
• Scorecard, behavioural or segmentation modelling experience
• Strong SQL plus Python, R or SAS
• Version control, testing and reproducible workflows on a modern data platform
• Clear model documentation and comfort with audit and validation scrutiny
• A degree in statistics, maths, economics, actuarial science or another quantitative field (postgrad a plus)

Responsibilities

• Build, calibrate and monitor IFRS 9 impairment models across PD, LGD, EAD, staging, overlays and macroeconomic scenarios
• Run sensitivity analysis and back-testing; explain provisioning changes to Finance
• Develop scorecards, behavioural or segmentation models and track portfolio performance across arrears, losses and vintages
• Support credit policy and risk appetite decisions with solid analysis
• Collaborate with engineers to productionise models and lift team standards through peer review

Skills

Data science

Credit risk modelling

IFRS 9 ECL

SQL

Python / R / SAS

Model documentation & audit

Education

Quantitative degree (statistics / maths / economics)

Postgrad qualification a plus

Tools

SQL Server / PostgreSQL

Git

Airflow

Job description

Senior Data Scientist, Credit Risk (ECL and IFRS 9)

Sydney | Hybrid, 3 days in office | $200k + super + bonus

The company

This is a well-established Australian lender with a large, data-rich loan book. The data and AI function is growing, with ML and data engineers working alongside the credit risk analytics team. That means your models get built and deployed properly, not left in a spreadsheet. You get the scale and data depth of a mature lender without big bank bureaucracy.

The role

This is a senior individual contributor role with no direct reports. You’ll sit within the credit risk analytics team.

ECL is the core of the job. You’ll build, calibrate and monitor IFRS 9 impairment models across PD, LGD, EAD, staging, overlays and macroeconomic scenarios. You’ll run sensitivity analysis and back-testing. When provisioning moves, you’ll be the one explaining why to Finance. Your work needs to hold up in front of auditors and model validation.

Beyond ECL, you’ll work on scorecards, behavioural models and segmentation. You’ll also track portfolio performance across arrears, losses, hardship and vintages, and support credit policy and risk appetite decisions with solid analysis. You’ll work with engineers to get models into production cleanly, and help lift the team’s standards through peer review.

What you’ll need

• 5+ years in data science, credit risk modelling or portfolio analytics in lending or financial services
• Hands-on experience building, calibrating or monitoring ECL models under IFRS 9
• Scorecard, behavioural or segmentation modelling experience
• Strong SQL plus Python, R or SAS
• Version control, testing and reproducible workflows on a modern data platform
• Clear model documentation and comfort with audit and validation scrutiny
• A degree in statistics, maths, economics, actuarial science or another quantitative field (postgrad a plus)

Nice to have: consumer or secured lending experience, and a working knowledge of Australian responsible lending and financial reporting requirements.