Senior Data Scientist

Hastings Insurance Services Limited; Rother; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Flexible working / Hybrid

Bonus scheme

Private medical Insurance

Pension contribution match

Job summary

Hastings Insurance Services Limited in the UK is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to lead high-impact market modelling projects and deliver predictive models into live pricing. You will own complex modelling work, provide specialist support to Market Pricing and collaborate with pricing and underwriting teams to improve competitiveness and profitability.

The role combines hands-on modelling with autonomous project management and mentoring of junior colleagues, within a hybrid working environment

Qualifications

• Proven track record of delivering commercial value using supervised machine learning techniques.
• Advanced Python programming skills.
• Proficient in SQL and Git.
• Advanced knowledge of data science technologies and platforms.
• Experience developing and implementing predictive models.
• Ability to drive projects from initiation to completion.
• Strong numerical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to explain complex topics clearly to varied audiences.
• Curious and proactive approach to identifying opportunities and improving existing methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-impact strategic projects across Market Modelling from discovery to implementation.
• Provide specialist modelling support across Market Pricing teams.
• Build and implement market models that improve price competitiveness, profitability and growth.
• Coach and mentor junior colleagues and contribute to team capability.
• Develop and implement advanced statistical and ML models into live pricing.
• Ensure governance, documentation, and peer review of models and tools.
• Collaborate with Market Pricing, Retail Pricing and Underwriting teams to align aims.
• Explain complex modelling work clearly and make practical recommendations.
• Ensure models support fair customer outcomes and regulatory expectations.

Skills

Python

SQL

Git

Machine learning

Data science

Model deployment

Communication

Tools

Cloud deployments

Job description

Senior Data Scientist

Bexhill

Full time

Senior Data Scientist

London / Bexhill / Leicester - Hybrid

We're a digital insurance provider with bold ambitions to become the best and biggest in the UK market. Over recent years, we've made huge investments in our digital capabilities, underpinned by our strong 4Cs culture, to ensure we continue to deliver market leading experiences for our customers.

Supporting over four million customers, every interaction with us is shaped by thoughtful design, data-led decision making and a deep understanding of customer needs.

Our Commercial, Digital and Marketing teams sit at the heart of this journey - combining entrepreneurial thinking, analytical insight and creativity to build market leading customer experience.

From pricing and proposition design to intuitive digital journeys and compelling tone of voice, our teams are passionate about creating experiences that are not only effective, but genuinely enjoyable.

As we continue to grow as an increasingly digitised business, our colleagues play a critical role in driving change, shaping the future and making a meaningful difference for our customers every day.

Role Purpose:

The Senior Data Scientist will lead high-impact strategic projects across Market Modelling from discovery to implementation. The role will provide specialist resource across the Market Pricing teams, accelerating delivery and addressing priority challenges.

The role will build and implement market models that improve price competitiveness, profitability and growth. This is a senior individual contributor role with ownership of complex modelling work and its delivery into live pricing. A key part of this role will be autonomous project management. Alongside this will be coaching and mentorship of junior colleagues and contribution to overall team capability.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Projects

• Leading high-impact projects from discovery to implementation.
• Taking ownership of complex analytical problems and driving them through to delivery.
• Providing specialist modelling support across Market Pricing teams where it can have the greatest impact.
• Lead on identifying new opportunities within Market Pricing, maintaining our rate of improvement of model accuracy

Market Model Development

• Developing, analysing and implementing advanced statistical and machine learning models into live pricing.
• Critically reviewing market models to ensure they are robust and relevant for use across pricing teams.
• Improving existing models through new features, data sources and analytical techniques.
• Determining how market models should be combined to strengthen competitiveness whilst maintaining feasibility

Technical Standards & Governance

• Advocating for data science and software development best practice.
• Ensuring appropriate governance of market models and tools, including documentation, code control and peer review.
• Ensure fair and transparent customer outcomes in all model development.

Collaboration

• Working closely with Market Pricing, Retail Pricing and Underwriting teams to ensure projects are focussed on the right aims.
• Working with Data and ML Engineering teams to deploy models and analytical solutions.
• Help develop best practice and new capability across Market Pricing.
• Explaining complex modelling work clearly and making practical recommendations.

Customer Outcomes

• Ensuring models and pricing actions support fair customer outcomes and align with regulatory expectations.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Proven track record of delivering commercial value using supervised machine learning techniques.
• Advanced Python programming skills.
• Proficient in SQL and Git.
• Advanced knowledge of data science technologies and platforms.
• Experience developing and implementing predictive models.
• Ability to drive projects from initiation to completion.
• Strong numerical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to explain complex topics clearly to varied audiences.
• Curious and proactive approach to identifying opportunities and improving existing methods.

Desirable:

• General insurance or personal lines pricing experience.
• Experience with market models, PCW data or competitive insight tools.
• Desirable: Experience with Cloud deployments (e.g. Azure/AWS/GCP)

Recruitment Process:

Recruitment screening call

1st Round Intro with the hiring leader

Case Study round - a mix of Technical and Competency

As a Disability Confident employer, we're committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive - what this means to you is if you're applying for a job with us, you'll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS).For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our career's website

What we offer

Join us and you'll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you'll be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we'll give you all the support, training and development you need. Not to mention plenty of recognition and rewards, and the scope to voice your ideas and put them into practice.

Reward

Join us and you'll………

Salary - Attractive salary based on experience + car allowance (pay reviews also completed each year)

Flexible Working - We champion a flexible and hybrid working approach so please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail, including days in the office and at home.

Competitive Bonus Scheme - All colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus, which is usually paid in March. The scheme is based on Hastings' performance against our business goals and your own personal performance.

Physical Wellbeing - as a Band 4 colleague, Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (also known as PMI) This gives you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant and allows you to decide when and where you will be seen.

Financial Wellbeing - As well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover and income protection at no extra cost, pension contribution match up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an AWARD-WINNING package which includes...