Lead Data Scientist

Enova; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Sabbatical program

PTO & paid holidays off

Paid parental leave

401(k) matching

Job summary

Enova is seeking a Lead Data Scientist for its Fraud Analytics team to drive the quantitative engine behind fraud prevention across lending products. You will develop, deploy, and monitor models and pattern-recognition algorithms, writing Python programs and querying large datasets with SQL, while partnering with Fraud Operations to refine features and reduce false positives.

You will mentor teammates, translate analyses into business strategy, and communicate findings to senior stakeholders in

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in analytics, applied machine learning, or quantitative modeling
• Leadership experience mentoring teammates and driving initiatives
• Advanced Python and SQL; end-to-end modeling on large-scale data
• Hands-on fraud experience in fintech or lending
• Track record translating analysis into business strategy and communicating with senior stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy, and monitor models and pattern-recognition algorithms to detect emerging fraud trends across lending products
• Write Python programs for data analysis and predictive modeling and query large datasets in SQL
• Partner with Fraud Operations through the full detection loop to refine features and reduce false positives/negatives
• Conduct ad hoc analysis on large, complex datasets to scope new fraud trends and recommend risk strategies
• Communicate findings clearly to cross-functional partners and support implementation
• Help improve underwriting and verification processes from a fraud-risk perspective and apply AI in production

Skills

Python

SQL

Fraud analytics

Machine learning

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Tools

Python

SQL

Job description

• As a Lead Data Scientist on Enova’s Fraud Analytics team, you’ll be the quantitative engine of our fraud prevention effort
• You’ll develop, enhance, and test the models and pattern-recognition pipelines that surface emerging fraud trends across our lending products — then work hand-in-hand with our Fraud Operations team, who investigate the individual applications your models flag
• Their findings (the false positives and false negatives) come back to you to sharpen the identifying characteristics and pivot the approach. It’s a fast, iterative loop, and you sit at the center of it
• The broader Enova Analytics department consists of 100 quantitative professionals dedicated to using the latest cutting-edge techniques to drive business value: providing customers with access to fast, trustworthy credit while managing risk
• Our company‑wide, data‑driven culture means you spend less time presenting and more time on the fun part: crunching data
• Develop, deploy, and monitor models and pattern-recognition algorithms to detect emerging and shifting fraud trends across one or more lending products
• Write customized programs in Python for meaningful data analysis and predictive modeling, and query large, complex datasets in SQL
• Partner closely with Fraud Operations through the full detection loop — pulling data together, surfacing suspicious patterns, and incorporating their investigation results to refine features and reduce false positives/negatives
• Conduct ad hoc analysis on large, complex datasets to scope new or changing fraud trends and recommend risk, verification, and operational strategies
• Communicate findings clearly to cross-functional partners, provide requirements, and support implementation
• Help improve underwriting and verification processes from a fraud‑risk perspective
• Apply AI in production applications to streamline fraud prevention processes
• Manage team members, and help coordinate their work with business priorities

Benefits

• Our hybrid roles require in-office work Tuesday through Thursday, with remote flexibility on Mondays and Fridays. This schedule fosters collaboration, team connection, and strategic planning, enhancing communication and effectiveness to drive results
• Health, dental, and vision insurance including mental health benefits
• Sabbatical program (for eligible roles)
• PTO & paid holidays off
• Paid parental leave
• Summer hours (for eligible roles)
• DEI groups (B.L.A.C.K. @ Enova, HOLA @ Enova, Women @ Enova, Pride @ Enova, South Asians @ Enova, APEX @ Enova, and Parents @ Enova)
• Employee recognition and rewards program
• Charitable matching and a paid volunteer day…Plus so much more!
• 401(k) matching plus a roth option

5+ years of experience in analytics, applied machine learning, or quantitative modelingPrevious leadership experience mentoring teammates, driving team initiatives, and shaping prioritiesAdvanced Python and SQL; experience owning models end‑to‑end — design through deployment and monitoring — on large-scale transactional dataTrack record of translating analysis into business strategy and communicating with senior stakeholdersHands‑on fraud experience required — fraud analytics, fraud strategy, or risk modeling, ideally in fintech or lending