Director, Data Science

CardWorks • Wilmington, NC

19h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Data Science – Competitive Intelligence, AI Insights & Strategic Analytics is a highly visible leadership role responsible for transforming internal, external, structured, and unstructured data into actionable business intelligence, competitive insights, and strategic recommendations. Sitting at the intersection of analytics, risk, strategy, technology, and market intelligence, this role leads the development of enterprise reporting, competitor benchmarking, AI-driven intelligence solutions, and executive decision support capabilities across CardWorks Financial Group. This position combines advanced analytics, machine learning, Generative AI, competitive intelligence, and industry research to identify growth opportunities, anticipate market movements, evaluate competitor performance, monitor emerging risks, and support strategic decision-making. The role serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, business unit leaders, risk management, regulators, auditors, and board stakeholders by delivering data-driven insights that influence business strategy, portfolio performance, and market positioning. The successful candidate will champion an AI-first and market-first mindset, leveraging machine learning, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and AI-powered automation to accelerate intelligence gathering, uncover hidden opportunities, and create sustainable competitive advantage. This leader will also drive the build-out of enterprise analytics capabilities, including KPI reporting, portfolio performance measurement, market intelligence platforms, competitor monitoring solutions, and executive AI copilots.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Data Science, Business Analytics, Financial Engineering, or related quantitative discipline required; Master's degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in Business Analytics, Data Science, Competitive Intelligence, Market Research, Strategy Analytics, Risk Analytics, or related analytical roles.
• Experience within Financial Services, Consumer Lending, Credit Cards, Banking, Payments, or FinTech industries required.
• Strong understanding of lending economics, including interest income, interchange, fees, charge-offs, delinquency, portfolio performance, and risk management frameworks.
• Proven experience applying machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics to solve business problems and generate strategic insights.
• Experience working with Generative AI, LLMs, RAG architectures, AI agents, and market intelligence automation solutions preferred.
• Strong proficiency in SQL, Python, Snowflake, AWS, and modern analytics platforms.
• Experience with Power BI, PowerPoint, SAS, R, or similar analytical and visualization tools preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical findings and strategic recommendations to executive leadership, regulators, auditors, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Highly analytical self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.

Nice To Haves

• AI-first and market-first mindset.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Executive presence and storytelling capability.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Curiosity-driven approach to problem solving and innovation.
• Ability to challenge assumptions with data and evidence.
• Commitment to driving measurable business outcomes through analytics and intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of enterprise reporting, executive dashboards, KPI scorecards, portfolio analytics, competitor benchmarking, and strategic business insights.
• Conduct in-depth analysis of industry trends, competitive dynamics, emerging technologies, market opportunities, and regulatory developments affecting the consumer lending, credit card, banking, payments, and fintech industries.
• Apply advanced statistical techniques, machine learning models, and predictive analytics to identify patterns, forecast market changes, and support strategic business decisions.
• Design and implement AI-powered market intelligence and competitive research solutions that automate the collection, synthesis, and interpretation of market data.
• Utilize Large Language Models (LLMs) to analyze and summarize earnings calls, SEC filings, analyst reports, press releases, industry publications, and competitor disclosures.
• Develop Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions and AI agents that enable continuous monitoring of competitor activity, customer trends, market signals, and regulatory developments.
• Build executive AI copilots that support strategic planning, competitive analysis, and business decision-making.
• Integrate external market, economic, customer, and industry datasets with internal business performance data to generate comprehensive insights.
• Analyze portfolio performance across lending products, identifying opportunities related to growth, profitability, customer behavior, risk management, and operational efficiency.
• Partner with business, product, marketing, digital, risk, technology, and finance leaders to translate analytical findings into actionable business recommendations.
• Support board presentations, regulatory requests, audit reviews, second-line risk reviews, and executive strategic initiatives through rigorous analysis and communication.
• Prepare audit-ready analyses and documentation to support regulatory, compliance, and governance requirements.
• Present complex analytical findings and strategic recommendations to executive leadership in a clear, concise, and compelling manner.
• Foster a culture of innovation, analytics excellence, data-driven decision-making, and AI adoption across the organization.

Benefits

• Competitive Pay , including a Bonus Target or Variable Pay Incentive Program
• Medical, Dental, and Vision (plus much more)
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Short- & Long-Term Disability
• Wellness Programs
• Group Life and AD&D Insurance
• Paid Vacation, Sick Days and bank Holidays
• Employee Engagement Activities including Employee Appreciation Day, DEI Employee Resource Groups, Corporate Social Responsibility, Service Recognition

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director