Manager of Data Science, Credit & Fraud Risk Modeling

Kafene • New York, NY

2d • Remote

About The Position

Kafene is revolutionizing the lease-to-own space with cutting-edge AI and machine learning. We are seeking a Manager of Data Scientist, a senior individual contributor, to own the full lifecycle of ML models for credit risk decisions. Reporting to the VP of Risk, you will design, build, deploy, and monitor models that influence customer approvals, credit limits, default predictions, and loss forecasts. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams and offers the opportunity to shape both technical infrastructure and business strategy.

Requirements

• Master's or PhD in a quantitative discipline: Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Econometrics, or a related field.
• 5+ years working as a Data Scientist or ML Engineer with a specific focus on predictive modeling, ideally in credit risk, fraud detection, or financial analytics.
• Experience deploying models that affect real credit or lending decisions.
• Advanced Python for statistical modeling and ML.
• Strong SQL for data extraction and feature construction.
• Deep expertise in ML algorithms for structured/tabular data: gradient boosting, ensemble methods, regression models, decision trees, and AutoML frameworks.
• Prior experience in consumer lending, fintech, or financial services is highly preferred.
• Hands-on experience with model risk governance frameworks and working alongside validation teams (SR 11-7 knowledge).
• Ability to explain complex models to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• A software engineering background alone is not the right fit.
• Understanding of DTI, PTI, and vintage analysis without needing context.

Responsibilities

• Feature Engineering: Mine internal and external datasets to engineer high-signal features (DTI, PTI, payment behavior, account balance patterns) to improve the predictive power of production credit models.
• Model Development: Own the end-to-end development of strategic credit risk models, including approval amount sensitivity, credit line optimization, and loss forecasting.
• Data Preparation: Source, clean, and transform financial data into modeling-ready datasets, setting the standard for data integrity.
• Vendor Evaluation: Evaluate third-party data vendors and scoring products, leading cost-benefit analyses for integration into models.
• Research & Innovation: Apply new techniques from ML literature to credit risk problems, focusing on production-ready improvements.
• Model Implementation & Validation: Partner with engineering for accurate and efficient model deployment, defining and enforcing model validation standards.
• Monitoring & Maintenance: Monitor model performance in production, leading recalibration and redevelopment as needed.
• Compliance & Governance: Navigate model risk governance, regulatory requirements, and data vendor usage policies, ensuring proper documentation.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Translate business questions from risk, finance, and sales into modeling problems and communicate solutions clearly.

Benefits

• Competitive salary $95,000-$140,000
• Healthcare: 80% of medical, dental, and vision insurance costs covered for employee, spouse, children, and dependents.
• Retirement Benefits: 401k plan available from day one.
• Paid Time Off: Flexible paid time off days starting from day one.

What This Job Offers

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