What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Data Scientist position at Harnham?
Lead Data Scientist | Financial Risk & Advanced Analytics
Tempe, AZ (Preferred) | Dallas, TX | Atlanta, GA
Hybrid (4 days onsite, Monday-Thursday)
$140,000-$150,000 Base Salary
US Citizens & Green Card Holders Only
Are you looking for a role where your models don't sit on a shelf?
A highly respected organization is seeking a Lead Data Scientist to tackle complex financial risk problems, uncover multi-million-dollar business opportunities, and deliver analytics that directly influence executive decision-making. This is a high-visibility position where your work will be implemented, measured, and tied directly to business outcomes.
If you're someone who enjoys owning projects end-to-end, defending your analytical thinking, and seeing your work create measurable financial impact, this opportunity offers a rare combination of technical depth, business influence, and autonomy.
What You'll Do
- Lead the development of predictive and quantitative models that drive critical business decisions.
- Analyze large-scale financial and credit-related datasets to identify opportunities and risks.
- Build, enhance, validate, and defend sophisticated risk models within a regulated environment.
- Translate complex model outputs into clear financial recommendations and measurable business value.
- Partner directly with senior leadership and executive stakeholders to present findings and influence strategy.
- Own projects from initial problem definition through deployment and business adoption.
- Support external audits and confidently explain model methodology, performance, and governance.
What We're Looking For
- 8 years of Data Science, Quantitative Analytics, Risk Analytics, or Modeling experience.
- Advanced Python and SQL skills.
- Strong foundation in statistics, mathematics, econometrics, or quantitative modeling.
- Experience building machine learning models, including gradient boosting techniques.
- Proven experience owning projects independently and delivering business results.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts to non-technical executives.
- Experience operating within regulated environments and supporting model audits.
Required Domain Experience
Candidates must have experience in financial or risk modeling environments, including areas such as:
- Credit Risk Modeling
- Probability of Default (PD) Modeling
- Loss Forecasting or Credit Loss Assessment
- Financial Risk Analytics
- Scorecard Development
- Payment Behavior Modeling
- Credit Attribute Modeling
- Banking, Lending, Credit Bureau, Mortgage, or Consumer Finance Analytics
- Quantitative Risk Management
Preferred Education
Bachelor's degree in a quantitative discipline such as:
Mathematics
Statistics
Economics
Computer Science
Engineering
Related quantitative field
Master's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Economics, or a similar quantitative field is highly preferred.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out
Unlike many Data Science positions, the impact here is immediate and visible.
You'll join a lean, high-performing team responsible for identifying and delivering opportunities worth millions of dollars annually. Leadership places significant value on data-driven decision-making, and the right person will have direct exposure to executives while maintaining ownership of mission-critical initiatives.
Ideal Candidate
This role is perfect for a senior individual contributor or lead-level data scientist who enjoys solving complex financial problems, building production-ready models, proving business value through analytics, and operating as a trusted strategic partner to leadership.
Confidential search. Qualified candidates will be contacted directly for additional details.
Base Salary: $140,000-$150,000 comprehensive benefits
Location: Tempe, AZ preferred; Dallas, TX or Atlanta, GA also considered
Work Authorization: US Citizen or Green Card Holder required
Salary : $140,000 - $150,000