Data Scientist

Introduction

As the implementation phase of Buna, formerly known as the Arab Regional Payment System (ARPS), project picks up momentum, we are looking for a responsible Data Scientist to join our founding team. Duties of the Data Scientist include turning data into critical information, knowledge and insights that can be used to support decision-making in Buna. The job holder is also responsible for manipulating large data sets using data science and analytics techniques, including machine learning models, to explore business opportunities and evaluate the effectiveness of different courses of action. This position will report to Chief Technology Officer.

In this context, the following sections detail the main qualifications, skills and responsibilities related to this position:

Job Responsibilities

Data Management (Data Science and Visualisation)

1. Support the development of Buna data and analytics strategy
2. Work with business and technology stakeholders throughout the organization to understand business problems and identify opportunities for leveraging company data to drive business solutions
3. Collaborate with business subject matter experts to select the relevant sources of information
4. Analyse data, and apply analytical techniques to discover meaningful patterns and generate insights
5. Mine and analyse data from existing data repositories to drive optimization and improvement of product development and business strategies
6. Develop analytics models, algorithms and frameworks
7. Develop analytics dashboards to visualize results and perform data discovery
8. Develop sophisticated & innovative analytical solutions (end to end products)

Software Development and management

1. Develop processes and tools (e.g. machine learning) to monitor and analyse analytics model performance and data accuracy
2. Keep abreast of industry trends and emerging methodologies to continuously improve skillset
3. Coordinate with different functional teams to implement analytics models and monitor outcomes
4. Ensure that the information used is in compliance with the regulatory and security policies in place
5. Contribute to knowledge sharing and improve team productivity through training/documentation of best practices

    

Qualifications and Skills

Experience & Education

1. 3+ years of relevant experience in quantitative and qualitative research, data science algorithms, and analytics
2. Experience in implementing predictive models, including data discovery, data preparation/cleaning, model validation, and evaluation
3. Prior experience in the financial services industry
4. Graduate degree or equivalent from a reputable university preferably in mathematics, statistics, computer science engineering, or any related quantitative / technical field

Skills

1. Knowledge of data science, data visualisation, analytics tools, standards analytics and data mining techniques, software development, and programming
2. Excellent communication skills (oral and written) with ability to effectively communicate by telephone, face to face, email and written
3. Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
4. Excellent organization and time management skills, and ability to work on own initiative, accurately to tight deadlines, and to prioritize between conflicting demands
5. Ability to handle multiple tasks with tight deadlines simultaneously
6. Effective team player and excellent relationship building skills with ability to demonstrate a high level of discretion and positive attitude with all internal and external stakeholders
7. Ability to maintain the highest level of confidential/sensitive information and professionalism
8. Flexibility and readiness to work beyond regular working hours and as required

Languages

1. Fluent in English
2. Knowledge of Arabic and French is a plus