Data Scientist

About Self Financial

Self Financial is a venture-backed, high-growth FinTech company with a mission to increase economic inclusion and financial resilience by empowering people to build credit and build savings.

We challenge the status quo of the credit industry by giving people accessible tools to take control of their credit, with a focus on the 100 million+ Americans who have no or low credit. We're looking for people who share our passion, tackle challenges, find solutions, and make the financial space better for the communities we serve.

Title

Staff Data Scientist

Team

Credit Analytics. Builds the predictive models that drive our credit and lending decisions. We turn deep knowledge of our data into models that are deployed in production, and we work closely with Risk, Finance, Product, and Engineering to improve how we underwrite, price, and manage our customers’ credit.

Location: Austin, TX

Work Arrangement: Austin – Hybrid or Remote

About the Role

You’ll help build the models that drive our credit and lending decisions, and learn how they get from a notebook into production. This is an entry-level role on a small team, so you’ll get real responsibility early and work closely with experienced data scientists and engineers. We care less about “here’s the model and here’s what it does” and more about what it changed for the business, the context behind it, and how clearly you explain it. 

What you’ll do:

• Build, test, and validate predictive models in Python under the guidance of senior data scientists

• Support the deployment of models into our decisioning engine and help monitor them after launch

• Dig into the data to understand why a model behaves the way it does, and keep asking questions until the answer holds up

• Help measure and communicate the business impact of your work

• Work with Risk, Finance, Product, and other stakeholders to understand business questions and turn them into analyses

• Learn the data vendors and tools we use and help evaluate them

• Take part in code and model reviews, and grow your technical skills through feedback and mentorship

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or graduating soon) in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, or a related quantitative field

• 0 to 2 years of professional experience in Data Scientist or relevant fields

• Python skills and experience building predictive models through coursework, internships, or personal projects

• Solid grounding in statistics, shown in at least one project or accomplishment on your resume

• Evidence of impact, such as results from an internship or project, ideally with numbers behind them

• Curiosity that goes past “here’s a cool model,” and the habit of asking why until you understand the context

• Clear communication, written and verbal, with technical and non-technical audiences

What Separates You

• Internship or project experience in credit, lending, or fintech

• Exposure to SQL, version control, or deploying a model beyond a notebook

• Experience at a small or scaling company, or on a project you owned from start to finish

• Eagerness to take on many different tasks and learn from the team

Benefits & Perks

• Generous health, dental, and vision insurance coverage

• Employer-paid benefits including life, disability, and cost-containment resources

• Hybrid work arrangement

• Flexible vacation

• Company performance-based bonuses

• Paid parental leave

• Company equity in the form of stock options

• Education reimbursement program

• Relocation bonus to move to Austin

• Gym membership options through ClassPass or monthly reimbursement

• Lunchdrop stipend

• Paid parking

• ERG and inclusion opportunities

• Casual dress code

• Team building events and activities

• Referral program

Equal Opportunity Employer

Self Financial is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under applicable law. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.

Work Authorization

We can only consider candidates who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders). We are unable to offer visa sponsorship of any kind, now or in the future. All new hires must successfully pass a background check.

AI Integrity Policy

Self Financial is an AI-forward company. Our interview process is designed to understand your own career experience, technical acumen, and communication skills. Please do not use AI tools to generate or assist with your answers during interviews unless we explicitly invite you to. If we have reason to believe AI was used in a way that misrepresents your own abilities, we may remove you from the interview process and from consideration for future opportunities at Self.

Department: GA - Risk