Data Scientist (WFH)

About this role

# Principal Data Scientist

## About the Role

Forward Financing is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to set the technical vision for data science and lead the company’s highest-impact, most ambiguous initiatives from concept through production. As the most senior individual contributor on the data science team, you will shape the multi-year data science roadmap, define how models are developed and deployed across the organization, and serve as a trusted technical advisor to senior leadership.

This role combines deep technical execution with strategic business partnership. You will lead advanced statistical and machine learning initiatives across business domains, with a particular focus on credit risk, pricing, and loss forecasting. You will partner with Portfolio Strategy, Engineering, Product, Underwriting, Sales, and Collections to identify high-value opportunities and deliver measurable business impact.

## Key Responsibilities

\* Lead the design, development, and deployment of complex and high-stakes statistical and machine learning models, particularly in ambiguous problem spaces without established playbooks.

\* Drive end-to-end delivery of flagship data science initiatives from problem framing and model design through deployment, monitoring, and ongoing iteration.

\* Lead technical strategy and architecture for Forward’s modeling ecosystem, including credit risk, pricing, and loss forecasting.

\* Shape the long-term data science roadmap in partnership with senior leaders across Portfolio Strategy, Engineering, Product, Underwriting, Sales, and Collections.

\* Identify high-value data science opportunities and influence business strategy through data-driven insights.

\* Define and enforce organization-wide standards for model development, validation, code quality, and documentation.

\* Serve as the technical authority for data science design decisions.

**\* Mentor data scientists across experience lev...