Data Scientist (WFH)

# 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 levels, including senior and lead team members. Raise the technical bar and foster a culture of rigorous, continuous learning. Communicate complex technical concepts, tradeoffs, and business implications to executives and non-technical stakeholders. Represent data science in strategic planning. Architect and evolve production machine learning pipelines and monitoring frameworks. Ensure production models are reliable, scalable, and continuously improving. ## Required Qualifications Deep experience building and deploying credit risk models, particularly underwriting models, within fintech, lending, or financial services. 10+ years of hands-on model development and deployment experience. Advanced experience with statistical and machine learning techniques, including: Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) Gradient Boosting Deep Learning Proven track record of leading high-impact data science initiatives from ambiguous problem definition through production, with demonstrated business results. Expert proficiency in Python, SQL, and Git. Experience designing and deploying models within a cloud platform such as AWS or SageMaker. Experience making architectural decisions related to cloud-based machine learning solutions. Strong foundation in statistics and machine learning. Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across teams. Experience mentoring senior technical talent. Excellent project management and communication skills. Experience presenting technical concepts and business implications to executive audiences. Strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Bachelor’s degree in Financial/Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Economics, Statistics, or a related field. ## Preferred Qualifications Experience with real-time models and decisioning engines. Experience with production-grade machine learning pipelines. Experience with workflow orchestration tools such as Metaflow. Experience with cloud data warehouses such as Snowflake or Databricks. Experience with Arize. Experience with Amazon SageMaker. Experience with decision engines such as Taktile. Experience with feature stores such as Tecton. Master’s or PhD degree. Experience working with advanced production ML infrastructure and model monitoring. ## Technical Skills Data Science Machine Learning Statistical Modeling Credit Risk Modeling Underwriting Models Financial Services Analytics Fintech Python SQL Git Generalized Linear Models Gradient Boosting Deep Learning Machine Learning Pipelines Model Deployment Model Monitoring AWS Amazon SageMaker Metaflow Snowflake Databricks Arize Decision Engines Taktile Feature Stores Tecton Real-Time Decisioning Production ML Systems ## Leadership & Collaboration Set the technical vision and multi-year roadmap for data science. Provide technical leadership across data science initiatives and modeling infrastructure. Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to influence business and technical strategy. Mentor senior and lead data scientists. Establish organization-wide technical standards for model development, validation, documentation, and code quality. Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executives. Lead ambiguous, high-impact initiatives from concept through production. ## Work Arrangement Employment Type: Full-time Department: Analytics Location Type: Remote Work Model: Remote-first Employees may work from home, in an office, or a combination of both, with flexible hours. Employees are welcome to work from Forward’s office locations to facilitate in-person collaboration. Forward Financing has team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. ## Compensation Annual Salary: $208,000–$286,000 CAD Annual Bonus: Eligible for an additional 12% annual bonus. Compensation is market-based and considers qualifications, relevant experience, specific skills, and internal equity. Final compensation details are provided by the recruiter for the specific role. ## Total Rewards Medical coverage Dental coverage Vision coverage Flexible time-off policy Paid parental leave RRSP match Wellness reimbursement Volunteer days Annual professional development budget Charitable donation matching ## About Forward Financing Forward Financing is a financial technology company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, focused on providing flexible capital to small businesses across America. Since 2012, Forward has provided more than $4.8 billion in funding to more than 92,000 small businesses. The company uses proprietary technology to simplify financing requirements and streamline the funding process, often providing approvals within hours and same-day funding. Forward has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place to Work. ## Equal Opportunity & Hiring Process Forward Financing is committed to equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate or tolerate harassment based on protected characteristics under applicable law. The company welcomes applications from people with disabilities and provides accommodations when required. Forward uses AI tools to assist with candidate screening and assessment as part of its hiring process.