Head Of Data Science & Credit Risk

Position Title: Head of Data Science & Credit Risk
Department: Data Science & Credit Risk
Location: Global

About FINN

FINN is a fintech company building simple and transparent products that improve financial well-being for underbanked employees. Our core offering gives people access to wages they have already earned, alongside tools to help them manage money better, build savings, access insurance, earn additional income, and use fairer financial services.

Founded in 2022, FINN is the largest player in the early wage access space in Southeast Asia and is expanding rapidly into new markets globally. We are looking for ambitious builders who take ownership, move fast, and want to shape products that create meaningful impact in people’s lives.

We’re seeking a Head of Data Science & Credit Risk to lead our ML-driven underwriting strategy and strengthen risk decisioning across Southeast Asia. In this role, you’ll combine deep data science expertise with credit risk leadership, owning the full lifecycle from model development to business impact. You’ll build and lead a team of data scientists and risk analysts, working closely with engineering, product, and finance to improve approval funnels, strengthen portfolio performance, and expand access to credit responsibly.

ML & Model Development

- Lead the design, testing, and deployment of ML models for credit decisioning, fraud detection, and risk segmentation.

- Develop underwriting algorithms that use alternative data sources to improve risk assessment and expand financial access.

- Build and deploy real-time or near-real-time scoring models that scale across multiple markets.

- Ensure models are interpretable, fair, and robust, with monitoring for accuracy, feature stability, and drift.

- Establish MLOps practices for model versioning, experimentation, deployment, and ongoing monitoring.

- Expand machine learning adoption across the business, including customer value, monetization, and marketing attribution.

Credit Risk Strategy & Monitoring

- Develop and manage credit risk frameworks, policies, and approval strategies adapted to each market.

- Set risk thresholds and customer segmentation strategies that balance growth, default rates, and portfolio health.

- Monitor key risk metrics, investigate significant changes, and establish early warning signals for portfolio deterioration.

- Simulate policy and model changes, support A/B testing, and refine strategies using performance data and business KPIs.

- Lead stress testing and expected credit loss modeling, partnering with Finance on provisioning and capital allocation.

- Support market expansion through localized risk models and policies aligned with applicable regulatory requirements.

Team & Strategic Leadership

- Build, lead, and mentor a team of data scientists and risk analysts while remaining hands-on with technical work.

- Own the data science and credit risk roadmap, aligning priorities with business growth and expansion plans.

- Communicate model performance, portfolio trends, and strategic recommendations to the executive team and board.

- Partner with engineering, product, and finance to translate analytical insights into measurable business outcomes.

- Evaluate and establish partnerships with alternative data providers and credit bureaus.

- Build a culture of experimentation, accountability, and data-driven decision-making.

Business Impact

- Improve approval rates while maintaining target default rates and responsible lending standards.

- Reduce time-to-decision through automated underwriting and scoring.

- Identify new customer segments and product opportunities through advanced analytics.

- Improve unit economics through risk segmentation and customer value modeling.

- Track the impact of model and policy changes, using feedback loops to improve performance over time.

Your Profile

Required:

- At least 10 years of combined experience in data science, machine learning, a