Data Scientist - Markets at Rand Merchant Bank

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate an integrated knowledge of the company value proposition and value chain (clients, products and competitors) by presenting clear and best practice business cases for Bank data initiatives in response to changing business situations and requirements.
• Understand and evaluate environmental inter-dependencies, impacts and opportunities (national and global) on the implementation of data objectives.
• Consider and integrate relevant macro factors into data analytics plans and make adjustments and improvements to data capabilities.
• Participate in data architecture and engineering decision-making to support downstream analytics.
• Develop and apply statistical models to collect, organise and summarise data to enable insights/ trends for business stakeholders.
• Perform ad hoc exploratory statistics and data mining tasks on diverse datasets from small scale to big data.
• Enable best practice capabilities around data analytics to enable knowledge sharing across the stakeholder community.
• Provide users with collaboration analytic tools to enable business insights and timeous problem solving.
• Develop and validate predictive modelling and machine learning approaches that enable stakeholders to pre-emptively determine best-fit business tactics. This includes investigating data visualisation and summarisation techniques for conveying key data.
• Provide complex risk analysis to provide management with business insights and recommendations e.g. strategies for growth, debt management, better risk/return relationships and portfolio performance.
• Partner with Business teams to support strategic business choices and investment decisions. This includes communicating opportunities, financial and process trade-offs from advanced statistical methods.
• Apply project management methodology to effectively manage numerous data projects that cut across functional areas. This includes the implementation of change management practices to ensure that any changes are understood and project objectives achieved.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Post graduate degree in mathematics, computer science, statistics or any other quantitative discipline
• Data Science (post graduate degree) (Preferred Qualification (additional to minimum)

Technical Knowledge/ skills and experience

• Knowledge of Banking environment and products would be advantageous
• in depth knowledge and application of:
  • Probability and statistics
  • Advanced analytical languages
  • Big data tools
  • Machine learning techniques
  • Prior experience of data analytics and model development in banking context (preferred)

Competencies:

• Analysis and Attention to Detail
• Big Picture Thinking
• Drive and Results Orientation
• Problem Solving
• Customer Service Orientation
• Building Relationships