HR Data Scientist at Santam Insurance

What will you do?

Santam HR has an opportunity for a Data Scientist, who will be based in Tygervalley, Cape Town, reporting to the Manager: People Analytics. 

The purpose of the Data Scientist is to execute on the People Analytics vision and strategy through the application of statistical methods. You will collect, interpret, and summarise data as well as make predictions and recommend actions based on data.

You will enable data solutions across the entire employee lifecycle, based on HR, business, and all key stakeholder and legislative requirements.

What will make you successful in this role?

• Responsible to explore data sources, implement data exploration and data cleansing on historical data.

• Understand data from both data science and business value perspectives.

• Build predictive models and machine-learning algorithms and prepare data for future models.

• Develop statistical / machine learning models based on the pre-processed data.

• Provide insightful reports, dashboards, analytics, and recommendations to support data-driven interventions and decision-making within HR.

• Propose strategies to business challenges and proactively analyse data to identify trends that impede the employee experience.

• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to understand people-related business problems.

• Utilise appropriate data science methodologies toward solving people challenges.

• Prepare and deliver solutions with rich data visualisations and meaningful business insights.

• Partner cross-functionally to help design and build HR data infrastructure solutions.

• Be aware of the policies, procedures, and regulatory frameworks that govern this role’s freedom to act.

• Documents all processes and research as a best practice and develop data science skills as new or improved techniques arise within the field.

Qualification and Experience

• Relevant Tertiary Qualification - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/ Statistics/Applied Mathematics or related field required. Honours or Master's degree preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years experience in developing and building the implementation of Analytics strategies, programs, models, and/or frameworks and tools in an HR or similar environment.

• At least 2 years experience in Python, R, SQL, and statistical software packages required.

• Must have a minimum of 2 years experience in ML and data science knowledge to define key features for a solution; build features architected for speed and distributed computing.

• Knowledge and Research in prototyping, development in big data, machine learning, and data science.

• Demonstration of robust data science skills and coding abilities.

• Experience in engaging with key business and external partners across all levels (including senior levels).

• Project management experience.

• Extensive background in data mining and statistical analysis.

• AWS or SAS exposure will be advantageous.

• Experience using business intelligence tools and data frameworks.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong data science skills.

• Knowledge of research design principles.

• Data storytelling skills: ability to give a structured approach to communication and a powerful narrative to analysis and visualisations.

• Display strong non-technical communication skills such that business leaders can fully understand the implications of results.

• Ability to clearly explain technical concepts to stakeholders with non-technical backgrounds.

• Innovation driver: A focus on “next practices,” rather than copying best practices.

• Diagnostician: A future focus to both observe and analyze internal and external trends impacting business outcomes and linking these to develop a clear picture of what the organisation can do from a people analytics perspective to better meet its strategic business priorities.

• Seasoned to advanced proficiency in using Excel and PowerPoint.

• SQL, Qliksense, Power BI, SAS.

• Data Mining.

• Data Warehousing.

• Influencing and negotiation skills.

• Strong co-ordination, prioritisation, organisational and planning skills.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills across all levels.

• Strong quality and client service orientation.

• Dealing with confidentiality

Competencies

• Customer focus

• Drive Results

• Cultivate Innovation

• Collaborates

• Flexibility and adaptability

• Personal agility

• Data literacy

• Digital literacy

• Solves for simplicity

• Analytical thinking

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping  our employees to realise their worth. Through its four business clusters – Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Who are we:

Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. We are a large, diversified, expanding, and transforming company, and whilst based in South Africa, we are rapidly moving into a number of emerging markets, both in Africa and Asia.

Our success is rooted in our passion for our clients and everything we do is centered on our delivery of Insurance Good and Proper. We’re about people. People drive our business so it follows that we want to recruit the best people possible whether they work for us permanently or for a short time as temporary employees.

At Santam we are committed to transformation and embracing diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse workplace with employment equity as a key goal to create an inclusive workforce, representative of the demographics of our society. In achieving our employment equity goals we give preference to applicants from the designated groups in alignment with the Divisions Employment Equity targets.

Qualified applicants are invited to submit their cover letter, CV, and salary requirements. Should you be aware of a qualified individual, please pass this