Intermediate Data Scientist at FNB South Africa

Job Description

• To plan, build, optimise and implement innovative quantitative analytical methodologies, procedures, products and advanced mathematical models that provide analytical support and interpret insights, to address business opportunities and problems and implement business strategy, with minimal guidance.
• Take all necessary actions to ensure compliance with relevant statutory, legislative, policy and governance requirements in area of accountability.
• Ensure implementation of relevant policies, governance and practice standards across the business.
• Maintain expert knowledge on relevant legislative amendments, industry best practices and internal compliance procedures and requirements.
• Ensure compliance is adopted in terms of systems and procedures as laid out by business.
• Implement and provide input into the development of governance and compliance procedures and processes within area of specialisation and identify risks.
• Innovate by finding the best fit solution for the situation such as the flexibility of delivery and customised solutions which result in more efficient outcomes.
• Maintain ownership of models through regular audits and updates to ensure relevance.
• Plan and perform regular model updates that capture evolving business complexity in current models
• Challenge current models to ensure relevance and accuracy of outputs.
• Test outputs and accuracy of models to ensure relevance.
• Use data and analytic insights to provide input into improving customer experience through a better understanding of the customers context to identify monetisation opportunities and monitoring implementation of business decisions to recommend enhancements utilising statistical modelling and data analysis.
• Validate, interpret and create reports and presentations for data analytics management and relevant stakeholders.
• Review and assist more junior Quantitative Analysts with processes and models.
• Adhere to model building policies, standards, frameworks, and governance process.
• Ensure own ethical usage of information that complies to restrictions applied for privacy and sensitivity classification.
• Understand and ensure implementation and adherence to Privacy business requirements, legislation and policy.
• Ensure reporting of any Information Privacy Incidents and escalate appropriately for resolution of Privacy and Protection Audit, Findings, Complaints, Incidents, Investigations and Privacy and Protection Assessments.
• Provide input into creation of delivery plans for achievement of outputs / deliverables in collaboration with business stakeholders to understand information requirements for strategy delivery and define metrics that track performance.
• Assist in analysis of available data to identify information commercialization opportunities that have not been explored to address business needs and revenue options.
• Assist in productionilisation of analytics in the approved FirstRand architecture by translating technical data information into practical business information that addresses identified needs.
• Analyse information requirements, availability and quality of data to feed into management for resolution.
• Contribute to the development of core analytical capabilities or model libraries using advanced statistical, quantitative or econometric techniques and utilize as appropriate.
• Collaborate with numerous departments across the business to aid them in the proper use of data to ensure delivery of desired operational results.
• Participate in relevant project related to the businesses overall analytical needs and opportunities.
• Assist as SME for analytics applying own understanding of the operations of the business product or service.
• Determine the business questions that need be answered and determine appropriate analytics models for utilization.
• Source and do some preparation (20-30%) of relevant data sources for analysis.
• Translate business requirements into tangible models utilizing own understanding of the business value of projects, models and processes.
• Develop and apply analytical algorithms and methods to build, test and implement robust mathematical models and analytical solutions that address business problem, opportunities and improve business outcomes i.e., reduced risk and costs, increased profitability, optimized efficiency and to facilitate strategic decision-making.
• Build models that analyze processes to recommend areas for optimization to achieve cost savings, revenue generation or efficiency improvements for the business.
• Document and audit relevant processes.
• Document and implement models to address specific business requirements.
• Conduct appropriate manipulation and analysis of data to pro-actively identify and meet needs of the business for the purpose of future work and to ensure high information-quality and reliability across the business.
• Deliver within broad parameters.
• Build relationships that allow for the managing of expectations; the sharing of knowledge and diverse insights; and the creation of buy-in.
• Engage in cross-functional relationships to obtain and to provide work support.
• Identify, control and escalate potential risks which may lead to increased costs.
• Manage costs or expenses within approved budget to achieve cost efficiencies.
• Deliver against operational and cost targets.
• Prioritise resource allocation to minimise and reduce wastage.
• Develop, encourage and nurture collaborative relationships across the FRG.
• Assess own performance through seeking timely, and clear feedback and request training where appropriate.

Core technical skill

• Good SAS skills ability to extract, manipulate and analyse large datasets portfolio monitoring
• Excel advanced excel skills, pivots tables, nested formulas, data visualisation 
• Power Bi: comfortable creating dashboard 
• 3-5 years’ experience in a Data Science Role
• Qualification - Stats, Math's, Engineering, Data science, BMI, Economics

Analytical thinking

• Able to interpret credit scorecard outputs, SAS outputs etc. (not model development***)
• Familiar with basic credit risk concepts (Scorecard, NPL, Approvals, referrals , Defaults)
• Basic Agriculture knowledge (advantageous )

Soft Skills

• Proactive , curious, and able to ask probing questions
• Can deal with various stakeholders and manage emotions
• Able to summarise findings to non-technical people also Exco members

End Date: September 9, 2025