Actuarial Data Scientist

Key Skills

Java Programming, Python Programming, C++, C Programming, SQL, Cloud computing, Scala Programming, Machine learning techniques, Data science techniques, MATLAB Programming, PyTorch, TensorFlow, R Programming

Job Description

About the Team:

Data scientists at Ledger are critical to the success of the company. Our team specializes in modeling the behavior of casualty insurance risk portfolios. We analyze and predict the performance of every insurance program that seeks capital through us, and our analyses are critical in determining on what terms, if any, our investors are willing to offer capital for each program. In short, our math forms the ground truth that serves as the basis of negotiations for transactions with tens of millions of dollars at stake.

About the Position:

The questions we focus on have broad overlap with traditional topics within actuarial science: estimating loss development, forecasting portfolio performance, quantifying tail risk, and the like. The statistical models we use to answer these questions (and the philosophy behind them) is not always in the mainstream of actuarial science. In particular, we eschew human-driven decisions and adjustments in the modeling process (i.e., actuarial judgment) to the greatest extent possible.

At the same time, we recognize the value in more traditional actuarial perspectives, as they are usually borne of decades of practical experience. Team members with actuarial training and experience are able to quickly recognize elements of insurance portfolios that pose particularly thorny modeling challenges, and how they are traditionally addressed. We also still regularly deal with stakeholders who are immersed in a traditional perspective, and actuaries play a vital role in translating to and from the modern Bayesian approaches we use internally.

If these problems sound fun and interesting, we'd love to have you on our team.

About You:

Successful candidates will have all of the following attributes:

• Extensive knowledge of statistics, machine learning, and data science; MS or PhD in statistics or a related field preferred.
• Professional, hands-on experience in pricing and/or reserving for property and/or casualty insurance lines.
• Demonstrated ability to apply new statistical or modeling techniques to actuarial problems (e.g., loss development, rate segmentation, trend estimation, etc).
• Some exposure to modern Bayesian modeling techniques.
• Extensive experience with R, Python, Julia or other open-source languages with strong numerical computing ecosystems; willingness to learn Python.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to reconcile conflicting or ambiguous sources of information.
• Ability to work independently and communicate ideas effectively.

The following attributes will help you stand out from the crowd:

• A track record of publications and/or presentations on actuarial modeling topics.
• An actuarial designation (ie., ACAS or FCAS).
• Familiarity with Bayesian modeling using Stan.
• Familiarity with version control, especially Git/GitHub.

Benefits:

• Generous salary and equity compensation
• Work from anywhere (this position is full-time remote, as long as your working hours can overlap with US Eastern time for a couple hours per day)
• Unlimited paid vacation time
• 401k
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Gym membership
• $5,000 paid by Ledger towards your dream desk setup!