Data Scientist

Vontive is a company focused on solving complex problems in a legacy industry, opening up new financing opportunities for real estate investors. Our efficient process delivers prompt, accurately underwritten loans at significantly lower cost to borrowers than traditional lending. Technology is the heart of our business and we are growing quickly.

The Data Scientist is an exciting role focused on building scoring- and risk-assessment services using internally derived metrics and public records. You will have the support of your Data Engineering colleagues, who maintain API service layers that provide training and prediction data on demand and help you turn your trained, serialized models into new prediction APIs.

We prioritize candidates with prior experience in delivering accurate models that perform well over time in high-dimensional, multicollinear datasets. We also believe experience in financial and real estate datasets such as county assessor-recorder, Census Bureau, HUD, and FRED will be a strong indicator of success due to the highly idiosyncratic nature of the metrics in those sources. We are looking for data scientists who will think critically about inputs to their models and make intelligent choices about which metrics we should ingest and present results of model selection techniques to support those decisions.

You will work on a distributed team with members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, and Washington. The successful candidate will report to the Director of Data Products, based in Seattle.

Requirements

An ideal candidate can demonstrate previous success in:

• Building and consuming REST API endpoints and routes in Python
• Complex, performant PostgreSQL queries
• High scores in math coursework involving Linear Algebra, Statistics, or Econometrics
• Building Regression and Classification solutions with classical algorithms such as Naive Bayes, Gradient Boosted Trees, Elastic Net Regression, and different Neural Networks
• Quantitatively comparing model performance and explaining the tradeoffs between them in particular problems to technical and business audiences
• Building lightweight front ends to demonstrate the functionality and visualize performance of their applications, such as with React or Jupyter notebooks
• Strong knowledge of version control and Git commands through the terminal
• Packaging applications into Docker images for execution in the cloud
• Using the AWS suite of products, particularly for serverless and automated workflows
• Designing experiments
• Providing adequate documentation like Swagger and Confluence guides
• Cross-functional working relationships with engineers and stakeholders

In our experience, candidates with between 4 and 8 years in the field and possessing a 4-year degree in a quantitative discipline are generally able to match these criteria. Candidates with a Masters' degree are highly encouraged to apply.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed for your total wellbeing and include:

• Competitive salary and compensation package
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage
• Monthly fitness and wellness reimbursement
• Healthy snacks, beverages and meals at the office
• Remote-friendly work environment during COVID-19
• Your choice of equipment, ergonomic setup
• Company-sponsored events and volunteering opportunities
• Flexible hours, unlimited vacation
• 16 weeks of parental leave
• Meaningful equity and 401(k) plan
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Life insurance policy

At Vontive, you will find a team committed to diversity, inclusion, and values of:

• Take Initiative: We should feel empowered to experiment, build and solve problems proactively
• Assume Best Intent: We believe that our peers are working to the best of their ability with the resources and information they have at their disposal
• Feedback: Whether it’s coming from our customers or our colleagues, we listen, empathize, and act quickly. When delivering feedback we do it with compassion and recognize that there are different ways to approach a problem.
• Strive for Simplicity: When taking on problems, we always ask ourselves if they can be broken down further. By tackling one thing at a time, we’re able to produce a cleaner product, avoid distractions and deliver desired outcomes..
• Build Two Way Doors: We solve our problems by committing to easily reversible solutions allowing for quick experimentation and iteration if need be.
• Drive Clarity: We don’t assume everybody has the necessary context or knowledge to act. We strive to proactively push information and encourage others to ask questions.

Vontive is an equal opportunity employer that promotes diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will ensure that individuals with differing abilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Due to the threat of more infectious and deadly COVID-19 variant strains emerging, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we require that newly-hired employees for this position be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. We will make reasonable accommodations for valid exemptions based on disability, medical, or religious reasons and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.