Principal Data Scientist

Pagaya is a global technology company making life-changing financial products and services available to more people nationwide, as it reshapes the financial services ecosystem. By using machine learning, a vast data network and a sophisticated AI-driven approach, Pagaya provides comprehensive consumer credit and residential real estate solutions for its partners, their customers, and investors. Its proprietary API and capital solutions integrate into its network of partners to deliver seamless user experiences and greater access to the mainstream economy. Pagaya has offices in New York and Tel Aviv. For more information, visit pagaya.com.

About The Role

We are looking for a visionary Principal Data Scientist to lead strategic research initiatives focusing on our Personal Loans asset class. In this high-impact, individual contributor role, you will be at the absolute forefront of our research department. You will tackle Pagaya’s most challenging, long-term research questions, working hands-on to advance our sophisticated models while providing high-level professional leadership and mentorship to data scientists across the group.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical authority and professional lead for the Personal Loans research group, setting the standard for scientific rigor and innovation.
• Spearhead complex, long-term research initiatives that address fundamental challenges in credit risk, behavioral modeling, and portfolio optimization.
• Develop cutting-edge Machine Learning models and algorithms from scratch, moving from high-level hypothesis to production-ready solutions.
• Design multi-domain Data Science solutions for the company’s core mission, identifying untapped opportunities within our vast datasets.
• Mentor senior and staff data scientists, advising on methodology, experimental design, and technical roadblocks without the overhead of people management.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Finance stakeholders to align long-term research goals with Pagaya’s strategic business roadmap.

• 10+ years of experience in Machine Learning with large-scale tabular data. specifically focusing on predictive modeling (Advantage)
• MSc or PhD in a highly quantitative field (Math, Physics, CS, Stats, or EE).
• A track record of translating complex, long-term research projects into significant, measurable business impact in a production environment.
• Good applied statistics skills, such as distributions, statistical testing, regression, etc.
• Deep expertise in the Python Data Science stack and advanced applied statistics.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence technical roadmaps and communicate complex scientific concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Pagaya was founded in 2016 by seasoned research, finance, and technology entrepreneurs, and we are now 500+ strong in New York, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv.

We move fast and smart, identifying new opportunities and building end-to-end solutions from AI models and unique data sources. Every Pagaya team member is solving new and exciting challenges every day in a culture based on partnership, collaboration, and community.

Join a team of builders who are working every day to enable better outcomes for our partners and their customers.

Our Values

Our values are at the heart of everything we do. We believe great solutions are built through a great community.

• Advance Inclusion- We create a world where everyone can win, designing systems that better represent people and generate sustainable value for our employees, partners and investors.
• Be Accountable Together- We proudly own our actions and our results, taking initiative to ensure our work gets over the finish line as a team.
• Continuously Learn- We challenge ourselves for the sake of getting better as individuals, as teams, and as an organization to deliver for our partners.
• Debate and Commit- We respectfully and openly debate to strengthen our ideas and build shared conviction - once we decide, we go all in, together.
• Dream Big and Act- We boldly tackle complex problems, pressure-test solutions in real-time, and adapt with speed and energy.

We believe health, happiness, and productivity go hand-in-hand. That's why we're continually looking to enhance the ways we support you with benefits programs and perks that allow every Pagayan to do the best work of their life.

Pagaya is an equal opportunity employer. Pagaya is encouraging diversity and actively seeking applicants from all backgrounds, as are committed to creating a diverse workforce together with an inclusive environment for all. Employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, skills, and business needs.

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