Varo Bank
Head of Data Science - Varo Bank
Varo is an entirely new kind of bank. All digital, mission‑driven, FDIC‑insured and designed for the way our customers live their lives. A bank for all of us.
Base Pay Range $250,000.00/yr - $300,000.00/yr
Location Austin, TX
About Varo Varo launched in 2017 with the vision to bring the best of fintech into the regulated banking system. We’re a new kind of bank – all-digital, mission-driven, FDIC-insured, and designed around the modern American consumer.
What you'll be doing
Strategic Ownership:
Define, own and drive a comprehensive Data Science roadmap (including AI/ML and causal inference) that directly translates into commercial outcomes across Varo’s core business verticals.
Model Innovation & Delivery:
Lead the development, validation and production deployment of custom machine learning and statistical models critical for decision‑making.
Business Partnership:
Serve as a strategic data consultant to executive leaders and business stakeholders, translating ambiguous commercial problems into rigorous analytical frameworks and actionable solutions.
Data Integrity & Risk:
Work closely with Data Engineering and Product teams to ensure quality, accessibility and lineage of new data sources and adhere to Varo’s risk framework and regulatory requirements for fairness and transparency.
Operational Excellence:
Establish and own ML model performance monitoring processes, ensuring deployed models maintain accuracy and business impact over time and are governed appropriately.
Team Leadership & Mentorship:
Attract, hire, mentor and coach a high‑performing team of Data Scientists, setting a high bar for technical rigor, business acumen and cross‑functional collaboration.
You'll bring the following required skills and experiences
8+ years of experience
in Data Science, Applied Science, or a related quantitative field.
Deep Domain Expertise:
Proven track record of delivering measurable business impact in at least one key financial services domain (credit/lending, fraud/risk modeling, or customer growth/engagement).
Technical Fluency:
Expert‑level proficiency in
Python
and its scientific computing stack (Pandas, Scikit‑learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow). Proven ability to apply a wide range of statistical methods, machine learning algorithms and causal inference techniques to large, real‑world datasets.
Data Ecosystem Experience:
Hands‑on experience working with distributed data and computing tools (Spark, Hive) and cloud web services (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Leadership Acumen:
Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment, attract high‑quality talent and drive a data‑informed culture.
Seniority level Not Applicable
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Engineering and Information Technology
Industry Banking
Benefits Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the identified range. This role is also eligible for a bonus, equity, and competitive benefits.
Equal Opportunity Employer Varo is an equal opportunity employer. Varo embraces diversity and we are committed to building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Fraud Warning Beware of fraudulent job postings! Varo will never ask for payment to process documents, refer you to a third party to process applications or visas, or ask you to pay costs. If you suspect you have received a phony offer, please e‑mail careers@varomoney.com with the pertinent information and contact information.
Privacy Notice CCPA Notice at Collection for California Employees and Applicants: https://www.varomoney.com/privacy-legal/
Artificial Intelligence Screening We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.
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Base Pay Range $250,000.00/yr - $300,000.00/yr
Location Austin, TX
About Varo Varo launched in 2017 with the vision to bring the best of fintech into the regulated banking system. We’re a new kind of bank – all-digital, mission-driven, FDIC-insured, and designed around the modern American consumer.
What you'll be doing
Strategic Ownership:
Define, own and drive a comprehensive Data Science roadmap (including AI/ML and causal inference) that directly translates into commercial outcomes across Varo’s core business verticals.
Model Innovation & Delivery:
Lead the development, validation and production deployment of custom machine learning and statistical models critical for decision‑making.
Business Partnership:
Serve as a strategic data consultant to executive leaders and business stakeholders, translating ambiguous commercial problems into rigorous analytical frameworks and actionable solutions.
Data Integrity & Risk:
Work closely with Data Engineering and Product teams to ensure quality, accessibility and lineage of new data sources and adhere to Varo’s risk framework and regulatory requirements for fairness and transparency.
Operational Excellence:
Establish and own ML model performance monitoring processes, ensuring deployed models maintain accuracy and business impact over time and are governed appropriately.
Team Leadership & Mentorship:
Attract, hire, mentor and coach a high‑performing team of Data Scientists, setting a high bar for technical rigor, business acumen and cross‑functional collaboration.
You'll bring the following required skills and experiences
8+ years of experience
in Data Science, Applied Science, or a related quantitative field.
Deep Domain Expertise:
Proven track record of delivering measurable business impact in at least one key financial services domain (credit/lending, fraud/risk modeling, or customer growth/engagement).
Technical Fluency:
Expert‑level proficiency in
Python
and its scientific computing stack (Pandas, Scikit‑learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow). Proven ability to apply a wide range of statistical methods, machine learning algorithms and causal inference techniques to large, real‑world datasets.
Data Ecosystem Experience:
Hands‑on experience working with distributed data and computing tools (Spark, Hive) and cloud web services (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Leadership Acumen:
Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment, attract high‑quality talent and drive a data‑informed culture.
Seniority level Not Applicable
Employment type Full‑time
Job function Engineering and Information Technology
Industry Banking
Benefits Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the identified range. This role is also eligible for a bonus, equity, and competitive benefits.
Equal Opportunity Employer Varo is an equal opportunity employer. Varo embraces diversity and we are committed to building teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Fraud Warning Beware of fraudulent job postings! Varo will never ask for payment to process documents, refer you to a third party to process applications or visas, or ask you to pay costs. If you suspect you have received a phony offer, please e‑mail careers@varomoney.com with the pertinent information and contact information.
Privacy Notice CCPA Notice at Collection for California Employees and Applicants: https://www.varomoney.com/privacy-legal/
Artificial Intelligence Screening We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.
#J-18808-Ljbffr