Assistant Director, Data Science

What’s Under the Hood

DriveTime Family of Brands is the largest privately owned used car sales finance & servicing company in the nation. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona and Dallas, Texas, we create opportunities and improve the lives of our customers and our employees by placing a focus on putting the right customer, in the right vehicle, on the right terms and on their path to ownership.

The DriveTime Family of Brands spans across DriveTime, Bridgecrest and SilverRock.  You can find us at the intersection of technology and innovation as we use our proprietary tools and over two decades of industry knowledge to redefine the process of purchasing, financing, and protecting your vehicle. 

That’s Nice, But What’s the Job?

In short, as the Assistant Director of Data Science you will lead a team of Data Scientists responsible for advanced analytical solutions that include predictive analytics, machine learning, simulation, and optimization techniques to that generate strategic insights and enable more effective business solutions. You will utilize technical acumen and in-depth understanding of business processes and practices to collaborate with our business operations in the creation and execution of operational and strategic plans. In addition, this role collaborates with IT, Business Intelligence and other areas to build major improvements to analytical processes and systems.

In long, the Assistant Director of Data Science is responsible for:

• Advising Senior Leadership on the development of data science solutions that enhance the company’s long-term business strategies.
• Overseeing the creation of machine learning models through all phases of development, from design through training, evaluation, validation, and implementation.
• Maintaining relationships with academic and industry thought leaders to ensure the enterprise has access to cutting-edge thinking and technologies.
• Collaborating with other analytical leaders to fulfill the strategic direction of the business through data and information exploration, research of emerging technologies and analytical techniques, and long-term defined/project specific strategic assignments.
• Partnering with enterprise analytical and IT teams to build DriveTime’s core capabilities and processes.
• Identifying additional resource needs ranging from IT investments, 3rd party support or additional analysts.
• Understanding the business direction, environment and strategies, to identify and recommend solutions that influence decision makers and drive change.
• Directing the design and construction of large and complex data sets from large amounts of structured and unstructured data (internal and external) to enable analytical solutions.
• Building and leading a high performing team of experts in advanced analytics. Develops team reputation as highly skilled experts in the field of data science.

So What Kind of Folks Are We Looking for?

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. The ability to talk and write with confidence, charisma and competence for a wide variety of audiences including management.

• Intellectual curiosity.  Why? What? How?  Do you find yourself always wanting to learn more and broaden your knowledge base?  If so, this could be the role for you.
• Creative problem solving. You are always looking beyond the obvious for continuous improvement.
• Strong business acumen. Ability to collaborate and influence business operation in the development of strategies supported by advance analytical solutions.
• Customer Focused.  You embrace the business problem-solving process of analyzing but also share our passion to do the right thing. You know it’s about making the right decision for our customers.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills. Friendly and tactful with the ability to influence others, effectively manage conflict, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage highly sensitive and confidential information, interact at all levels within the organization, and build cross-functional partnerships across the business.
• Plays well with others.  You will be working in a high-functioning team environment.  We work together in order to win together.

The Specifics.

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• 4+ years of experience in data science, machine learning, or advanced analytics
• 2+ years of experience leading, managing, or mentoring technical analytics or data science talent
• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field such as Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, or equivalent practical experience
• Advanced proficiency in Snowflake, SQL, and Python
• Experience in stochastic modeling, machine learning, and other advanced mathematical techniques (e.g., neural nets, simulation, graph analysis).
• A strong track record of communicating results, insights, and technical solutions to Senior Executives.

Nice to Have

• Experience using AI-assisted or automation-focused tooling to support and accelerate data science workflows

So What About the Perks? Perks matter

• We take a hybrid work approach, finding balance between the benefits of in-person and work-from-home environments. This position has an on-site expectation of a minimum of three days a week.
• Medical, dental, and vision, oh my! DriveTime Family of Brands covers a sizable amount of insurance premiums to ensure our employees receive top-tier healthcare coverage. 
• But Wait, There’s More. 401(K), Company paid life insurance policy, short and long-term disability coverage to name a few.
• Growth Opportunities. You grow, I grow, we all grow!  But seriously, DriveTime Family of Brands is committed to providing its employees with every opportunity to grow professionally with roughly over 1,000 employees promoted year over year.
• Tuition Reimbursement. We’re as passionate about your professional development as you are. With that, we’ll put our money where our mouth is.
• Wellness Program. Health is wealth! This program includes self-guided coaching and journeys, cash incentives and discounts on your medical premiums through engaging in fun activities!
• Gratitude is Green.  We offer competitive pay across the organization, because, well… money matters!

• In-House Gym. We want our employees to be the best versions of themselves. So come early, take a break in your day or finish strong with a workout!
• Give Us a Reason (or not), and We’ll Celebrate.  Regardless of whether there is a holiday or not, we are finding ways to kick back and enjoy each other’s company outside of day-to-day work.
• Smart-Casual Dress. Come dressed in jeans (you’ll fit right in with the rest of us).

• Paid Time Off. Not just lip service: we work hard, to play hard!  Paid time off includes (for all full-time roles) wellness days, holidays, and good ole' fashioned YOU time!  For our Part-timers, don't fear you get some time too...vacation time is available - the more you work, the more you earn!

Anything Else?  Absolutely.

DriveTime Family of Brands is Great Place to Work Certified! And get this: 90% of our rockstar employees say they feel right at home here.  We could spend a lot of time having you read about ALL our awards, but we’ll save time (and practice some humility) just naming a few others; Comparably Awards: Best Company for Diversity, Best Company Culture and Best Company Leadership, oh and don’t forget Phoenix Business Journal Healthiest Employers (okay, we’ll stop there)!

Hiring is contingent upon successful completion of our background and drug screening process. DriveTime is a drug-free, tobacco-free workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.

And when it comes to hiring, we don't just look for the right person for the job, we seek out the right person for DriveTime. Buckle up for plenty of opportunities to grow in a professional, fun, and high-energy environment!