ABOUT DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Descartes was born out of the conviction that the ever-increasing complexity of risks faced by corporations, governments and vulnerable communities calls for a renewed approach in insurance. Our team brings together industry veterans from the most renowned institutions (AXA, SCOR, Swiss Re, Marsh, Aon, ...) and scientists on top of their field to bring underwriting excellence. After 5 years of existence, Descartes has secured a leading position in parametric insurance for weather and climate-related risks utilizing machine learning, real-time monitoring from satellite imagery & IoT. After a successful Series B raise of $120M USD, we launched Descartes Insurance, a 'full stack' insurer licensed to underwrite risk by the French regulator ACPR. With a growing corporate client base (400+ and counting), our diverse team is headquartered in Paris and operates out of our 17 global offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Descartes is trusted by a panel of A-rated (re)insurers to carry out its activities.

In 2023, Descartes started to expand beyond natural risks into cyber insurance and other new lines of business.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE 

Descartes Underwriting is seeking a Senior R&D Data Scientist to join our R&D Team. At the core of our company’s strategy, your missions will focus on making direct contributions to the development of new models for New business lines (Cyber, etc). 

You will report directly to the R&D Manager.

Your responsibilities would include :

Individual contribution in R&D projects

• Conduct research on the modeling of traditional risks (property damage, …) and emerging risks (cyber…) and machine learning methods;
• Identify new and innovative ideas and testing state-of-the-art methods based on recent research articles;
• Collaborate with the underwriting and business teams to ensure our products are efficiently integrated into the underwriting process and meet our clients’ needs;
• Propose models developments or features that are technically and economically aligned with company’s strategy;
• Take part and help in new products/existing models, translating and combining multiple research ideas and solutions into a new product or module.

Technical Leadership

• Lead the improvement and/or development of new models to enhance and strengthen our understanding of emerging risks;
• Be a referent for junior R&D Data Scientists and provide them guidance on technical modeling matters;
• Give relevant technical advice to Underwriting for their daily underwriting activities and Innovation teams during the product development phase;
• Suggest improvements in software or infrastructure challenges.

ABOUT YOU 

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Scientific academic background;
• From 5 to 10 years of experience in R&D and data science;
• Strong skills in Statistics, Applied mathematics, and Machine Learning methods;
• Proven track record of significant individual contributor roles for solving complex problems and of contribution and leading the design and development of parts of a model;
• Ideally a previous experience in actuarial or modelling role in an insurance or reinsurance company;
• Proficiency in Python.

SKILLS

• Fluency in French and English (written and verbal communication) is required;
• Good command of one additional language (e.g. Chinese, Italian, German, Spanish…) is valued.

MINDSET 

• Interested in traditional risks (property damage,…) and emerging risks modeling (cyber,…);
• Strong team spirit and ability to work under pressure;
• Eagerness to solve complex problems and technical challenges;
• Rigorous, creative and meticulous mind;
• Strong desire to learn and commitment to the organization’s mission;
• Results oriented, high energy, with the ability to work in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment;
• Motivated to help improving businesses’ and communities’ resilience to climate change.

WHY JOIN DESCARTES UNDERWRITING?

• Opportunity to work and learn with teams from the most prestigious schools and research labs in the world, allowing you to progress towards technical excellence; 
• Commitment from Descartes to its staff of continued learning and development (think annual seminars, training etc.) ;
• Work in a collaborative & professional environment ;
• Be part of an international team, passionate about diversity ;
• Join a company with a true purpose – help us help our clients be more resilient towards climate risks;
• A competitive salary, bonus and benefits;
  
• You can benefit from a punctual home office days.

At Descartes Underwriting, we cherish value of diversity whatever it may be. We are committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination and for equal opportunities. We foster an inclusive work environment that respects all differences.

With equal skills, all our positions are open to people with disabilities.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

• Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter
• Step 2: Technical online test 
• Step 3: Remote technical interview
  
• Step 4: In person team interview to meet our team and discover our offices (held remotely if you are abroad)