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 (350+ and counting), our diverse team is headquartered in Paris and operates out of our 13 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.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE

Descartes Underwriting is seeking a 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 climate models.

Your missions will include:

• Improve and/or develop new models to enhance and strengthen our understanding of climate risks;
• Conduct research on the modeling of climate risks and machine learning methods;
• Identify new and innovative ideas and test state-of-the-art methods from scratch 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;
• Work autonomously and pragmatically to make appropriate technical decisions.

ABOUT YOU

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree (ideally research-oriented) in applied mathematics, statistics, meteorological studies or physics;
• From 0 to 2 years of experience (internship and/or apprenticeship included);
• Multi-disciplinary curriculum with strong skills in statistics, applied mathematics, physics and machine learning methods;
• Ideally a previous experience in climate modeling or data science;
• Proficiency in Python.

SKILLS

• Strong team spirit and ability to work under pressure;
• Eagerness to solve complex problems and technical challenges;
• Rigorous, creative and meticulous mind;
• Fluency in English (written and verbal communication) is required;
• Good command of one additional language (e.g. Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish…) is valued.

MINDSET

• Interested in weather and natural perils modeling (cyclones, wildfires, hail, tsunamis, earthquakes etc);
• 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.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

• Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter
• Step 2: Technical online test
• Step 3: Remote technical interview with a R&D Data Scientist
• Step 4: In-person team interview to meet our R&D Data Scientist team, your future managers and discover our offices (held remotely if you are abroad)

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.