Data Scientist I
Driveway Finance Corporation (Lithia & Driveway)
About the role
Dealership:
L0238 Driveway Finance Corporation
Driveway Finance Corporation |Data Scientist I
Driveway Finance Corporation (DFC) is a modern automotive lender and part of the Lithia & Driveway (LAD) family, one of the largest automotive retailers in North America and where we exemplify "Auto Done Easy". DFC provides flexible, customer-focused financing solutions that support both retail and commercial clients. Our innovative approach combines technology with personalized service to simplify the vehicle financing experience. At DFC, we're driving the future of auto finance!
Lithia Motors, Inc. is a nationwide automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon, and the largest automotive retailer in the United States. The Data Scientist/Senior Data Scientist supports Lithia's long-term strategy to use data, statistical modeling, machine learning, and AI to predict market trends, improve decision-making, optimize operations, and better serve customers. The role helps ensure that organizational data is accurate, consistent, and fit for effective predictive modeling, while addressing data-source and collection issues and helping reduce systematic bias. The position also supports U.S. vehicle lending and leasing through credit risk analytics and modeling, pricing strategy, and practical analytical solutions for businesses and functions including Driveway.com, sales, marketing, finance, operations, product, and technology.
The Data Scientist/Senior Data Scientist reports to the Manager, Data Science
This role is hybrid in Tigard,OR. 3 days in office, 2 days from home
Target Hiring Range:
At Lithia & Driveway, we believe in pay transparency. The full compensation range for this position is $60,000 - $85,000 reflecting the earning potential and growth opportunities available within the role. Actual compensation will be $73,000 - $82,000 determined based on factors such as experience, skills, job-related knowledge, and geographic location. Final pay decisions are made through the interview process and in accordance with applicable pay equity and transparency laws.
*Potential higher for a Data Scientist II will be reviewed by hiring manager for qualififications, pay range $103,000 - $117,000
What You'll Do
Analyze U.S. vehicle lending and leasing portfolio performance, identify risk trends, and provide actionable recommendations.
Develop and maintain credit risk models, decision rules, risk tiers, and related analytical strategies.
Test and validate models and credit policies using historical analysis, back-testing, simulations, and appropriate performance measures.
Build reliable analytical datasets and reporting using Python, SQL, and relevant cloud or business intelligence platforms.
Monitor model, policy, and portfolio performance and recommend adjustments when business conditions, customer behavior, or data quality change
Develop and evaluate pricing strategies, including risk-based pricing, profitability analysis, pricing optimization, and measurement of customer and portfolio outcomes.
Support Lithia businesses and functions, including Driveway.com, sales, and marketing, by identifying analytical opportunities, building models and insights, and translating results into practical business recommendations
Partner with credit, finance, operations, product, technology, data engineering, and governance teams to implement analytical solutions
Clearly communicate methods, assumptions, limitations, findings, and business impact to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
For the Senior Data Scientist level, lead complex workstreams, review analytical work, coach team members, and help establish modeling standards
Additional Qualifications
The following knowledge, skills and abilities are needed to be successful in this position:
Master's degree in data science, statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, economics, finance, actuarial science, or a closely related quantitative field; an advanced degree is an asset.
Data Scientist: typically 3 or more years of relevant experience in data science, credit risk analytics, statistical modeling, or a related quantitative field. Senior Data Scientist: typically 5 or more years of relevant experience, including ownership of complex analytical or modeling work.
Hands-on experience developing, testing, or validating statistical or machine-learning models using Python, R, or similar tools.
Strong SQL skills and experience working with large, complex datasets, including data preparation, reconciliation, and quality assessment.
Knowledge of model development and validation concepts including sampling, feature engineering, performance measurement, calibration, stability testing, back-testing, and monitoring.
Ability to convert analytical results into practical risk strategies and explain technical concepts to business stakeholders.
Strong written documentation, problem-solving, attention to detail, and time-management skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively across credit risk, finance, product, operations, compliance, technology, and data teams.
Preferred Qualifications
The following knowledge, skills and abilities are preferred to be successful in this position:
Experience in automotive finance, vehicle leasing, consumer lending, banking, fintech, or another regulated credit environment.
Experience with credit decisioning strategies, scorecards, risk-tier assignment, policy rules, expected loss, delinquency, collections, prepayment, or residual value analytics.
Experience with model risk management, independent model validation, governance documentation, production monitoring, or audit support.
Experience with cloud data and analytics platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Databricks, Spark, or equivalent technologies.
Experience with visualization or business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
Knowledge of U.S. consumer credit markets and applicable privacy, fair lending, consumer protection, and responsible-use expectations for data and models is an asset.
Experience working with U.S. credit bureau data, fair lending analysis, or regulated consumer lending requirements is an asset.
Total Rewards
We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your family, including:
Competitive pay
Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
Paid Holidays
PTO: 80 hours front-loaded on day 1
Short and Long-Term Disability
Paid Life Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Lithia Learning Center
Vehicle Purchase Discounts
Wellness Programs
Additional information about our Total Rewards benefits can be reviewed on our careers site at totalrewards.lithiadriveway.com
High School graduate or equivalent, 18 years or older required. We are a drug-free workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity (regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status). We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.
Responsibilities
- Analyze vehicle lending and leasing portfolio performance, identify credit risk trends, and recommend actions.
- Develop, test, validate, and monitor credit risk models, decision rules, risk tiers, and credit policies.
- Build analytical datasets and reporting with Python, SQL, and cloud or business intelligence platforms.
- Develop and evaluate pricing strategies, including risk-based pricing and profitability analysis.
- Identify analytical opportunities and translate modeling results into practical business recommendations.
- Collaborate across credit, finance, operations, product, technology, data engineering, and governance teams.
- Communicate analytical methods, assumptions, limitations, findings, and business impact to stakeholders.
Qualifications
- Master's degree in data science or a related quantitative field.
- At least 3 years of relevant experience in data science, credit risk analytics, statistical modeling, or a related quantitative field.
- Hands-on experience developing, testing, or validating statistical or machine-learning models using Python, R, or similar tools.
- Strong SQL skills and experience preparing, reconciling, and assessing the quality of large, complex datasets.
- Knowledge of model development and validation, including feature engineering, performance measurement, calibration, back-testing, and monitoring.
- Ability to translate analytical results into practical risk strategies and explain technical concepts to business stakeholders.
- Preferred experience in automotive finance, lending, credit decisioning, model governance, cloud analytics, or business intelligence tools.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Paid holidays and 80 hours of PTO front-loaded on day one
- Short- and long-term disability and paid life insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan and employee stock purchase plan
- Vehicle purchase discounts
- Wellness programs and Lithia Learning Center
Skills mentioned
About Driveway Finance Corporation (Lithia & Driveway)
Our story began humbly in 1946, with the opening of a Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge store across from Lithia Springs Park in Ashland, Oregon. Fifty years later, in 1996, after opening a few additional stores and training a talented team of leaders, our CEO decided the best way to give new opportunities to this incredible team was to join the public stock exchange. That’s when our mission of “Growth Powered by People” took off. Today, Lithia & Driveway is one of the nation’s fastest-growing automotive retailers and listed as 124 on the Fortune 500 (NYSE: LAD). We own more than 300 stores supporting over 50 automotive brands and provide job opportunities for more than 27,000 people. As Lithia & Driveway continues to grow, our success is fueled by the collective efforts, skills, and contributions of our people. We stand by our core values of taking personal ownership, improving constantly, earning customers for life and having fun in the process. Our high-performance culture keeps one focus in mind, making the customer experience better, as we aim to meet customers wherever, whenever, and however they desire. We offer a variety of opportunities across our hundreds of stores in the US, UK, and Canada; our Driveway, GreenCars, Driveway Finance Corporation brands as well as our home office. With positions in Sales, Service, Corporate, and Finance, we believe you’ll roll into the perfect spot at Lithia & Driveway. Join us as we continue to innovate and exceed our potential and our customers’ expectations. Lithia & Driveway is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity.