Lead Data Scientist

About the Team

The Data Science team at Navi plays a central role in building intelligent solutions that power our products and drive business impact. We work across key domains such as Lending, Collections, KYC, UPI Growth and Ads recommendation, applying advanced machine learning/deep learning/GenAI techniques to solve high-impact challenges. Our work involves a diverse range of data types—including text, image, and tabular data—and we closely collaborate with cross-functional teams like Product, Business, Engineering, etc. to deliver end-to-end solutions.

About the Role

This role offers the opportunity to lead high-impact data science initiatives that directly shape Navi's strategic business decisions. As a Lead Data Scientist, you will operate at the intersection of advanced machine learning, large-scale data processing, and cross-functional collaboration—building scalable, production-ready solutions that drive significant business value. You will work across multiple business units, tackling Navi's most complex and high-priority challenges, while fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous innovation, and mentorship within the team. Your contributions will be instrumental in unlocking new opportunities, accelerating growth, and establishing data science as a core strategic asset at Navi.

What We Expect From You

• Lead High-Impact Projects: Oversee and manage end-to-end high-priority data science projects across domains by breaking down complex problems, planning timelines, allocating resources, and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery of results.
• Mentorship & Team Development: Mentor and coach a team of data scientists, fostering a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, and technical excellence. Guide team members in their project work and support their career advancement.
• POC & SOTA Solution Delivery: Rapidly solve complex problems by designing and executing quick POCs using state-of-the-art (SOTA) approaches, and deliver
• best-in-class ML solutions that create clear differentiation and business impact.
• Strategic Vision & Innovation: Define the strategic roadmap for the team, set technical direction, and champion the development of data-driven solutions for complex business challenges. Ensure alignment with organizational objectives and foster a culture of innovation.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Build and nurture strong relationships with stakeholders across business, product, and engineering. Identify opportunities, shape strategic initiatives, and drive the successful integration of data science solutions into core business functions.
• Model Quality & Monitoring Excellence: Establish robust metrics and quality standards for evaluating model performance and business impact. Implement and oversee industry-leading systems for model monitoring to ensure reliability, scalability, and long-term value.

Must Haves

• Bachelor's or higher degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a quantitative field, with a strong research orientation and at least 7 years of relevant experience in data science
• Deep expertise in modern machine learning techniques, mathematical foundations, and hands-on experience with leading ML frameworks (such as scikit-learn, Keras, TensorFlow, PySpark, MLlib, etc.)
• Extensive experience with distributed computing platforms and scalable data processing (e.g. Spark)
• Advanced programming skills, preferably in Python, Scala, or similar languages, with a track record of delivering robust, production-grade solutions
• Proven ability to lead and deliver large-scale machine learning projects end-to-end—from problem definition, data exploration, and modeling, to deployment and production monitoring
• Demonstrated experience in mentoring junior data scientists, including setting technical direction and driving best practices
• Strong business acumen and the ability to translate complex data-driven insights into actionable strategies that create significant business impact
• Skilled in designing, executing, and scaling A/B or multivariate experiments to validate and optimize data science solutions
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience collaborating across business, product, and engineering functions
• Proven track record of driving innovation and staying current with the latest advancements in machine learning and data science

About Navi

Navi is on a mission to make finance simple, accessible, and affordable for a billion Indians. Guided by a strong customer-first approach, the company is building tech-first solutions that work at scale. Their offerings include a range of financial products and services across Loans, Insurance, Mutual Funds, Digital Gold, and UPI. Founded by Sachin Bansal & Ankit Agarwal in 2018, Navi is one of India's fastest-growing financial services organizations.

Our Culture

At Navi, ambition meets opportunity, and ideas turn into impact quickly. We empower people with high ownership from the start, encouraging them to solve meaningful problems and build with excellence. Teams work in an environment that values speed, collaboration, and craftsmanship, while celebrating learning, growth, and shared wins. The company is guided by The Navi OS—a set of principles that shape how we work and win together. You can explore them at navi.com/our-values to see what drives them every day.

If this feels like you, Navi is the place to grow, thrive and make a real impact.