Lead Data Scientist - Risk

We are looking for an experienced and talented Data Scientist to lead our Risk pricing team. The successful candidate will have technical oversight and leadership of a team of modellers who deliver risk estimation into pricing. The Data Science team at Acorn was created in February 2023, initially focusing on delivering price optimization for pricing, which has seen great success for the company, delivering 20%+ uplifts in profitability across our largest products. Today we operate a champion‑challenger framework, rapidly delivering further improvements by being well organised, keeping effective code bases across the team that enables us to work repeatably and at scale.

Risk modelling is the core of insurance pricing and therefore a major value driver within the business. Whilst the industry as a whole has improved methodologies over recent years, it is our belief that it is possible to do this better than anyone else and have our risk pricing be a genuine differentiator versus other insurers. Risk modelling in insurance is infamously slow, conservative and overly manual. We want to create something scalable and dynamic and able to iterate at speed which will work for a variety of products without masses of product‑bespoke work. We are looking for someone to drive an efficient and high value team producing risk pricing models, taking thorough and diligent actuarial insights and applying modern data science methodologies to maximise accuracy of predictions. You will control and lead how the team train and deliver machine learning solutions into production whilst ensuring we adhere with the necessary compliance and regulatory responsibilities we have as an insurer.

What you will be doing:

• Lead on both the structure and delivery of models to which affect large changes in the business and drive significant value
• Design, creation and execution of risk modelling solutions
• Building and execution of repeatable machine learning pipelines
• Technical leadership and mentoring
• Autonomy in the approaches used and solutions delivered

This is a great opportunity to build and own a process which delivers high value for the business.

What we are looking for:

• Solid statistical understanding and expertise in a range of machine learning methodologies
• A good understanding of insurance risk and how it is incorporated into pricing
• End to end experience of the machine learning pipeline, from data to production
• Excellent python coding experience
• A creative approach to problem solving
• Technical leadership and mentoring of more junior colleagues
• Detailed understanding of motor insurance risk
• Natural desire to act at pace, be innovative, while setting high standards
• An independent thinker and technical leader who can challenge the status quo of the insurance industry and drive the continued growth of the business

Grow with Acorn

At Acorn Insurance, we’re proud of our Liverpool roots — and even prouder of how far we’ve come. As part of the Acorn Group, we bring over 40 years of specialist insurance expertise to the table. From humble beginnings, we’ve grown into a national leader, now employing 1,700+ people across the UK and reached a milestone £750 million in total value of insurance policies written in 2024. We’re growing fast, with new opportunities emerging every week. That growth is largely due to the values we share:

• We run through walls for our customers and each other
• We challenge the status quo
• We succeed when we help those around us succeed
• We decide quickly when the smart thing to do is use our judgement

Our Commitment to our colleagues:

• 35 days’ holiday (including bank holidays) with additional buy/sell options
• 24/7 mental health support & free counselling available
• Flexible benefits, including early access to salary via our internal platform
• Hybrid working options to support work‑life balance and individual needs

We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace where everyone can flourish. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process—or once you’re part of the team—just let us know. Whether it’s flexible hours, adapted equipment, or a bit of extra support, we’ll work with you to make sure you can do your best work.