Job Description

AKUR8 IS A YOUNG, DYNAMIC, FAST GROWING INSURTECH STARTUP THAT IS REVOLUTIONIZING INSURANCE PRICING WITH TRANSPARENT AI.

Since 2016 our skilled R&D team of data scientists, software engineers and actuaries has developed unique AI algorithms that automate the insurance pricing process in an unprecedented way.

Our solution is a SaaS platform which allows insurance companies to model their risks 10 times faster, with a higher predictive power than traditional methods. This constitutes a major game changer for the insurance industry.

Selected in both Sonars world Top 100 insurtech companies for 2020 and in the Top 25 emerging technologies in Oxbow Partners insurtech impact report, Akur8s solution is international by design, targeting all insurance carriers globally, and focusing on more mature markets for faster expansion.

We closed our USD 9m Series A in February with notable international investors and are poised for growth to become the global leader in insurance pricing !

Akur8 is headquartered in Paris but is rapidly expanding internationally with a strong focus on the US market - with the opening of a first US office in NYC and the recruitment of a local team.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AKUR8, VISIT :

Website : https://akur8-tech.com/

Blackfin and MTech Capital invest in Akur8 : https://tcrn.ch/2z0qo8r

ROLE

You are well versed in how to build complex models using state of the art machine learning techniques. However, when it comes to describe a complex phenomenon with a simple and interpretable model, you may have no other idea than to hack a Gradient Boosting or a Multi Layered Perceptron.

With researchers from ENS-INRIA, Akur8 has built the fundamentals of an optimization technique that is interpretable by design_._ We bring non-linear penalized regressions to the next level using state of the art optimization advances: if you're curious about the subject, you can take a look at our collaboration paper with a Google AI researcher.

AS A DATA SCIENTIST, YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESIGN OF MACHINE-LEARNING MODELS TO ENHANCE RISK MODELLING, DEMAND MODELLING (PROBABILITY OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS TO BUY OUR PRODUCTS OR RENEW THEIR CONTRACTS) AND PRICE OPTIMIZATION (DETERMINE BEST PRICE TO SELL THE INSURANCE PRODUCT).

PRACTICALLY YOU WILL BEGIN BY :

• Reading, understanding and explaining to the team strengths and weaknesses of research papers in ML, algorithmic and optimization;
• Implementing pragmatic solutions and test their robustness on our data;
• Optimizing your code using Python, to achieve the same performance of open-source packages such as Numpy or Scikit-learn and integrate your findings in production;
• Implementing reliable tests, use continuous integration and exploit at best AWS Cloud capabilities with our back-end engineers.

YOUR WORK WILL INCLUDE :

• Relying on a strong understanding of the machine learning methods and optimization techniques used (R&D papers);
• Taking into account the business objectives of the models created (in particular: robustness, interpretability and implementation cost);
• Designing, building, integrating and maintaining efficient, reusable and reliable code.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate must meet each of the following criteria in order to be considered for this position :

• LEGALLY BE AUTHORIZED TO WORK IN THE US;
• Be AVAILABLE TO WORK FROM OUR US OFFICE, LOCATED IN NYC;
• A MASTERS DEGREE FROM A TOP ENGINEERING SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS : DATA SCIENCE; ACTUARIAL SCIENCE;MACHINE LEARNING; APPLIED MATHEMATICS; STATISTICS; PHYSICS;
• A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES;
• A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN A NON-LIFE INSURANCE PRICING ROLE / AS AN ACTUARY OR A PRICING MODELER in order to understand insurance multinationals business technical and non-technical imperatives (and to be able establish solutions in accordance with them);
• EXPERIENCE OF DATA-DRIVEN PREDICTIVE MODELLING (GLMS / GAMS) & RISK ANALYSIS in a non-life insurance pricing role;
• Strong communication skills in order to elaborate on complex technical concepts to both technical / non-technical audiences;
• Readiness to travel across the US and internationally if required.

BENEFITS

YOU'LL JOIN A HIGHLY SKILLED AND MOTIVATED TEAM, WITH A STRONG TECH DNA, THAT LOVES TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND PASSION FOR ADVANCED DATA SCIENCE, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ACTUARIAL SCIENCES.

But its not all work - youll be part of a dynamic team that enjoys spending time together and having fun: yes, that includes karaoke for the affectionados; eating lunches together; playing sports and enjoying the occasional happy hour (with or without drinks).

IN ADDITION TO THIS, WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING PERKS + BENEFITS:

• Competitive Salary & Performance Bonus
• Company Equity
• Health Insurance Premium Reimbursement
• Transportation Reimbursement
• Cell Phone & Internet Reimbursement
• Generous Vacation Policy

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS:

• Onboarding at our Paris HQ
• Professional Development (learn French on us!)
• Casual Dress code
• Team fun: regular company gatherings and team events.
• Fun goodies.