Senior Data Scientist

Our Mission

At Ophelos, we believe in a different way to deal with debt. One that puts empathy and understanding front and centre, approaching our customers as individuals - no matter what they're going through.

For too long, people in debt have borne the brunt of poor industry practices. Intimidating tactics, time-consuming customer service and a one-size-fits-all approach that overlooks the reasons anyone can fall into debt in the first place. Meanwhile, businesses suffer too. Poor customer experience translates to poor customer satisfaction, high churn rates, bad brand reputation and ultimately missed opportunities.

That's why we're taking a radically different approach. Pioneering an industry-first AI-native collections platform, we build products that help individuals clear their debts in a way that suits them, whilst providing businesses with an improved customer experience and game-changing insights into their customer base.

Since our launch in 2021, we've worked with some of the UK's leading companies, including Octopus, Scottish Power and Philips - helping millions of people move toward a more stable, debt-free future. In 2023, we were acquired by Intrum, Europe's biggest credit management service and have begun the next phase in our growth - expansion into 17 European markets over the next two years.

Senior Data Scientist

We are looking for an experienced and creative Senior Data Scientist to help shape the next generation of AI-driven products at Ophelos. You will lead the development of innovative, data-driven solutions that help improve the lives of people in financial difficulty at scale.The data team sits at the heart of Ophelos and is responsible for developing:

• The Ophelos Decision Engine - a reinforcement learning algorithm that determines the most effective actions for each customer, enhancing results and minimising unwanted interactions
• OphelosGPT - our generative AI model for empathetic, context-aware customer communication
• Ophelos Analytics - our client-facing real-time analytics suite
• Advanced NLP & LLM-driven classifiers to identify vulnerable customers, disputes, and intent, enabling proactive support and accurate resolutions
• Forecasting and risk models to improve decision-making and operational efficiency

As part of our recent acquisition by Intrum, we now have access to vast global datasets and the opportunity to impact millions of customers across Europe. In 2025, we aim to scale our LLM-powered products, run extensive feature experimentation and upgrade our decisioning engine.

In this role, you'll get to:

• Take ownership of high-impact ML and LLM features from ideation through to production deployment
• Design and run feature experimentation and A/B testing to optimise model performance and product outcomes
• Research, prototype, and productionise state-of-the-art LLM techniques - including fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and RAG - to build explainable, reliable AI products
• Collaborate closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to translate business problems into scalable data and AI solutions
• Work with a modern data stack and have the freedom to propose and adopt new tools and methodologies

About you
We don't expect perfection, but for this senior role we are looking for someone with:

• Strong Python skills, particularly within the data science ecosystem (Pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow, visualisation libraries)
• 4+ years of experience delivering machine learning products end-to-end in production
• Hands-on experience with LLMs - fine-tuning, prompt engineering, vector databases, or RAG pipelines
• Proven experience with A/B testing, experimentation design, or causal inference to guide product decisions
• Exposure to Databricks, MLflow, AWS, and PySpark (or similar technologies) is a plus
• Excitement about Ophelos' mission to support households and businesses in breaking the vicious debt cycle

Benefits

We have put together our benefits to support all aspects of team life, both inside work and outside of work:

• Private healthcare through Vitality
• £500 L&D budget
• £200 Working from home allowance
• Cashback on costs of the dentist, opticians and more
• 25 days holiday
• Flexible Public Holidays (decide when to take time off)
• 30 days work from abroad
• Free access to counselling sessions through our EAP
• Flexible Working arrangement - work from home or from the office (dog friendly!!)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Company pension

At Ophelos, we are dedicated to ensuring that every candidate has an equal chance to succeed. If you need specific adjustments during the hiring process please let us know

Here at Ophelos we are committed to pay transparency. That's why we share the salary range with every job posting.

Salary Range

£80,000-£85,000 GBP

About Our Team

Ophelos launched in June of 2021, backed by investors such as AlbionVC, Connect Ventures and Fly Ventures. In 2023, we were acquired by Intrum, Europe's biggest credit management service. Our growing team has team helped build some of the world's most successful businesses, including the likes of Monzo, Google, Oracle, ASAPP, IBM and more - in addition to pioneering innovative products, sitting at the intersection of enterprise, financial technology, artificial intelligence and academia, working with institutions such as Oxford University, the University of Amsterdam and the University of Hong Kong.
Our Values

Supporting customers and businesses to improve their financial health is a long-term mission. Our company values act as our north star, steering our every move as an organisation and are the backbone of our unique company culture. Our values and culture allow us to stay true to our larger purpose, even as we continue to grow at a rapid pace.

Customers and Clients first - We exist to help real people move through debt and to get clients paid back. This commitment drives how we design products, deliver services, and interact with customers and clients daily.

Dream big - We have ambition and drive to succeed - we're not just raising the bar, we're confidently asserting ourselves as the benchmark.

Get it done - We're decisive and embrace a sense of urgency; we don't let opportunities get away from us. We'd rather act quickly and take informed risks, iterating and learning as we go.

Win as one - We work as one team, supporting each other and aiming for shared goals. At Ophelos, the team isn't just individual departments - it's all of us together. We challenge and support each other because we care about everyone's growth and success.

Ophelos is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace, providing equal employment and advancement opportunities to all team members. We are building an environment where every Ophelos team member can thrive, feel a sense of belonging, and do the best work of their careers. We value diversity and recruit, hire, and promote individuals solely based on talent, qualifications, competence, and merit. We evaluate candidates without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or other protected characteristics as required by law and as a matter of our company values.

GDPR Notice

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected by Ophelos ("Controller"), which is located at 1 Finsbury Ave, London EC2M 2PF and can be contacted by emailing [email protected]. Controller's data protection officer is Paul Chong, who can be contacted at [email protected]. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller's recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment.

Your personal data will be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller's behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data will be transferred to the United States once you submit it through this site. Because the European Union Commission has determined that United States data privacy laws do not ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data collected from EU data subjects, the transfer will be subject to appropriate additional safeguards under . You can obtain a copy of the standard contractual clauses by contacting us at [email protected].

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment. Under the GDPR, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have to right to data portability. In addition, you may lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority.