Model Risk Senior Specialist

Full Job Description

About Nu

Nu is the leading digital bank in Latin America, serving 140 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The company has been leading an industry transformation by leveraging data and proprietary technology to develop innovative products and services.

Guided by its mission to fight complexity and empower people, Nu caters to customers’ complete financial journey, promoting financial access and advancement with responsible lending and transparency. The company is powered by an efficient and scalable business model that combines low cost to serve with growing returns.

Nu’s impact has been recognized in multiple awards, including Time 100 Most Influential Companies, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Forbes World’s Best Banks.

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About The Team

At Nubank, we rely heavily on data, machine learning, and other quantitative models & techniques to drive our strategy and deliver the best experience and products to our customers.

The position holder will be part of the Model Risk team within Nubank's Risk Management structure.

The Model Risk team is the second line of defense for our models. Our mission is to ensure that Nubank relies on world-class solutions that enable optimal, sustainable decision-making. We act by providing independent review & challenge of models, staying tuned to cutting-edge techniques, and aligning with business, customer, and regulatory needs. We also work to identify and control risks related to our models, as well as to define and implement feedback loops to continuously improve them.

You'll be responsible for

• Conduct independent reviews of quantitative models based on statistical and machine learning techniques, identifying and validating models' uses, hypotheses, data, methodologies and compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Provide effective challenges, identify risks and enhancement opportunities, engaging with stakeholders to strengthen our decision-making tools.

• Propose and monitor KPIs to explain how model performance impacts Nubank's business.

• Discuss and report model risk status and independent opinions with different stakeholders, including senior managers and regulators.

• Follow up on how models are applied and used in the business, understanding their practical impact on decisions and contributing to feedback loops.

• Develop playbooks and toolkits (Python, Scala, AI Agents, etc.) to optimize model reviews, ongoing model monitoring, and assess the impact of models on decisions.

• Be exposed to different types of decisions and processes (e.g. credit, fraud, operations) and different countries.

• Contribute to keeping Nubank's model risk governance and standards continuously updated, incorporating new techniques and new model applications as they emerge.

• Work in a multicultural, diverse and highly skilled environment.

We are looking for a person who has

• Experience with development and/or validation of quantitative and/or machine learning models, specifically applied to the credit cycle, fraud prevention or related decision-making processes.

• Data Science skills, with knowledge of machine learning tools and techniques.

• Strong programming skills.

• Proactive, autonomous and able to learn fast, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills, motivated by challenges.

• Organized and detail-oriented, without losing track of the big picture.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to discuss complex topics with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• English language proficiency.

• Challenge business models to find enhancement opportunities

Preferred Qualifications

• Analytical, problem-solving, and passionate about manipulating data in order to learn from it

• Academic or professional experience in statistical and mathematical model application and/or validation, and/or experience in credit risk management and/or other risk management frameworks.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Math, Statistics, Physics or related fields

• Great coding skills (SQL, Python, Scala, Databricks, Github, Cursor or other similar programming languages)

• Desirable knowledge of model risk regulation, such as SR 11-7 (FED) and PRA SS1/23.

• Master's degree or relevant undergraduate scientific project.

Location for this opportunity (City, Country)

• São Paulo, Brazil

Work Model for this Role

• Option 1: Hybrid 2-3 times/week: Our hybrid work model brings us to the office at least twice a week, on strategic days designed to maximize team connection and collaboration. For more details, visit https://building.nubank.com/nu-hybrid-work-model/

Our Benefits

• Chance of earning equity at Nubank;

• Food/ Meal Card (Vale-Refeição and/or Vale Alimentação)

• Public Transportation Commuting Benefit (Vale-Transporte)

• NuCare – Psychological, Financial and Legal Assistance Program

• Life Insurance

• Medical Plan

• Dental Plan

• NuLanguage – Language Course Program

• Nucleo - Our learning platform of courses

• Extended Parental Leave

• Daycare Allowance

• Parental Consultancy

• Work-from-home Allowance

• Gym Partnerships

• 30 days of paid vacation

• Relocation Assistance Package, if applicable

Our recruitment process may involve the use of artificial intelligence–enabled tools, such as automated interview transcription and analysis, to support the evaluation process. Artificial intelligence is not used to make final hiring decisions; all decisions are made by human reviewers.

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