Staff Data Scientist

Staff Data Scientist

Note: this role requires expertise in insurance domain (claims, underwriting, etc.)

About CLARA

CLARA Analytics is the leading AI as a service (AIaaS) provider that improves casualty claims outcomes for commercial insurance carriers and self-insured organizations. The company’s product suite for workers comp, commercial auto and general liability insurance claims applies image recognition, natural language processing, and other AI-based techniques to unlock insights from medical notes, bills and other documents surrounding a claim. CLARA’s customers include companies from the top 25 global insurance carriers to large third-party administrators and self-insured organizations. Founded in 2017, CLARA Analytics is headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.claraanalytics.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn and X.

About the Role

We are seeking an innovative and highly skilled Data Scientist with expertise in the insurance domain, particularly in claims and underwriting. This role is designed for a visionary thinker who not only excels at advanced AI and NLP research but also brings specialized insurance knowledge to the table. If you have a proven track record in applying data science within a large insurance carrier and are eager to drive innovation from ideation to production, we want you on our team.

What You’ll Do...

Innovative Research & Insurance-Focused Concept Development:

• Explore and experiment with cutting-edge algorithms and methodologies tailored to insurance challenges, pushing advancements in claims processing.
• Author technical briefs that position our company as a thought leader in leveraging AI within the insurance industry.

Advanced NLP & ML System Design for Insurance Applications:

• Develop and refine NLP models to extract, classify, and summarize critical information from unstructured insurance data (e.g., claims documents, policy documents, underwriting reports, and customer communications).
• Evaluate and benchmark state-of-the-art deep learning architectures (such as LSTM, RNN, CNN, BERT, and large language models) to optimize insurance-specific solutions.

From Idea to Production:

• Lead end-to-end machine learning projects, overseeing the entire lifecycle from initial research in insurance processes to robust deployment and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Apply best practices in ML engineering to ensure that solutions are scalable, reproducible, and fully integrated within existing insurance systems.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Industry Expertise:

• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams—including actuaries, risk managers, product managers, and data engineers—ensuring our AI solutions directly address key insurance challenges.
• Leverage your deep insurance expertise to bridge the gap between data science innovations and practical, industry-specific applications.

Communication & Leadership:

• Translate complex quantitative concepts into clear, actionable insights tailored for both technical and non-technical stakeholders in the insurance space.
• Mentor peers and serve as a champion of data-driven innovation within the company, guiding efforts to integrate advanced analytics across insurance operations.

Ethics, Compliance & Domain-Specific Standards:

• Ensure all AI solutions adhere to ethical guidelines, data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), and insurance industry standards.
• Incorporate explainable AI (XAI) methods to maintain transparency and trust in model outcomes, particularly critical in regulatory environments.

What We’re Looking For...

REQUIRED

Education:

• MS or higher in a quantitative discipline (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering).

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in developing machine learning models, with demonstrable experience transitioning research into production within a large insurance carrier.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience in natural language processing (NLP), with a focus on processing and extracting insights from insurance-related documents.

Technical Expertise:

• Proficient in Python and experienced with libraries/frameworks including PySpark, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and MLFlow.
• Well-versed in NLP frameworks and packages such as SpaCy and NLTK.
• Solid understanding of advanced deep learning architectures, large language models, and emerging NLP techniques tailored to the insurance domain.

Insurance Domain Knowledge:

• Specialized experience in claims processing, underwriting, or related insurance functions.
• Ability to navigate insurance-specific data structures, regulations, and operational challenges.

Communication:

• Proven ability to distill complex quantitative and insurance-specific concepts into actionable insights for diverse audiences.

PREFERRED

Advanced Degree:

• PhD in a quantitative discipline.

Specialized Skills:

• Demonstrated experience in implementing explainable AI (XAI) strategies.
• Familiarity with advanced approaches such as graph-based models or reinforcement learning, particularly as they apply to insurance.

Industry-Specific Impact:

• Prior experience in integrating AI solutions within the insurance industry, with a focus on claims or underwriting.
• A history of publishing research or participating in industry competitions is highly desirable.

What We Offer...

• The opportunity to make a real impact on a growing company.
• Work on challenging and rewarding projects that will push your technical skills.
• Collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package: $180 - 200k base salary, employer-provided health insurance and ancillary benefits (life, disability, etc.), flexible PTO, fully WFH, 401k with match
• Be a part of a team that is passionate about what we do.