ABOUT DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Descartes was born out of the conviction that the ever-increasing complexity of risks faced by corporations, governments and vulnerable communities calls for a renewed approach in insurance. Our team brings together industry veterans from the most renowned institutions (AXA, SCOR, Swiss Re, Marsh, Aon, ...) and scientists on top of their field to bring underwriting excellence. After 5 years of existence, Descartes has secured a leading position in parametric insurance for weather and climate-related risks utilizing machine learning, real-time monitoring from satellite imagery & IoT. After a successful Series B raise of $120M USD, we launched Descartes Insurance, a 'full stack' insurer licensed to underwrite risk by the French regulator ACPR. With a growing corporate client base (400+ and counting), our diverse team is headquartered in Paris and operates out of our 17 global offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Descartes is trusted by a panel of A-rated (re)insurers to carry out its activities.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE

Due to rapid growth, at the core of our company’s strategy, we are seeking to expand our Data science team, either across our Underwriting or our R&D functions.

On the one hand, upstream, the R&D team aims at developing new and innovative models thanks to state-of-the-art research to help the Underwriting team meet with efficiency and reliability towards the clients in a 6 month to 3 year timeframe.
On the other hand, the Underwriting team takes action subsequently in modeling, structuring and pricing of parametric insurance covers to deliver insurance products to a worldwide based public sector and corporate clients in a few day to a year timeframe.

These roles will allow you to gain knowledge of the insurance industry and the emerging risks (natural catastrophes, cyber…), all while collaborating closely with other internal teams (Software, Operations, Legal and Commercial) and our external partners.

If you are interested in joining the Underwriting team, your key missions will include:

• Conducting structuring work, risk analysis and insurance proposal for worldwide public sector and corporate clients;
• Discussing business opportunities with Descartes’ partners and being responsible for technical documentation and insurance contracts redaction;
• Collaborating with the business team to understand client needs and issues to further improve our product offering;
• Participating in the development of Descartes’ technological platform to differentiate Descartes from its competitors (models and pricing tools);
• Working autonomously and pragmatically to make appropriate technical decisions with attention to details

If you are interested in joining the R&D team, your key missions will include:

• Developing new models to improve our understanding of climate risks;
• Conducting research and identifying new and innovative ideas on the modeling of climate risks and machine learning methods;
• Testing state-of-the-art methods from scratch based on recent research articles;
• Collaborating with the Underwriting, Business and Software teams to ensure our products are efficiently integrated into the underwriting process and meet our client’s needs;
• Working autonomously and pragmatically to make appropriate technical decisions.

ABOUT YOU

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

As an Underwriting Data Scientist:

• Graduated from academic institutions/universities with a specialization in computer science, applied mathematics, climate, meteorological studies or data science for business;
• Ideally a previous experience (long-term internship) in data science, insurance or climate data modeling;
• Proficient in statistics, probabilities, applied mathematics and machine learning methods;
• Proficient in Python (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn);
• Excellent communication (written and verbal);
• Fluency in English (written and verbal communication) is required;
• Good command of one additional language (e.g. Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish…) is valued.

As a R&D Data Scientist:

• Graduated from a research-oriented Master’s Degree or PhD in physics, applied mathematics, climate or meteorological studies;
• Ideally a previous experience (long-term internship) in climate modeling or data science;
• Proficient in statistics, probabilities, applied mathematics and machine learning methods;
• Proficient in Python (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn);
• Cat modeling experience is a plus;
• Eye for quality and attention to detail;
• Fluency in English (written and verbal communication) is required.

MINDSET

• Eager to learn more on the insurance industry;
• Interested in weather and natural perils modelling (wildfires, hail, tsunamis, earthquakes...);
• Excellent team player with an entrepreneurial mindset;
• Results oriented with the ability to work in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment;
• Strong desire to learn and commitment to the organization’s mission.

WHY JOIN DESCARTES UNDERWRITING ?

• Opportunity to work and learn with teams from the most prestigious schools and research labs in the world, allowing you to progress towards technical excellence;
• Commitment from Descartes to its staff of continued learning and development (think annual seminars, training etc.) ;
• Work in a collaborative & professional environment ;
• Be part of an international team, passionate about diversity ;
• Join a company with a true purpose – help us help our clients be more resilient towards climate risks;
• A competitive salary, bonus and benefits;
  
• You can benefit from a punctual home office days.

At Descartes Underwriting, we cherish value of diversity whatever it may be. We are committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination and for equal opportunities. We foster an inclusive work environment that respects all differences.

With equal skills, all our positions are open to people with disabilities.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS 

• Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter
• Step 2: Technical online test (via Github)
• Step 3: Remote technical interview
• Step 4: Remote manager interview (occurred before the technical test possibly)
• Step 5: In person team interview to meet our team and discover our offices (held remotely if you are abroad)