Director of Data Science

ABOUT AIRWALLEX Airwallex is the AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. More than 676,000 businesses, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok, use us, directly or through our platform partners, to run their financial operations or build and monetize financial products of their own. We started in Melbourne in 2015 to build the infrastructure global commerce runs on. We're the regulated backbone behind global payments: not by accident, but by design. A decade plus, 85+ licenses, and a financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We're co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, with more than 2,300 people across 27 offices. We hire builders with founder-level energy, people who move fast with good judgment, dig in with real curiosity, and make calls from first principles rather than waiting to be told what to do. Read our operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/operating-principles to see it in full.   ABOUT THE TEAM We’re looking for a Director of AI Analytics & CEO Office to lead to provides Airwallex’s Leadership with the data, tooling, and insights needed to amplify our rapid global growth. This team is the primary data advisor to the CEO and CFO, responsible for the models and insights that dictate where Airwallex places its biggest bets. While the Growth DS team focuses on acquisition and conversion, your team focuses on the "Big Picture"—macro impact, long-range forecasting, and building the AI-driven "source of truth" for our global leadership. This is a full-time role based in San Francisco. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Executive Advisory: Act as a strategic partner for the CEO, CFO, and Regional Business Leads, translating complex data landscapes into actionable business strategies. - Strategic Forecasting & Planning: Own Airwallex’s global forecasting engine. You will oversee the development of sophisticated statistical models and tools that aggregate top-down and bottom-up forecasts to drive annual planning and capital allocation. - Macro & Causal Analysis: Lead the development of causal inference frameworks to quantify the impact of macroeconomic shifts and internal interventions on our global ecosystem. - AI Strategy: Drive the roadmap for leveraging Generative AI and Machine Learning to automate insights, optimize business efficiency, and create proprietary data products. - Team Leadership: Scale and lead a world-class team of data scientists and engineers. You will be responsible for talent acquisition, performance management, and cultivating an environment of technical excellence and proactive critical thinking. WHO YOU ARE - Experienced Growth Leader: 10+ years in data science, analytics, or applied ML, including 5+ years leading teams at scale in top-tier tech, fintech, or growth-driven businesses. - Technical: You have deep expertise in causal inference, time-series forecasting, and applied ML, and you aren't afraid to get into the weeds of a Databricks notebook or a dbt model.Expert http://model.Expert-level proficiency in SQL and Python/R, with experience overseeing modern data stacks (Airflow, Databricks, dbt, Snowflake). - Strategic Operator: Comfortable navigating business trade-offs, prioritizing initiatives for outsized growth impact. - Builder Mindset: Thrives in fast-scaling environments with high ambiguity and is excited to build teams, systems, and best practices from the ground up. - Influencer: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence executive-level stakeholders and translate complex model results into actionable business insights. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: - Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, Engineering) or equivalent practical experience. - 10+ years of experience in data analytics, data science, or quantitative strategy, with at least 5 years managing high-performing technical teams. - Demonstrated experience working directly with executive leadership (C-suite/VP level) to influence corporate strategy using data. - Hands-on experience building and deploying advanced forecasting, causal inference, or machine learning models in a production environment. - Proficiency with modern data stack tools (SQL, Python, and cloud data warehouses like Snowflake or Databricks). - Proven track record of productionalizing Generative AI applications or agentic workflows to automate business intelligence and reporting. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: - Master or advanced degree in a highly quantitative discipline (e.g., Econometrics, Statistics, Machine Learning). - Experience working in Fintech, global payments, or high-growth B2B SaaS environments. - Experience operating within a "CEO Office" or corporate strategy function, balancing deep technical execution with high-level business acumen. - Familiarity with global macroeconomic indicators and their impact on cross-border transactional data. APPLICANT SAFETY POLICY: FRAUD AND THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com http://airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com http://careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page. Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.