The Organization

Kettle's mission is to balance risk in a changing climate. Kettle uses deep learning and proprietary algorithms to reshape the reinsurance industry and better protect people from the growing risks associated with climate change. Kettle’s first product protects Californians’ businesses, homes, and livelihoods with wildfire reinsurance. To learn more, visit ourkettle.com

You probably have never heard of the $300bn reinsurance industry, but it is the single most important industry in the world to protect ourselves and help society recover from the effects of climate change disasters. This industry is struggling due to a 3x increase in $1B+ crises caused by climate change. Kettle’s aim is to use deep learning to ensure that people’s lives are not destroyed when these events happen. By building the most sophisticated machine learning models to predict when and where wildfires happen, Kettle accurately prices the cost of covering wildfire prone areas in California. We are a machine-learning-powered reinsurer, in that we sell reinsurance to insurers, we don't sell software to reinsurers.

Who we are/what we value:

• Obsessive Fanatics - We obsess over big problems. We are fanatical about our business/mission. We drive the company towards the areas people describe as ‘impossible to understand or stop’
• Initiative - Obsessive people don’t need micromanagement.
• Data Focused - With the world burning worse every year, we can’t afford opinions and bias to derail data driven decisions.
• Questioning Renegades - We work in a 600 year old industry. If everyone is running one direction, we generally sprint in the other.
• Impact Driven - We are a mission driven business

The Role

We are looking for a passionate Senior Quantitative Data Scientist to join our team and work with a growing team of engineers, deep learning experts, and other data scientists to model risk using the most advanced tools available.

We strongly encourage people from traditionally underrepresented populations in tech - such as women, People of Color, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people, etc - to apply!

Role Primary Responsibilities

As a member of Kettle, you:

• Contribute to the development of the state-of-the-art reinsurance portfolio optimization and risk assessment platform
• Come up with ground-breaking methods of diversifying catastrophe risk and minimizing portfolio exposure
• Apply classical results in mathematical finance to reinsurance industry
• Perform rigorous back-test for Kettle’s portfolio optimization system

We are looking for a highly motivated, successful Senior Quantitative Developer to work on the most advanced reinsurance pricing models and portfolios of risk. They should be a demonstrated self-starter with at least five years experience in some sort of data analysis or engineering profession. This person needs to have the drive to make sure our technology and models are efficient, well-run systems to make the most accurate predictors of risk in the world. Below we have listed out some things we are looking for; you do not necessarily need to check all these boxes to be eligible for this position.

Essential Experience of a Successful Candidate

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in actuarial science, mathematics, quantitative theory, or a related field
• Experience in monte carlo simulation techniques for risk assessment
• Excellent Python code proficiency
• Knowledge of probability theory, especially in exponential family distributions
• Some experience in risk modelling
• Experience in application of machine learning and reinforcement in quantitative finance
• Self-starter with ability to work within a fast-paced and rapid-evolving startup
• Eagerness to learn new skills and help with the task at hand

Useful Experience

• Coding proficiency using Golang and C++
• Familiarity with quantitative analysis
• Experience with simulation-based risk assessment methods
• Experience with AWS and Google Cloud Platform

We offer a competitive package that is based on location and experience. We also offer the following benefits:

• Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
• 401k matching: We care about your ability to save for your future.
• Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families.
• Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world.
• Healthcare: Platinum level Medical, dental, and vision policies.
• Goodies: Whatever hardware and software you need to get the job done.
• Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, annual retreat, and celebrations.
• Learning: Learning & Development Opportunities to grow your skills and career.
• Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference!