Senior Data Scientist

Who Are We

HALA is a leading fintech player in the MENAP region that aims to redefine financial services and build the future bank of SMEs. HALA aims at empowering SMEs to start, run, and grow their businesses by providing them with cutting-edge financial and technological tools.

HALA currently holds multiple entities in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (including HALA Payments, HALA Cashier and HALA Logistics) and offers solutions that enable merchants to digitize their payments as well as manage their sales and operations.

Founded in 2017, HALA is currently duly licensed by the Saudi Arabian Central Bank as well as the Financials Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in Abu Dhabi Global Market.

About the Role

We’re hiring a Data Scientist with 3–5 years of experience to help shape the future of AI and ML at HALA. You’ll be working closely with leadership to define the roadmap, uncover high impact use cases, and develop models that drive real business value.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys the challenge of building from the ground up—bringing structure, experimentation, and vision to a space full of potential.

What You’ll Do

• Contribute to the ML Roadmap: Identify and prioritize AI/ML opportunities across key areas such as credit risk, fraud detection, customer acquisition, and churn prevention
• Prototype & Scale: Design, build, and deploy ML models that brings value to HALA, starting with rapid prototyping and scaling up based on impact
• Data Strategy: Collaborate with engineering, product, and business teams to improve data collection practices and ensure we’re capturing the right signals for modeling
• Upskill the Org: Act as a mentor to junior analysts and team members; contribute to building a data science culture through peer reviews, workshops, and knowledge-sharing
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work hand-in-hand with teams across the company to deeply understand their challenges and co-create solutions that leverage data

What You Bring

• 3–5 years of experience in a data science or applied ML role, ideally in a FinTech or high-growth startup environment
• Strong Python and SQL skills, and experience with ML libraries like scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM, or similar
• A strategic mindset: you’re comfortable identifying business opportunities, prioritizing impact, and navigating ambiguity
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills—you can turn data into action and rally teams around your ideas
• Experience (or interest) in working on use cases like credit scoring, fraud detection, or customer lifecycle modeling is a big plus

• We have an inclusive and diverse culture that encourages innovation and flexibility in remote, in-office, and hybrid work setups.
• We offer highly competitive compensation packages, including the potential for shares.
• We prioritize personal development and offer regular training and an annual learning stipend to tackle new challenges and grow your career in a hyper-growth environment.
• Join a talented team of over 30 nationalities working in 7 countries and gain valuable experience in an exciting industry.
• We offer autonomy, mentoring, and challenging goals that create incredible opportunities for both you and the company.
• You will be given a lot of responsibility and trust. We believe that the best results come when the people responsible for a function are given the freedom to do what they think is best.