The Team

We are building a new team at the leading edge of cognitive science and engineering and we are looking for dynamic, inquisitive individuals to help us grow our expertise in analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are looking for cognitive science engineers to join our team and help us create a data practice working end-to-end from cognitive experimentation through to turning these ideas into reality for the benefit of our customers. If that sounds like you then keep on reading.

Our Cognitive Science & Engineering team will take the lead on unearthing new insights from our data that will benefit the customer and Aflac, and will provide the building blocks for new products, benefits and offerings within the industry. This will involve data discovery, algorithmic and model development and will contribute to the consolidation and enrichment of our existing data models.

This high-performing team will operate within a protected experimentation environment, with the freedom to explore, develop and discover new trends and patterns, to prototype and pilot new designs to improve human / machine interaction creating deeper insights for our customers. As a team they will lead on data discovery, collaborating with US colleagues, hypothesising and solving complex problems, and adopting AI and ML techniques.  This unique group of cognitively diverse thinkers will work on some of the biggest problems for the company and help us to better serve our 50 million policy holders.

The Role

We want open-minded free-thinking Cognitive Science Engineers who enjoy solving complex data driven problems within a team environment. We are looking for team members who are excited to look at problems through a different lens, challenge the status quo and educate leadership on the power behind the data which insurance companies hold.

By being a part of this unique team, you will have the opportunity to drive disruptive and market-leading solutions for the world of medical insurance, providing tailored and customer centric solutions for policyholders, agents and employees, as well as having  a lot of freedom and fun in the process.
 
What you'll be doing 

• Collaborate, question, be curious and inquisitive to find new insights and prove business value from our data.
• Collaborate on experimentation projects from conception to prototype, working with in-house engineering teams and third parties to iterate and test model assumptions.
• Motivate and support other team members as they gather insights and build and train new data models.
• Work the with the data solutions architect and the Cognitive Science & Engineering Lead to plan how best to turn insights into products from pilot to production.
• Develop strong working relationships with US counterparts to maximise the outcomes of the team and the impact to customers.
• Solving complex problems in a collaborative and open learning environment alongside fellow team members
• Listening to the inputs of others and working towards the best solution that maximises the value to the policyholder, without ego or prejudice
 
What you should have

Below is an overview of the skills and experience we are looking for, but remember, don’t rule yourself out if you don’t have everything on the list – it’s your intellect and your attitude we’re really after.

Essential 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree. Comparable commercial experience may also be considered
• Experience in data science using a range of data technologies
• Strong analytical, statistical experience is required
• General data engineering principles and data architecture knowledge
• Knowledge and experience in some of the key technologies required for the role, such as:
• Familiarity with cloud-based technologies (AWS, Azure or GCP)
• AI fundamentals (CNN, RNN, Cognitive Architecture, Deep Learning, Knowledge graphs)
• Experience/Knowledge in Machine Learning/ Semantic analysis
• Algorithmic Foundations of Optimization and Graph theory
• NLP/NLI, semantic data architectures, concepts and applications
• Experience programming in one or more of the following: Python, R, C, C++, Scala.

Desirable 
• Masters or PhD in a STEM discipline
• Relevant academic or professional research
• Experience in stakeholder management

So that’s us. Thanks for taking the time to read this far (pretty impressive in the era of the 280-character tweet). We look forward to hearing from you if you fancy joining a tech innovation company with the agility of a start-up and the stability of a Fortune 500 U.S. company. 

Aflac Northern Ireland is an equal opportunities employer