Senior Manager, Statistical Modeling

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You'll Contribute

The Senior Manager, Statistical Modeling will be responsible for developing and implementing advanced statistical models and methodologies to analyze complex data sets, extract insights, and provide actionable recommendations.

What You'll Do

• Design, develop and implement statistical and machine learning models and algorithms, aligning with organizational goals and digital transformation initiatives.

• Foster a collaborative and innovative work environment that encourages knowledge sharing, professional growth, and continuous improvement.

• Oversee the full model development and machine learning lifecycle: data collection, preprocessing, feature engineering, model development, deployment, and monitoring.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business needs into effective modeling solutions.

• Ensure models are robust, reliable, and compliant with security, privacy, and governance standards.

• Develop and implement evaluation and validation procedures to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and scalability of statistical models.

• Generate regular reports and presentations to communicate results, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders.

• Communicate results, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders through reports and presentations.

• Stay current with advancements in machine learning and data science, and evaluate new tools and technologies for adoption.
  

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.

What you have

Minimum: Indicate minimum education, skills and experience required.

• Master's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.

• 5+ years of experience in statistical modeling, including hands-on experience developing and deploying models in production environments.

• Proficiency in statistical programming languages such as Python, R, or SAS, and experience with ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).

• Strong understanding of statistical modeling techniques, such as regression analysis, time series analysis, predictive modeling, and machine learning algorithms(supervised, unsupervised, deep learning, reinforcement learning).

• Experience with cloud-based platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

• Familiarity with data engineering, data visualization, and model evaluation techniques.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with keen attention to detail.

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
  

Preferred: Indicate “nice to haves” regarding education, skills, and experience.

• Doctorate’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in statistical modeling, machine learning, or data science, including managing large-scale ML projects.

• Experience with MLOps, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and deploying models in enterprise environments.

• Experience with data governance, security, and compliance in ML projects.
  

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the “essential functions” of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.

• Competitive base salaries 

• Bonus incentives 

• Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed

• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more

• Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance  

• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.

• Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs

• Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware) 

• Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives

• Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs

• Career development and training opportunities

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