Lead Specialist, Data Scientist

About the job

We fuel the ideas and ambitions of our people with an environment built on Our DNA of Love, Entrepreneurship, Agility, and Passion – LEAP

We are a culture that empowers everyone to innovate and create solutions that will leave a positive impact on our communities and our nation, Touch 'n Go will always be here to inspire our talents to grow as leaders and innovators giving you the power to make a difference.

Job Brief:

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Specialist, Data Scientist to join the Commercial Division of Touch 'n Go Digital, where data-driven decisions power our payments, merchant, and ecosystem strategies. This role will lead advanced analytics and machine learning initiatives that directly impact user growth, merchant performance, and operational excellence.

Unlike a traditional back-end data role, this position is embedded in the frontline of Commercial supporting various business initiatives spanning new and existing projects. You will combine technical depth with commercial acumen to accelerate adoption, strengthen merchant relationships, and optimize ecosystem performance.

As a senior member of the team, you will mentor junior scientists, collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, and ensure our data science practice scales to meet business needs efficiently and effectively.

Job Responsibilities:

Commercial-focused data science: build predictive and prescriptive models to drive payment success rates, merchant retention, cross-sell of VAS (rewards, vouchers, SOS credit), and ecosystem growth.

Leadership & mentorship: lead high-impact data science projects across Commercial and mentor analysts/scientists, uplifting the team's technical and commercial capabilities.

Process optimisation: shorten turnaround time (TAT) for data extraction, reporting, and modeling through automation, better pipelines, and MLOps practices.

Merchant & user insights: analyze transaction data across verticals (mobility, retail, telco, gaming, eCommerce) to uncover behavioral patterns and growth opportunities.

Operational excellence: deploy data-driven solutions to optimize refunds, reconciliation, fraud monitoring, and PSR improvements across the Commercial Division.

Cross-functional partnership: work closely with central Business Intelligence, Product, Growth, Merchant Services, and Risk teams to embed models and insights into commercial decision-making.

Strategic reporting: translate technical findings into clear business narratives that shape Commercial Division strategies and senior management decisions.

Job Requirements:

Experience: 6+ years in data science, advanced analytics, or applied ML, preferably in fintech, payments, or eCommerce.

Commercial acumen: proven ability to link advanced modelling to business outcomes such as merchant growth, user retention, payment reliability, and revenue uplift.

Technical depth: strong proficiency in Python/R, SQL, and ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn); experience with recommendation systems, NLP, and time-series forecasting.

Big Data & Cloud: Hands-on experience with Spark, Hive, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Leadership: track record of leading projects, mentoring junior scientists, and influencing commercial stakeholders.

Efficiency mindset: demonstrated success in automating workflows and reducing time-to-insight in fast-paced environments.

Preferred & added advantage: experience with payment systems data, customer segmentation for habit formation, and experimentation design (A/B testing, causal inference).

Our Perks and Benefits:

Flexi clock-in hours.

Monthly eWallet allowance.

Additional 1% employer EPF contribution from your 1st to 3rd year of service, with further increases based on your continued years of service.

Unlimited office pantry fruits, snacks and drinks.

Mobile and broadband subscription reimbursement.

Flexibility to opt dependants coverage (spouse, child, parents or parents-in-law) for outpatient medical benefits.

Additional leave including family leave and paid care leave to care for family members.

Medical coverage including dental, optometrist, mental care, maternity, registered Traditional Chinese Medicine ("TCM") and Chiropractic.

Corporate membership discount and many more to explore.

We believe that you have what it takes to fit into the Touch 'n Go family and help revolutionize the Fintech industry by paving the way to a cashless society. If you're ready to take the next step, apply now

Touch 'n Go is an organization that strives to provide Equal Opportunity Employment, based on merit, qualifications, capabilities, and calibre. It is Touch 'n Go's policy to not discriminate based on age, race, religion, colour or other personal status, identity or characteristics. Fair Opportunity is Our Value and Practice. Please advise us of any accommodations you may need by e-mailing:

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.