---
title: 'Data Scientist (Machine Learning) at Nelo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-machine-learning-nelo-new-york-9bfzpbheqrpe'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Data Scientist (Machine Learning) at Nelo

- **Company:** Nelo
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $180k–$230k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-01-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/nelo/29d5ee2a-3139-4ee8-92ed-0b48ccd4bd7e

## Job description

## About Nelo

Nelo is a leading fintech in Mexico reimagining credit to expand consumer buying power. Founded in 2019 by former Uber international growth team leads Kyle Miller and Stephen Hebson, Nelo offers credit cards, BNPL loans, bill payments, and its own marketplace — all under one app — designed from first principles for a mobile-first, real-time payments world. With $100M in annual revenue, $1B in annualized GMV, and $140M+ raised in equity and debt, Nelo is one of the most capital-efficient consumer fintech companies in Latin America. The company is profitable — positive operating profit in both 2024 and 2025. It runs lean and technical: 60 employees, 8 engineers, with AI driving underwriting, collections, and operations.

- HQ: Mexico City, Mexico; commercial and people operations in New York City
- Founded: 2019
- Team size: 60 FTEs
- Open roles: 10+
- Website: [nelo.mx](http://nelo.mx)
- Stage: Post-Series A; $100M credit facility (Victory Park Capital, 2022); profitable
- Benefits: 401k, open PTO, medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, fertility

Company values:

- Be your best selves: ambition, hard work, intellectual curiosity
- Everyone is an owner: all employees receive equity including customer support; 10-year option expiration; equity refreshers
- Customer first: product decisions grounded in customer benefit
- Open and honest communication: quarterly financials and board presentations shared company-wide; low tolerance for bureaucracy or gossip
- Move fast, learn fast: hundreds of experiments run monthly; rigorous experimentation culture

## Why this Role is Different

Most Data Science roles currently on the market are focused on optimizing ad clicks or slightly improving recommendation engines. This isn't that. At Nelo, your models are the product. You are building the decision engine that determines who gets access to credit in an emerging market. This involves high-stakes constrained optimization problems where "good enough" mathematics will result in direct financial loss. We are looking for the type of person who is frustrated by the "black box" approach of modern libraries and actually understands the statistical theory and causality behind the code. If you want to apply academic-level rigor to a P&L that is scaling rapidly, this is your seat. What You'll Do:

- Solve the "Why," not just the "What": You will design and deploy causal inference models to drive our underwriting and portfolio management strategies. Correlation isn't enough when you're managing risk.
- Build the Core Engine: You will create and refine the algorithms for credit pricing, personalization, and ranking. Your code will directly impact the wallet of the consumer and the margin of the company.
- Own the Infrastructure: You won't just hand off a Jupyter notebook to an engineer. You will lead ML infrastructure projects, ensuring observability and operational excellence for the models you build.

Who You Are:

- You have deep theoretical roots. We are explicitly looking for candidates with a strong academic background (PhD preferred) who understand the first principles of classification, forecasting, and optimization.
- You are a builder, not just a researcher. While you love the theory, you have at least 5 years of experience applying it in a production environment. You write production-grade Python and SQL.
- You value velocity. You understand that a perfect model shipped next year is worth less than a great model shipped next week. You can balance intellectual rigor with the need to execute.
- You are happy in NYC. This is an in-office role. We believe the hardest problems are solved when smart people are in the same room with a whiteboard.

## What's on the Table

- Significant Equity (You’re building the company, you should own it).
- 100% medical, dental & vision insurance coverage for you (50% for dependents).
- Unlimited PTO (that we actually expect you to take).
- 401(k).
- Extended maternity and paternity leave.
- Relocation support and Sabbatical program.

## About the Process

We know you're busy, so we don't do 8-stage interviews.

- Quick chat with the Hiring Manager to align on expectations.
- A business case/technical assessment (relevant to the actual job).
- Onsite interview in NYC to meet the team.
- Offer.

This isn’t a job for someone who wants to hide in the back office; it’s for someone who wants their math to move the market.

## About Nelo

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Nelo provides buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit solutions for purchases, bill payments, and cash withdrawals to Mexican consumers via its mobile app.
- **Entity Type**: Private (line of credit stage; total raised $123M)
- **Headquarters**: Mexico City, Mexico (Avenida Paseo de la Reforma 296, Col. Juárez)
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed from available search results

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Financial services – consumer credit / BNPL / fintech
- **Target customers**: B2C – primarily Mexican consumers seeking credit to buy products, pay utilities, or access cash in biweekly installments
- **Mission/purpose**: Enable financial access for underserved populations; simplify credit through mobile-first technology

## Products & Services
- **BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later)**: Credit for in-app purchases at online and physical stores; pay in biweekly installments (“quincenas”) with zero interest.
- **Bill Payments (“Servicios y recargas”)**: Pay CFE (electricity), water, gas, internet bills, and mobile recharges in installments via the app.
- **Cash Withdrawals**: Withdraw cash against credit limit from partner ATMs/locations.
- **Nelo VIP Physical Card**: Plastic card for VIP users to spend at any merchant accepting card payments.
- **Credit History Building**: Nelo reports payments to credit bureaus, helping users build a formal credit history.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key funding**: Total raised $123M, including a $100M debt facility / line of credit from Victory Park Capital (announced March 2024)
- **Notable investors**: Victory Park Capital, Crossbeam Venture Partners, Susa Ventures, Homebrew, Primer Capital, and 16+ others
- **Growth signals**: Over 35 million credits granted; 2+ million users; recent partnership with Paymentology to boost financial inclusion; rapid headcount growth across Mexico City and New York offices

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover focus on “quincenas”** – biweekly payment model aligned with Mexican pay cycles
- **Deep integration with local payment infrastructure** (Google Wallet, bill payment systems)
- **Data-driven credit scoring** using alternative data to serve the underbanked
- **Small, agile team** that ships quickly and operates as “AI First” (from career page)

## Strategic Focus
- **Expand product ecosystem** (physical card, cash, services beyond retail)
- **Scale credit line and improve underwriting** to manage risk while growing loan book
- **Expand in Mexico** and potentially other Latin American markets
- **Continue hiring across data, engineering, and risk** to support growth (open roles in NYC and CDMX)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Small team, big results” – every employee is an equity holder; everyone is empowered to ship code (including non-engineering roles)
- **Locations**: Hybrid/remote-friendly with offices in Mexico City (CDMX) and New York City; team-wide meetups at least twice a year
- **Notable perks**: Equity for all, focus on personal growth, “AI First” approach, and a high degree of ownership
- **Engineering culture**: Ship fast, iterate, and learn; roles include Senior Software Engineer, Data Scientist, and Senior Security Engineer

## Sources
1. [nelo.mx (Homepage)](https://www.nelo.mx/es)
2. [nelo.mx (Careers Page)](https://www.nelo.mx/en/trabaja-en-nelo)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com (Open Positions)](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/nelo)
4. [cbinsights.com (Company Profile)](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/nelo)

## Other roles at Nelo

- [Senior Data Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-engineer-nelo-mexico-city-rdvx7tz6atwf) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Frontend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/frontend-engineer-nelo-mexico-city-kyf3p6bd7wxw) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Member of Technical Staff - Head of Fraud](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-head-of-fraud-nelo-new-york-xdcea5jrhbmf) — New York, NY
- [Senior Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-security-engineer-nelo-mexico-city-z1ghd0g67wqb) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Lead Recruiter / Principal](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-recruiter-principal-nelo-new-york-y9kp3acjxw3d) — New York, NY
- [Collections Agent](https://feeny.ai/job/collections-agent-nelo-mexico-city-mb1pj72n9y3z) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Data Scientist (NYC, L5/L6)](https://feeny.ai/job/data-scientist-nyc-l5-l6-nelo-new-york-jheecfeah73h) — New York, NY
- [Staff Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-nelo-mexico-city-15pznxtfrpkz) — Mexico City, Mexico