---
title: 'Principal Data Scientist (m/f/d) at A11'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-data-scientist-m-f-d-a11-dusseldorf-15yc9tvcxa0b'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Principal Data Scientist (m/f/d) at A11 

- **Company:** A11 
- **Location:** Düsseldorf, Germany
- **Posted:** 2026-06-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/projectaservicesgmbhcokg/jobs/8596390002

## Job description

## About the Job

As a key growth accelerator, A11 partners with Europe’s most ambitious startups and scaleups, corporates and SMBs to connect them with top-tier talent ready to make an impact.

We’re looking for a Principal Data Scientist (m/f/d) in Credit & Risk Management to take ownership of the Smart Risk engine at the core of one of Europe’s leading B2B mobility and payment platforms.

Our partner company serves customers across more than 50 countries. Built on over 90 years of continuous growth and innovation, the company has evolved into a market-leading platform with around 2,700 employees, processing €19 billion in transaction volume. As the business enters its next phase of development, it is investing heavily in data, AI, and technology-enabled commercial excellence to strengthen its market position and unlock new opportunities at scale.

In this role, you will own the Smart Risk Engine end to end. From feature strategy and model training to calibration, backtesting, drift monitoring, and explainability. This is a hands-on role, which means you will design data-driven use cases such as early-warning systems, loss databases, limit and exposure steering, and portfolio insights that directly shape how credit risk is managed across the platform.

With direct exposure to senior decision makers, real influence over how risk is quantified and managed at scale, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape a business critical capability from the inside.

In this role, you’ll:

- Take full ownership of data-driven analyses, independently deriving actionable recommendations to maximise business value
- Develop and apply advanced statistical methods (regression models, time series analyses, ML/AI algorithms) and translate results into clear, compelling business insights
- Design and maintain robust end-to-end ML pipelines (data, features, models, scoring), including testing, versioning, documentation, and MLOps standards such as CI/CD, model registry, monitoring, data-quality checks, and incident handling
- Collaborate closely with stakeholders and management
- Own the SmartRisk Engine within Credit & Risk Management: feature strategy, training/retraining, calibration, backtesting, drift monitoring, and explainability via SHAP/Reason Codes
- Build data-driven use cases such as loss databases, early-warning systems, limit/exposure steering, clustering, and portfolio insights
- Develop new cloud-based Data Science solutions, primarily in Python and SQL, to drive measurable business value
- Ideally, you bring knowledge in credit risk (e.g., PD, EAD, LGD, rating, IFRS 9/ECL) and experience with SAP and Power BI
- Mentor and guide other Data Scientists, encourage innovative thinking, and actively support the team's professional growth

## Your profile

- 5-8 years of experience in Data Science and Machine Learning, confidently applying statistical methods, regression models, time series analyses, classical ML, and modern AI algorithms
- Highly proficient in Python and SQL, independently developing value-adding, cloud-based solutions, including Generative AI use cases such as LLMs, RAG systems, and "talk-to-your-data" interfaces (AI agents or chat interfaces)
- Proven track record building robust end-to-end ML pipelines and maintaining MLOps standards (CI/CD, model registry, monitoring, quality checks)
- Hands-on ownership of risk models such as the SmartRisk Engine (feature strategy, training, calibration, backtesting) and explainability methods like SHAP or Reason Codes
- Domain knowledge in credit risk (PD, EAD, LGD, rating processes, IFRS 9/ECL) and experience with SAP and Power BI is an advantage
- You communicate clearly, presenting complex analytical results to business units, IT, and management and translating them into actionable results
- Experience mentoring and guiding other Data Scientists is an advantage
- Fluent in German and English (min. C1 Level)

Please note that this position is based close to Düsseldorf. At least three days per week on-site are preferred.

Benefits and Perks:

- Full ownership from day one. You will be the one owning the engine, not coordinating from the sidelines.
- Close collaboration with senior leadership and visibility to C-level stakeholders.
- An international, diverse environment spanning HQ strategy teams to field sales organisations across European markets.
- Flexible hybrid working, company health management, Jobrad eBike leasing, and parent-child offices

If you’re eager to join the A11 Ecosystem and shape what’s next, we want to hear from you!

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

A11 is committed to diverse and equal opportunities hiring for all – applicants, candidates, and employees alike. We value humans – with all our glorious multifaceted backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences – and look forward to your application.

## About A11 

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: A11 is an execution engine that scales Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies by embedding expert operators across marketing, sales, data, engineering, and people operations.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Services Firm / Venture Builder)
- **Headquarters**: Berlin, Germany (Julie-Wolfthorn-Straße 1, 10115 Berlin) [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/imprint)
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Rainer Berak, Stephan Schulze, Thuy-Ngan Trinh [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/imprint)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Tech consulting / operational scaling / venture building
- **Target customers**: B2B – fast-growing tech companies, unicorns, and pre-seed startups in Europe
- **Mission**: “Build the next billion” – helping companies reach billion-dollar valuations through embedded operational expertise [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/careers)

## Products & Services
A11 provides hands-on, embedded services across multiple domains, delivered by a SWAT team of operators:

- **Growth Marketing & GTM**: Launching products at speed, reducing customer acquisition costs (e.g., helped Trade Republic acquire its first million customers in six months) [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
- **Sales**: Account executives, sales development, and go-to-market strategy for DACH and beyond
- **Data & Analytics**: Data engineering, data science, BI & analytics to drive decision-making
- **Engineering & Technology**: Backend engineering, AI agents/workflows, CTO-as-a-service, and team scaling (e.g., scaled Sennder’s tech team from 25 to 145 people in 12 months) [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
- **People Operations & Talent**: Recruiting, talent management, and headcount scaling (e.g., built ARX’s robotics & AI team from scratch, hiring 45 employees in 12 months) [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
- **Finance & Strategy**: CFO services, accounting, procurement, and EBITDA improvement (improved EBITDA of multiple PE investments by >30% without headcount reduction) [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total team size of ~83–90 employees (as of mid-2026) [theorg.com](https://theorg.com/org/a11)
- **Notable Clients/Proof Points**:
  - **Trade Republic**: Delivered first million customers in six months; Trade Republic now valued at €12.5B, one of Europe’s eight decacorns [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
  - **Sennder**: Scaled tech team from 25 to 145, increased deployment efficiency by 85%; Sennder is now a unicorn with €1.4B revenue [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
  - **ARX Robotics**: Built robotics & AI team from scratch (45 hires in 12 months); closed €9M seed and €31M Series A with backing from the NATO Innovation Fund [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
- **Growth Signals**: Actively hiring for 39 open roles across Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Bielefeld, including senior leadership positions (CTO, CFO, VP Product) [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/projectaservicesgmbhcokg/jobs/8583403002)

## Competitive Advantages
- **SWAT team model**: Operators embed directly inside client companies, driving change from the inside rather than offering external advice.
- **Proven track record**: Multiple companies taken from pre-seed to billion-dollar valuations – “zero to one billion” [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/)
- **Operational excellence**: Focus on measurable outcomes (e.g., EBITDA lift, deployment efficiency, customer acquisition cost reduction).
- **Culture**: “No Assholes Allowed” and “We Play to Win” – a high-performance, low-ego environment that attracts top talent. [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/careers)

## Strategic Focus
- **AI enablement**: Hiring a Chief of Staff – Strategy & AI Enablement and AI Product Leads, indicating a push to embed AI capabilities across client operations. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/projectaservicesgmbhcokg/jobs/8583403002)
- **Ecosystem expansion**: Building a network of portfolio companies and partners; the careers page lists “Ecosystem” roles alongside A11 internal roles. [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/careers)
- **Continued scaling**: Growing the team rapidly to meet demand from Europe’s tech unicorns.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Smart, humble people who back each other to win. Explicit “No Assholes Allowed” policy. High autonomy and ownership. [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/careers)
- **Impact**: Work directly with Europe’s most valuable startups and scale-ups (Trade Republic, Sennder, ARX) – your work drives real business outcomes.
- **Roles**: Diverse opportunities across engineering, data, product, sales, marketing, finance, and people ops – both in A11’s core team and within its client ecosystem.
- **Location**: Based in Berlin with additional offices in Düsseldorf and Bielefeld. Hybrid/office policy not explicitly stated, but roles are listed with city locations.
- **Engineering culture**: Strong emphasis on backend engineering, AI, and data; CTO and senior engineering roles available. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/projectaservicesgmbhcokg/jobs/8583403002)

## Sources
1. [a11.com](https://www.a11.com/) – Company overview and client case studies
2. [a11.com/careers](https://www.a11.com/careers) – Careers page with values and open roles
3. [theorg.com](https://theorg.com/org/a11) – Org chart and employee count
4. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/projectaservicesgmbhcokg/jobs/8583403002) – Job listings and role descriptions
5. [a11.com/imprint](https://www.a11.com/imprint) – Legal entity and founders

## Other roles at A11 

- [Founding Engineer (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-engineer-m-f-d-a11-berlin-9g8janzyxyb0) — Berlin, Germany
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- [Junior Sales Manager (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/junior-sales-manager-m-f-d-a11-hamburg-0nm9a0b0e60b) — Hamburg, Germany
- [Growth Associate (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-associate-m-f-d-a11-hamburg-6yf5aqkghr32) — Hamburg, Germany
- [IT Compliance Manager (m/w/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/it-compliance-manager-m-w-d-a11-berlin-vtcpaqnjrk8f) — Berlin, Germany
- [Sales Associate (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-associate-m-f-d-a11-hamburg-k62seesegged) — Hamburg, Germany
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- [Founding Designer (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-designer-m-f-d-a11-hamburg-6nd858hq35qc) — Hamburg, Germany
- [Founding Growth Marketer (m/f/d)](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-growth-marketer-m-f-d-a11-hamburg-0rp4x9z6k1nb) — Hamburg, Germany