Software Engineer at VantageScore (San Francisco, CA)

VantageScore· San Francisco, CA·4d ago

Job description

About The Role

We are seeking a mid-level Software Engineer with strong Python experience to join our growing engineering team. You will design, build, and maintain scalable applications and services, collaborate cross-functionally, and help drive best practices in coding, testing, and deployment.

This role is ideal for an engineer who is comfortable working in fast-moving environments and is passionate about building high-quality software.

This is a full-time hybrid position requiring in-person work three days per week at our South San Francisco office.

Key Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain backend services, APIs, and data pipelines using Python.
Migrate and convert existing SAS code to Python, ensuring functionality and performance parity.
Collaborate with product managers, designers, and fellow engineers to define requirements and deliver solutions.
Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code.
Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback.
Debug, troubleshoot, and improve application performance and reliability.
Contribute to architectural discussions and implementation strategies.
Help automate workflows and improve development processes.
Maintain documentation of systems, workflows, and features.
Support production systems and participate in on-call rotations (if applicable).

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree
Candidates must be based within 1 Hr. commuting proximity to our office in the San Francisco Peninsula
3–5 years of professional software development experience.
Strong proficiency in Python and familiarity with frameworks such as Django, Flask, or FastAPI.
Experience building RESTful or GraphQL APIs.
Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, OOP.
Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB).
Familiarity with version control (Git) and CI/CD pipelines.
Working knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
Ability to write unit/integration tests.
Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

Preferred:

Experience with AWS services (Lambda, EC2, DynamoDB, S3, API Gateway, etc.).
Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
Data pipeline or ETL experience.
Experience with Terraform for infrastructure as code.
Experience with monitoring and observability tools.
Experience with SAS.
Exposure to Agile/Scrum methodologies.

Compensation:

$145k - $155k / year
Generous Benefits: 401(K) matched up to 7%, Flexible Time Off, 12 Paid Holidays, Medical/Dental/Vision/Wellness benefits, Monthly Team Events, Modern Work/Collaboration Spaces

Why work at VantageScore

Culture & mission: Fast-paced, independent startup culture within a financially stable joint venture backed by the three major credit bureaus. Employees drive impact on a massive scale, helping millions of Americans gain access to credit and homeownership.
Values: Innovation, inclusion, collaboration, respect, transparency.
Work policy: Hybrid – offices in Washington D.C., New York City, and San Francisco.
Benefits (from careers page and job postings):
- 401(k) matched up to 7%
- Flexible Time Off (PTO)
- 12 paid holidays
- Medical, dental, vision, and wellness benefits
- Monthly team dinners/events in NYC and SF
- Modern collaboration spaces
Open roles (as of mid-2026): Senior AI Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Senior Marketing Specialist, Search Marketing & SEO Manager (Contract), Software Engineer (Contract), Analyst (Capital Markets & Industry Relations), Director of Compliance, Executive Assistant & Office Administrator, and Senior Data Scientist (AI/ML/GenAI).
Engineering culture: Emphasis on state-of-the-art data analytics, AI/ML/LLM research, and cross-functional teamwork. The company offers the chance to work on cutting-edge credit models that directly impact financial inclusion.

About VantageScore

Company Overview

One-liner: VantageScore develops predictive credit scoring models that expand consumer access to credit while helping lenders make more informed lending decisions.
Entity Type: Private (joint venture of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion)
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA (with offices in New York City and San Francisco)
Founded: 2006
Founders: Joint venture established by the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs) – Equifax, Experian, TransUnion

Core Business

Primary industry: Credit scoring, analytics, financial technology (fintech)
Target customers: B2B – banks, credit unions, fintechs, mortgage lenders, capital markets, and other institutions that assess consumer creditworthiness
Mission/purpose: To be the leading credit modeling company, delivering the most predictive, innovative, and inclusive tri-bureau models and attributes in the US market – expanding consumer credit access and helping lenders make better lending decisions.

Products & Services

VantageScore 4.0: The flagship credit scoring model that scores approximately 94% of adults 18+ (including ~33 million more consumers than conventional models). It was the first to incorporate trended credit data and to remove paid medical collections. Uses machine learning.
VantageScore 4plus™: An enhancement of 4.0 that leverages consumer-permissioned open banking data to deliver over 10% predictive lift for lenders.
VantageScore 5.0: The latest model (released 2024) that further improves predictive power and financial inclusion.
VantageScore 4.0 Attributes: Custom models and scoring solutions enabling more effective credit decisions, including proprietary GAIN Attributes™ that generate insights beyond traditional scoring inputs.
MarketGain™: A tool launched in 2023 to help lenders identify potential addressable markets when converting to VantageScore 4.0.
Capital Markets Solutions: VantageScore credit scores are used in asset-backed securities (ABS) issuances – $13.4 billion in 2024.

Market Standing

Valuation: Not publicly available (privately held joint venture)
Key metrics:
- Over 42 billion VantageScore credit scores used in 2024 (55% increase year-over-year)
- Used by more than 3,700 institutions (banks, fintechs, etc.)
- All 10 of the largest US banks use VantageScore credit scores or digital tools in one or more lines of business
- $13.4 billion in ABS issuances utilizing VantageScore in 2024
Notable investors/partners: Backed by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (the three NCRAs). Recognized by the White House as an industry leader in innovation.
Growth signals:
- FHFA mandate (starting 2025) requires VantageScore 4.0 credit scores for all mortgages sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – a massive regulatory catalyst.
- Record adoption growth in 2023 with 30%+ increase in scores used year-over-year.
- Expansion into open banking with VantageScore 4plus™.

Competitive Advantages

Tri-bureau model: The only credit scoring model developed jointly by all three nationwide credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), ensuring consistency and broad data coverage.
Financial inclusion leadership: Scores ~33 million more consumers than conventional models, including historically marginalized populations, without sacrificing safety and soundness.
Regulatory tailwind: FHFA mandate for mortgage lending creates a structural advantage and drives adoption.
Innovation track record: First to incorporate trended credit data, first to eliminate paid medical collections, first to use machine learning in a tri-bureau model, and first to include rent, telecom, and utility data.
Proprietary attribute leveling process: Maintains high score consistency across the three bureaus.
Transparency: Publishes annual model assessments so lenders and policymakers can verify predictive power and fairness.

Strategic Focus

Open banking integration: VantageScore 4plus™ leverages consumer-permissioned bank data to boost predictive power – a key growth vector.
AI/ML advancement: Investing heavily in generative AI and large language models (LLMs) for credit modeling, as evidenced by recent job postings for Senior AI Engineer and Senior Data Scientist (AI/ML/GenAI).
Continued model innovation: Development of VantageScore 5.0 and beyond to maintain predictive edge.
Market expansion: Driving adoption among lenders, especially in mortgage and capital markets, while helping them comply with the FHFA mandate.
Consumer education: Tens of millions of consumers use VantageScore to monitor their credit; the company aims to increase financial literacy and access.

Sources

vantagescore.com – Main site with product overview and key metrics
vantagescore.com/about – About page with mission, history, and financial inclusion details
vantagescore.com/about/careers – Careers page with open positions and benefits
vantagescore.com/about/careers/senior-data-scientist-ai-2 – Senior Data Scientist job posting with detailed company description and benefits
linkedin.com/company/vantagescore – LinkedIn company page with open positions

Job description

About The Role

Key Responsibilities

Why work at VantageScore

Application questions