Help Us Rethink Risk

Are you a data scientist who thrives at the intersection of geospatial data, machine learning, and real-world impact? At Understory, we’re reimagining how weather and catastrophe risk are measured, understood, and priced—and we’re looking for a versatile Data Scientist to help us push the boundaries.

We work with rich sensor data, custom risk models, and a fast-moving engineering stack to power insurance products with precision and speed. If you’re comfortable jumping between modeling, mapping, and messy data, and you enjoy making your work actionable for underwriters and business partners, you’ll feel right at home here.

What You'll Do

• Analyze geospatial and time series data to uncover actionable risk insights
• Build and refine catastrophe model components—hazard, vulnerability, and exposure
• Apply machine learning to calibrate risk models and improve predictive accuracy
• Support post-storm analyses and communicate findings to internal and external stakeholders
• Develop internal tools, dashboards, and reports to make data accessible and impactful

A Day Might Look Like:

• Quantifying losses after a major storm using real-time sensor data
• Building ML models to improve storm severity predictions
• Analyzing insurance portfolios to identify risk concentrations and inform pricing
• Translating complex results into insights for underwriters and risk teams

Requirements:

• 3–5 years in data science, catastrophe modeling, or GIS analytics (insurance experience a plus)
• Proficient in Python (GeoPandas, xarray, rasterio, scikit-learn, pandas, NumPy)
• Experience with large geospatial/time series datasets (e.g., flood, wind, storm paths)
• Solid understanding of ML techniques (regression, clustering, model validation)
• Strong communicator and systems thinker—comfortable moving between tech and business
• Eligible to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship
• Preference for a location near Madison, WI HQ. If remote, ability for a quarterly in-person meeting and ideally living within WI, GA, IL, MI or NC.

Bonus Skills

• Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, cloud-based data (e.g., S3, Cassandra)
• Experience building tools for underwriters or insurance decision-makers
• SQL fluency and data storytelling chops

Why Understory?

We're a small team with a big mission: bringing precision to weather risk. You’ll have ownership, autonomy, and the chance to do mission-driven work with tangible, real-world impact. Competitive salary, full benefits, and flexible work options included.