BBVA hires 23 young data scientists through its ‘Be Talent’ program
BBVA has hired 23 recent graduates specializing in data for its technology teams. They were selected through the bank’s ‘Be Talent’ program, one of the main entryways for data specialists entering the Spanish job market. This innovative selection process evaluates not only the candidates’ technical skills and personal abilities, but also asks them to develop an analytical model for a real financial challenge in a ‘datathon’ that marks the final stage in the selection process.
The 23 new professionals come from a variety of backgrounds, aligned with BBVA’s technical and strategic needs. On the one hand, there are those with training in Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science and similar fields, focused on financial service development and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the sector’s challenges. On the other hand, there are also more business-oriented profiles, with backgrounds in business management, economics and statistics, geared toward key areas such as auditing, validation, risks or regulatory analysis. All of them have joined the Group’s data teams in Madrid, Bilbao, and BBVA AI Factory, where they will contribute these complementary perspectives to solving challenges in engineering, risks, commercial banking and auditing, among others.
For most of them, it is their first job after an internship or scholarship, consolidating Be Talent as one of the main entryways to the professional world for young data specialists in Spain. Furthermore, 82 percent are women, demonstrating BBVA’s commitment to promoting gender diversity in scientific and technological areas.
Over 700 people initially registered for the selection process, of which 53 made it to the final stage. This included an in-person datathon where the candidates had to work together to develop an analytical model to detect financial fraud based on credit card transactions, a practical case similar to those they will come across in their professional careers.
The challenge posed to the candidates entails the story of a woman who experiences fraud on her card, and even though she was able to recover the money, she no longer trusts financial security. The candidates worked in teams to develop a predictive risk model that was not only technically precise, but also easy-to-understand and transparent, not only managing to boost operational security, but also helping preserve customer trust. They then had to demonstrate its viability in a real banking context such as BBVA’s.
“Exercises like these help young experts overcome a more impersonal view of working with data and help them see the impact on people’s lives,” said Marco Bonilla, from BBVA’s Analytics Transformation area, and the coordinator of the Be Talent program. “For BBVA, it is critical for our developers of digital financial services to have this customer-oriented approach from the start of their professional career.”
The test was monitored by a team of managers from the areas the successful candidates have joined. These managers assessed the participants’ teamwork, innovation capacity, critical thinking and adaptability to unforeseen events. Finally, a jury made up of managers from the bank’s Talent & Culture area selected the candidates that stood out for their balance between personal skills and the ability to develop innovative solutions with a positive impact on customers’ lives.
In its sixth edition, the Be Talent program, designed for graduates with great potential, is a key lever to ensure the sustainability of BBVA’s talent and add value to the organization’s more cross-cutting strategic priorities.