Staff ML Risk Analyst

About the role

In this role, you will lead the development of machine learning strategies specifically aimed at identifying and preventing fraud. You will define data and feature strategies, ensuring that the models operate effectively on critical traffic that requires intervention. Your expertise will guide the team in enhancing the fraud detection systems.

You will work closely with Machine Learning Engineers and cross-functional teams to translate insights into actionable solutions. Your responsibilities include mentoring junior analysts and driving the technical direction of the ML Analytics function. Success in this position means making significant contributions to the company's fraud prevention efforts.

The salary range for this role is between $193,970 and $228,200, reflecting the seniority and expertise required.

Skills that matter here

• machine learning: This role requires extensive experience in machine learning analytics to tackle fraud detection.
• data science: You will apply data science techniques to develop effective fraud detection models.
• Spark: Expertise in Spark is crucial for handling big data in this position.
• Python: Python is a core component of the technology stack for building ML solutions.
• big data: Experience with big data is essential for optimizing fraud detection models.
• SQL: While SQL is not the primary focus, it supports the overall data handling in this role.

Who this role suits

• You have a strong background in machine learning analytics with a focus on risk or fraud.
• You thrive in high-pressure environments and are driven to achieve high accuracy in your work.
• You possess a deep understanding of ML industry evolution and can apply this knowledge to real-world scenarios.
• You have a passion for investigating fraud patterns and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

From the employer

What you’ll be doing:

• Define the ML data and feature strategy for fraud detection, determining what data needs to enter our systems so our models can take intelligent, high-accuracy action on a small fraction of traffic where intervention matters most.
• Own the end-to-end feature engineering pipeline identifying, building, validating and promoting features that drive measurable improvements in ATO and scam ML performance.
• Diagnose gaps between current tooling infrastructure and the solutions needed, and drive the roadmap to close them leveraging your understanding of how the industry has evolved to make the right architectural calls.
• Partner with Machine Learning Engineers to translate analytical insights into production-ready ML systems, ensuring models are instrumented, monitored, and continuously improved.
• Set technical direction for the ML Analytics function within Growth & Risk, mentoring junior team members who need a senior practitioner to define the approach and translate direction into execution.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product Managers and Risk analysts to surface fraud signals and translate ML findings into business-impacting decisions.
• Serve as the team's institutional knowledge resource on ML industry evolution — helping the organization understand why certain solutions work, what historical architectural decisions mean for current tooling, and where the industry is headed next.

What we look for in you:

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in machine learning analytics, data science, or a related technical field with meaningful experience applied to risk, fraud, or payments problems.
• Deep, practitioner-level expertise in Spark, Python, and big data ML this is the core stack. SQL and rule-writing are adjacent skills; they are not what this role is about.
• Proven experience in feature engineering for ML models, including identifying the right signals, building pipelines, and validating feature quality at scale.
• Holistic understanding of how the ML industry has evolved over the past decade from Hadoop-era big data to modern feature stores like Tecton and the ability to apply that knowledge to close infrastructure gaps.
• A curated, high-precision approach to ML problems: you understand that in fraud and risk, you are optimizing for sensitivity and accuracy on a small fraction of high-stakes traffic not the broad-coverage, high-volume approach used in growth or ads.
• Background in risk or payments ML is strongly preferred candidates who have operated in this domain understand the problem framing intuitively.
• A passion for fighting fraud and abuse, and the curiosity to self-drive investigations, identify patterns, and find the root cause.
• Demonstrates the ability to responsibly use generative AI tools and copilots (e.g., LibreChat, Gemini, Glean) in daily workflows, continuously learn as tools evolve, and apply human-in-the-loop practices to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in efficiency, cost, and quality.

Nice to haves:

• Experience with modern ML feature stores (Tecton, Feast, or equivalent).
• Prior work at FinTech companies, payments platforms, or risk solution vendors.
• Familiarity with crypto-specific fraud vectors including ATO, scam flows, and onchain transaction patterns.