Senior Specialist, Data Scientist
The Senior Specialist, Data Scientist at Confidential Client will develop and deploy machine learning models to detect and prevent fraudulent payments across various payment rails. This role involves end-to-end data exploration, feature engineering, applying advanced AI techniques including explainable AI, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful fraud detection solutions in a financial services environment. The position is based in Pittsburgh, PA, and is ideal for candidates with foundational ML experience eager to tackle real-world fraud challenges.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Financial Services.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
This entry‑level Data Scientist role sits on a Payments Risk Services team focused on detecting and preventing payment fraud. You’ll work with real payments data and production-grade pipelines to build machine learning solutions that reduce fraud losses and false positives.
- Learn the end‑to‑end payments data landscape (wire, ACH, RTP/instant) and profile transaction, customer, and channel signals.
- Design, train, and validate fraud‑detection ML models (supervised classification, anomaly detection, graph/network methods) for batch and near‑real‑time use.
- Map fraud typologies (account takeover, APP/scams, synthetic identity, BEC, money‑mule laundering) to features and detection strategies.
- Engineer reliable feature pipelines (behavioral, velocity, device, network, aggregate) and collaborate with data engineering to move prototypes into production.
- Explore modern AI techniques (deep learning, embeddings, LLMs for unstructured signals, graph/foundation models) to improve detection coverage.
- Build explainable AI (SHAP, LIME, counterfactuals, reason codes) so analysts, model risk, and regulators can interpret model decisions.
- Track and communicate model performance (precision/recall, false‑positive rate, fraud dollars prevented) to technical and business stakeholders.
- Own projects end‑to‑end — hypothesis, development, deployment, monitoring, and iteration.
- Stay current on fraud trends, emerging attack vectors, and responsible‑AI practices in financial services.
Who We’re Looking For
We seek an early‑career data scientist or recent graduate excited to apply ML to high‑impact fraud problems in Financial Services.
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering) or equivalent experience.
- Foundational knowledge of machine learning and statistics; hands‑on coding in Python using libraries like scikit‑learn and pandas.
- Experience or exposure to a deep‑learning framework (PyTorch or TensorFlow).
- Proficiency with SQL and working with large datasets; familiarity with Spark or cloud data platforms is a plus.
- Curious about fraud detection, anomaly detection, or risk analytics and able to translate domain problems into data solutions.
- Interest in explainable/responsible AI and model governance.
- Strong problem‑solving ability and clear communication skills for cross‑functional audiences.
- Internship, academic project, or coursework experience in ML, data engineering, or financial services is beneficial.
Role Details
- Seniority: Entry level
- Employment type: Full‑time
- Job function: Engineering & Information Technology
- Industry: Financial Services
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA (on‑site or per client policy)
About the Client & Team
This opportunity is with a Confidential Client operating in Financial Services. The team applies cutting‑edge ML and AI to protect payments and clients from evolving fraud threats. You’ll join a collaborative environment that values innovation, rigorous model validation, and responsible AI practices.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation is determined by market location, experience, and skills. The Confidential Client offers a competitive total rewards package that may include base pay, discretionary incentive awards, retirement savings, medical/dental/vision plans, paid time off, and other well‑being resources. Specifics will be shared during the hiring process and in the Job Info section if available.
Why Join
- Work on high‑impact problems: protect customers and financial systems from real fraud.
- Gain end‑to‑end experience across model science, feature engineering, and production delivery.
- Build skills in ML, distributed data, explainability, and modern AI techniques.
- Collaborate with fraud SMEs, product, and engineering teams in a supportive environment.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
Negotiate a higher salary! Check the salary ranges for this job type in your area.
View My Salary Range