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Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Fraud

plaidSan Francisco HQAll Departments
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Salary
$228,960 – $315,360
Job type
Full-time
Work mode
Remote
Experience
Senior · 7+ yrs
Posted
12 Sept 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Based at the San Francisco headquarters, the Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Fraud role focuses on building and optimizing automated systems to detect and prevent financial threats. This position suits experienced professionals with a strong background in production machine learning who want to shape digital financial security.

Role Overview

Operating within the Fraud Data team, this position involves designing, training, and deploying advanced models that protect users across a vast financial network. Professionals in this role handle the complete lifecycle of machine learning systems, from discovering predictive signals and managing experiments to monitoring real-world model performance and customer feedback.

Key Responsibilities

Research fraud patterns and model errors to uncover new signals and expand system coverage.
Create training datasets and features while resolving challenges like data leakage, class imbalance, and incomplete labels.
Build, tune, and evaluate traditional and modern machine learning methods such as neural networks and gradient-boosted trees.
Set up experiments to measure feature and model performance across timeframes and customer segments using specific detection metrics.
Construct reproducible data pipelines to streamline feature and model iteration.
Collaborate with engineering and infrastructure teams to launch models while balancing cost, latency, reliability, and detection quality.
Lead machine learning initiatives independently from open-ended problems through final release.

Requirements

Minimum of 7 years of professional background in machine learning, software engineering for machine learning, or applied science.
Proven expertise in designing, training, tuning, and deploying production models.
Solid fundamentals in statistics and machine learning, including experimentation, feature engineering, and performance diagnosis.
Working knowledge of both traditional and modern machine learning architectures like neural networks and gradient-boosted trees.
Ability to build training datasets while handling label quality and class imbalance issues.
Proficiency in Python and SQL, alongside practical experience with frameworks such as PyTorch, scikit-learn, and XGBoost.
Track record of independently guiding machine learning projects and coordinating requirements with product, engineering, and data science teams.

Nice to Have

Background in fraud or risk modeling, including handling delayed feedback and legitimate-user friction.
Experience building models that generalize across diverse customer data and behaviors.
Familiarity with graph-based systems for uncovering fraud patterns and extracting predictive signals.
Exposure to transformers, learned representations, or foundation models for production applications.

Skills and Tools

Python
SQL
PyTorch
scikit-learn
XGBoost
Gradient-boosted trees
Neural networks
Graph-based systems
Large Language Models and Generative AI

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $228,960 to $315,360, with additional compensation provided via equity and/or commission based on the offer. Plaid offers comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) benefit plans.

About the Company

Plaid builds technology that connects millions of people to financial applications and services across thousands of financial institutions in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. Founded in 2013, the organization maintains its headquarters in San Francisco alongside offices in New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., Raleigh, London, and Amsterdam. The company operates as an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly on the official company careers page.

Skills and tech stack

PythonSQLPyTorchscikit-learnXGBoostGradient-boosted treesNeural networksGraph-based systemsLLMsGenerative AITransformersMachine Learning

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for this position?

The salary range is between $228,960 and $315,360, with additional compensation in equity and/or commission depending on the offer.

Where is this job located?

This role is based out of the company's San Francisco headquarters.

How many years of experience are required?

Candidates must have 7 or more years of professional experience in machine learning, applied science, or software engineering for machine learning.

What benefits are included?

Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) coverage.

What technical skills are expected from applicants?

Applicants need strong Python skills, SQL proficiency, and hands-on experience with frameworks like PyTorch, scikit-learn, or XGBoost.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official plaid careers page.

Apply on company site