Director, Machine Learning & Platform

About Flex

Flex is a growth-stage FinTech company headquartered in NYC, revolutionizing the rent payment experience. In 2026, we believe paying rent should be flexible and easy, not expensive or difficult. Flex empowers users to pay rent throughout the month on a schedule that aligns with their finances. Our mission is to provide as many renters as possible with flexibility over their most significant recurring expense. Having maintained a stealth profile while building investor support and an enthusiastic user base, we are now seeking motivated individuals to join our growing mission.

The Role: Director, Machine Learning & Platform

Flex is searching for a Director of Machine Learning & Platform to define and execute the vision, strategy, and roadmap for our machine learning platform and applied ML initiatives. This pivotal role involves building foundational ML capabilities to power critical FinTech use cases across compliance, customer success, and internal operations, ensuring Flex scales safely and efficiently.

You will lead a team of ML engineers and data scientists, working closely with Product, Compliance, Customer Support, Risk, and Engineering leaders. This position requires a blend of ML platform ownership, hands-on applied machine learning leadership, and deep cross-functional collaboration within a fast-paced, regulated environment to deliver reliable, interpretable, and scalable ML systems with significant customer and business impact.

What You’ll Do

• Own the end-to-end machine learning platform, encompassing model development workflows, training, deployment, monitoring, retraining, and full lifecycle management.
• Define and execute the roadmap for scalable ML infrastructure, supporting both real-time and batch use cases.
• Lead applied machine learning initiatives for compliance and customer success, including:
• Compliance monitoring, alerting, and investigation support.
• Customer success automation, prioritization, and insight generation.
• Internal operational tooling and responsible AI adoption.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to transform complex business, customer, and regulatory challenges into robust production ML solutions.
• Build, mentor, and scale a dedicated team of ML engineers and applied scientists, serving as a player-coach when necessary.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of experience in machine learning, data science, or related engineering roles, with demonstrable leadership experience.
• Excellent communication skills and a proven ability to influence senior stakeholders effectively.
• Extensive experience building and operating production ML systems and platforms.
• Background in fintech, financial services, payments, lending, or other regulated industries.
• Strong technical judgment combined with the ability to balance innovation and operational excellence.

Life at Flex

We believe a successful company is built by a diverse team of intelligent, curious, determined, empathetic, and self-aware individuals. While our HQ is in New York City, our employees are located across the US, Australia, Canada, and South America. We are growing intentionally, with a strong focus on fostering an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are valued.

For full-time U.S based positions, we offer competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits from Day 1, company equity, a 401(k) plan with company match (starting 2026), unlimited paid time off, 13 company-paid holidays, parental leave, the Flex Cares Program, and a free Flex subscription. Full-time non-US employees receive competitive compensation and company equity along with unlimited PTO.

Key skills/competency

• Machine Learning Leadership
• ML Platform Development
• Data Science Strategy
• Production ML Systems
• Fintech Domain Expertise
• Compliance Monitoring
• Customer Success Automation
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Team Mentorship
• AI Adoption