Data Scientist

About GoCardless

GoCardless is a global bank payment company, trusted by over 100,000 businesses, from start-ups to household names. We specialize in collecting and sending payments through direct debit, real-time payments, and open banking. Processing over US$130bn+ of payments annually across 30+ countries, we help customers manage both recurring and one-off payments efficiently, free from chasing, stress, or expensive fees. Our AI-powered solutions enhance payment success and mitigate fraud, while open banking connectivity to over 2,500 banks enables faster, more informed financial decisions.

Headquartered in the UK (London and Leeds), GoCardless also has offices in Australia, France, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, and the United States. We are committed to an inclusive and accessible hiring process. If you require extra support or adjustments, please reach out to your Talent Partner. We encourage all interested applicants to apply, even if they don’t meet every single requirement.

The Role: Data Scientist

This Data Scientist role is within the Fraud Prevention team, part of our Merchant Operations Group. The team is crucial for safeguarding the GoCardless platform's integrity, building systems that proactively prevent and detect merchant fraud. You will collaborate closely with Engineers and Fraud Analysts to develop and deploy predictive models, strengthening our fraud defenses. Your focus will be on the end-to-end delivery of ML solutions, from feature engineering and prototyping to production-grade deployment, aiming to reduce false positives and automate controls without compromising user experience. You'll also work with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure ML products scale effectively on our GCP stack, driving fintech innovation while maintaining a seamless customer experience.

What You'll Do

• Contribute to the end-to-end delivery of models at scale, covering initial discovery, feature engineering, production, A/B testing, and continuous monitoring.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and data science peers to transform complex data into real-time, mission-critical fraud prevention solutions.
• Elevate the team's collective standard through hands-on technical leadership and knowledge sharing.
• Help integrate the latest developments in ML and payer fraud prevention to foster innovation at GoCardless.

What Excites You

• Being a self-starter who excels at taking a vague business problem and guiding its journey from initial prototype to a live, measurable solution.
• Contributing to the future of fraud prevention by shaping data and ML products from initial insights to market-ready solutions.
• Working with diverse stakeholders to discover and design ML solutions, adapting them for different markets as GoCardless expands.
• Building production-grade ML models on a streamlined GCP and Vertex AI stack to drive fintech innovation.

What Excites Us (Requirements)

• A degree (or PhD) in a STEM discipline or equivalent commercial experience.
• A proven track record of deploying predictive models and data products in production with quantifiable impact (experience in Fintech, Fraud Prevention, or Payments is highly beneficial).
• The ability to translate complex ML concepts into practical product solutions and clearly communicate these ideas to non-technical peers.
• Experience writing and maintaining production-level code, including contributing to team code reviews.
• Comfort contributing across the full model lifecycle, from deep-dive analysis and feature engineering to prototyping, validation, and live A/B testing.

Compensation & Benefits

The base salary range for this role is €43,200 - €64,800. Salary ranges are determined by role, job level, location, and market data. GoCardless aims to offer competitive compensation, typically paying between the minimum and mid-point of the range, with offers adjusting based on experience, interview assessment, budgets, and internal parity.

Benefits include: Wellbeing: Dedicated support and medical cover. Work Away Scheme: Up to 90 days of remote work anywhere within a 12-month period. Hybrid Working: A flexible model with in-office days set by your team. Equity: All permanently employed GeeCees receive equity. Parental Leave: Tailored support for new parents. Time Off: Annual holiday leave based on location, plus 3 volunteer days and 4 wellness days.

Life at GoCardless

Our organization is guided by strong values: We start with why, make it happen, act with integrity, and care deeply while remaining humble. These values shape our culture, drive impactful work, and help us achieve our vision.

Diversity & Inclusion

We believe building the payment network of the future requires a diverse team. As of July 2024, our team includes 45% identifying as women, 23% as Black, Asian, Mixed, or Other, 10% as LGBTQIA+, 9% as neurodiverse, and 2% as disabled. Learn more about our Employee Resource Groups and D&I Report on our website.

Sustainability at GoCardless

GoCardless is committed to reducing our environmental impact and fostering a sustainable future. As co-founders of the Tech Zero coalition, we are actively working towards a climate-positive future. Our sustainability action plan is available online.

Key skills/competency

• Predictive Modeling
• Machine Learning (ML)
• Fraud Prevention
• Feature Engineering
• Production Deployment
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Vertex AI
• Data Analysis
• Stakeholder Collaboration
• A/B Testing