Staff Data Scientist

• Own the analytical strategy for Zip’s Smoothing initiative, serving as the senior analytics partner supporting the development and growth of new financial products, including cash advances and rent advances, from early-stage exploration through scaled adoption.
• Bring deep product and financial analytics expertise to ambiguous, 0-to-1 problems, establishing the insights, measurement frameworks and analytical foundations needed to guide product strategy, investment decisions, risk trade-offs and sustainable growth.
• Remote-first opportunity for US-based employees with the option to work in-person out of our Manhattan office

Start your adventure with Zip

As a Staff Data Scientist, you will leverage your expertise in Data Science to define, architect, build, implement and scale, new ML/AI solutions that push the next frontier of capabilities at Zip. You will be building the first generation of models that leverage rich new data sources and provide the foundation for the next generation of Zip. You will use your extensive experience, mentoring and partnering with more junior data scientists to build best-in-class ML and AI solutions. As a green field opportunity, you will be expected to independently experiment and iterate on solutions and take a test-and-learn approach to your work. You will balance short-term tangible business gains with more long-term ambitious work that together maximize the value for the business. Whatever you build, you will be expected to own end-to-end, and be responsible for communicating with business stakeholders and collaborating with engineering teams on making them work in a production environment. In addition to your extensive experience in Data Science and Financial Services, you are self-driven, intellectually curious, and comfortable iterating on simple solutions that are informed by experimental results.

Interesting problems you’ll get to solve

• Design and build new AI/ML models leveraging bank transaction data to enable new product capabilities
• Explore open-ended problems within bank transaction data as well as other sources to enable new product capabilities
• Rapidly experiment, build, and iterate on solutions, providing realistic proofs of concept that can be tested and refined
• Establish clear evaluation frameworks and decision criteria for what should scale, change, or stop.
• Provide technical direction to other data scientists on complex workstreams, delegating defined components where appropriate while retaining accountability for technical quality and outcomes
• Assist with test designs that produce the data necessary to build future versions of your models
• Balance short-term wins with longer-term experimental work that drive overall value of the business
• Leverage AI across your entire stack, from boosting productivity to building custom neural network/LLM solutions
• Build models that mitigate risk while driving profitable growth for the business
• Work closely with partnering engineering teams to make sure solutions are scalable and stable
• Act as a primary technical owner and point of contact for the family of models in this business domain , advising senior stakeholders on model trade-offs and implications

What you’ll bring to the team

• Advanced degree (PhD preferred) in a quantitative field (e.g., Mathematics, Physics, Social Science, Computer Science)
• 7+ years of experience in Data Science (can include PhD work)
• 4+ years of experience in Data Science in Financial Services
• Self-starter mentality with strong problem-solving and research skills; able to work independently to drive solutions
• Solid grasp of the fundamentals of probability, statistics, and applied research methods
• Experience working with cashflow data (e.g., Plaid, MX, Finicity)
• Proficiency in Python and SQL; hands‑on experience with Spark/PySpark a plus
• Experience with Neural Networks, LLMs, GenAI
• Experience with credit and/or fraud risk a plus
• Proven track record managing large-scale projects end-to-end
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, multi-tasking environment

What you’ll get in return

Zip is a place where you’ll get out what you put in. The newness of our sector means we need to move at pace and embrace change, and our promise to you when you join the team is that you’ll feel empowered and trusted to make big things happen quickly.

We want you to feel welcome and as though you have the support to be yourself, and care for yourself at work. Because it’s important to us that you make the most of the opportunities you’ll get to grow your skills and your career, and be surrounded by smart, friendly people and leaders that have your back.

We think these are just some of the best things about being a Zipster. We will also offer you:

• Flexible working culture
• Incentive programs
• Unlimited PTO
• Generous paid parental leave
• Leading family support policies
• Company-sponsored 401k match
• Learning and wellness subscription stipend
• Beautiful Union Square office with a casual dress code
• Industry-leading, employer-sponsored insurance for you and your dependents, with several 100% Zip-covered choices available

Zip is committed to a straightforward and transparent pay structure. The actual base salary will be determined by various individualized factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, location, internal equity, as well as other objective business considerations.

The annual base Pay Range for this position is $192,000 - $240,000. This range reflects our US national compensation band (USN). Additional premium percentages may apply based on our tiered premium strategy.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or commission awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

*Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

If hired, employees will be in an 'at-will position' and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Be a part of a team that reflects the diversity of our customers.

We pride ourselves on being a workplace that provides equal opportunities to people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, veteran status, and everything else that makes you unique.

Equally, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive. Please let us know If there are any adjustments that need to be made to ensure you have a fair and equitable experience.

And finally…get to know us

Zip Co Limited (ASX: ZIP) is a digital financial services company, offering innovative, people-centered products.

Operating in two core markets - Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and the US, Zip offers access to point-of-sale credit and digital payment services, connecting millions of customers with its global network of tens of thousands of merchants. We’re proud to be a values-led business and our values - Customer First, Own it, Stronger Together and Change the Game - guide us in everything we do.

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