Senior Manager Data Scientist

About Socure:

Founded in 2012, Socure is the leader in high-assurance digital identity verification technology. Named to Forbes’ 2019 AI 50 list as one of America’s most promising AI companies and a recent winner of API World’s Best Data API, Socure’s technology applies artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques with trusted intelligence from email, address, phone, IP, social media, and the broader Internet to verify identities in real time. Socure’s customers include three of the top five U.S. banks, seven of the top 10 U.S. card issuers, as well as the majority of leading digital banks, lenders and insurers across the U.S. Socure is funded by some of the world's best investors and entrepreneurs including Scale Venture Partners, Commerce Ventures, Work-Bench, Santander InnoVentures, and Two Sigma Ventures.

Role Overview:

The Senior Manager, Data Science will lead a dynamic team dedicated to developing and deploying state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) and large language model (LLM) solutions tailored to compliance, risk management, and anti-money laundering initiatives. This role demands a deep understanding of both technical domains—such as deploying LLMs as judges, fine tuning, model distillation, model quantization, and integrating AI agents—and the ability to translate complex product requirements and business use cases into actionable technical strategies. A keen grasp of managing dependencies across projects and aligning with global regulatory frameworks is essential. This role is expected to be 70% hands-on and 30% management.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Strategy:

• Develop and implement the technical roadmap for the global watchlist data science team, focusing on compliance, risk, and anti-money laundering objectives.
• Drive innovation in NLP and LLM technologies to support the evolving regulatory landscape.
• Champion best practices in model development, deployment, and continuous improvement.

Product and Business Integration:

• Gain a deep understanding of the product, regulatory environment, and business use cases to ensure technical initiatives align with strategic objectives.
• Translate complex product requirements and business cases into robust technical solutions that enhance compliance and risk mitigation capabilities.
• Partner with product management, compliance, and risk teams to ensure that the solutions deliver tangible business value and meet global regulatory standards.

Advanced NLP & LLM Expertise:

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of robust NLP algorithms tailored to analyze global watchlists and detect potential compliance or risk issues.
• Oversee projects that utilize large language models as judges, fine tune LLMs for domain-specific tasks, and apply model distillation and quantization techniques to optimize performance.
• Evaluate and integrate cutting-edge AI research to build scalable solutions that address regulatory and compliance challenges

AI Agent Integration:

• Lead the development and integration of AI agents focused on automating the extraction, normalization, and injection of diverse sources including sanction lists, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), and adverse media feeds.
• Design and implement pipelines that efficiently extract critical data from Develop robust normalization processes to standardize incoming data for seamless integration with existing systems and compliance frameworks.

Dependency Management & Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Identify, track, and manage technical dependencies to ensure seamless integration with existing systems and successful project execution.
• Work closely with product, engineering, and regulatory teams to synchronize technical efforts with broader business strategies.
• Communicate project progress, challenges, and dependencies clearly to stakeholders at all levels.

Team Leadership & Mentorship:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of data scientists and engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
• Provide technical guidance and ensure adherence to high standards of quality and efficiency.
• Cultivate an environment of collaboration, accountability, and performance excellence.

Required Qualifications:

Educational Background:

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.

Technical Expertise:

• Extensive hands-on experience in natural language processing with a proven track record in deploying NLP solutions in production.
• Proven expertise in working with large language models, including:
• Utilizing LLMs as judges
• Fine tuning LLMs for domain-specific tasks
• Implementing model distillation and quantization techniques
• Experience developing and integrating AI agents within operational workflows.
• Strong understanding of managing dependencies and integrating complex systems in regulated, high-stakes environments.

Business & Product Insight:

• Demonstrated ability to understand and translate product requirements and business use cases into technical strategies.
• Experience working in compliance, risk management, or anti-money laundering domains is a plus.
• Familiarity with global regulatory frameworks and how they impact technology and business strategies.

Leadership & Communication Skills:

• Proven leadership experience in managing cross-functional, high-performing teams.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with a data-driven decision-making approach.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of articulating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Technical Proficiency:

• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with relevant machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Experience with data engineering and cloud-based architectures is advantageous.

What We Offer:

• The opportunity to work at the intersection of technology and global compliance.
• A collaborative, inclusive, and innovative work environment.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and significant opportunities for professional growth.
• The chance to make a meaningful impact on global risk management and anti-money laundering efforts.

Salary Disclosure:

• Base Salary range: $180,000 - $220,000
• This represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Final offers may vary from the amount listed based on factors including geography, candidate experience and expertise, and other job related factors. Socure's compensation and rewards package for full time roles includes a market competitive salary, equity, comprehensive benefits, and, for applicable roles, commissions plans or an annual discretionary performance bonus.
• Socure is all about encouraging people to push the boundaries of what’s possible through top-tier performance, innovation, ownership, and shared expertise.