Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Financial Crimes

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams - People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more - provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.
The Role
The CashApp Financial Crimes Machine Learning team is responsible for detecting, preventing, and reporting illegal activity across all markets in which Block operates. We work globally with partners in business, engineering, counsel and product to ensure we are providing a safe user experience for our customers while minimizing or eliminating bad activity on our platform.
We leverage Machine Learning as a necessary part of our toolkit to fulfill our mission. We employ scalable solutions to monitor billions of dollars in transactions. We uncover and put an end to money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illegal activities before they impact our users. We are looking for senior MLEs who want to solve critical business problems using all tools necessary.
(Work from anywhere: This role can be performed from any location in the United States and Canada)
You Will

• Design, develop, and deploy machine learning models to detect and prevent financial crimes such as money laundering, human exploitation, and terrorist financing
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders, business partners, and product engineering teams to ensure that data can be leveraged effectively to build efficient solutions within our regulatory program
• Produce and maintain thorough documentation of our program that can withstand regulatory scrutiny
• Proactively identify new opportunities and future needs of our ML teams
• Lead by example by applying ML and engineering best practices
• Stay current on ML developments in the field, foster an environment of continuous learning, and apply new learnings when applicable

You Have

• 6+ years of machine learning experience with a focus on modeling and deployment
• A degree (preferable graduate level) in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, Physics, Applied Math or a related technical field
• Expertise in at least one area of the following areas: Natural Language Processing, Graph Neural Networks, Reinforcement Learning, or model explainability
• Prior experience working with product, engineering, and business to prioritize, scope, design, and deploy ML tooling and infrastructure at scale
• An ability to clearly convey both technical and non-technical concepts while collaborating with cross-functional, globally distributed teams
• Natural curiosity and desire to grow and help shape all aspects of our team

Technologies We Use and Teach

• Python (NumPy, Pandas, Scikit learn, PyTorch, etc.) with occasional Kotlin and Java
• Snowflake, GCP, AWS, and orchestration tools such as Prefect and Airflow
• Transformer models (BERT, LLMs, etc.)

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.
We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page .
While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.
Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.
To find a location's zone designation, please refer to this resource . If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information.
Zone A:
$228,700 - $343,100 USD
Zone B:
$217,300 - $325,900 USD
Zone C:
$205,900 - $308,900 USD
Zone D:
$194,500 - $291,700 USD
Use of AI in Our Hiring Process
We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.
Contact us here with hiring practice or data usage questions.
Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we're helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.