Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Identity - ML Platform

Company Description

It all started with an idea at Block in 2013. Initially built to take the pain out of peer-to-peer payments, Cash App has gone from a simple product with a single purpose to a dynamic ecosystem, developing unique financial products, including Afterpay/Clearpay, to provide a better way to send, spend, invest, borrow and save to our 47 million monthly active customers. We want to redefine the world’s relationship with money to make it more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible.

Today, Cash App has thousands of employees working globally across office and remote locations, with a culture geared toward innovation, collaboration and impact. We’ve been a distributed team since day one, and many of our roles can be done remotely from the countries where Cash App operates. No matter the location, we tailor our experience to ensure our employees are creative, productive, and happy.

Check out our locations, benefits, and more at cash.app/careers.

Job Description

As part of the Machine Learning Engineering Identity team, you will play a critical part in utilizing machine learning methods and systems to reduce the prevalence of inauthentic identities within Cash's ecosystem. Our primary responsibility is fortifying our first line of defense against bad actors attempting to bypass our Identity Verification (IDV) controls, while also enhancing our confidence in the authenticity for both existing and new customers. By leveraging machine learning, we aim to ensure that everyone has equal access to the financial services they require, irrespective of their background or financial history. 

Specifically this role focuses on using machine learning to develop risk-based experiences that increases access for good customers, ensuring that customers are using the type of account that helps them grow their network, grow their personal network/finances or grow their business, while providing guardrails against risky customers.

Our team is continuing to grow and we’re looking for Engineers with experience developing ML pipelines and infrastructure to build out the next-generation ML solutions to power use cases across the company. Across the team, we employ methods ranging from simple heuristics to Deep Learning technology to improve our performance and services. We’re also excited to explore new directions with the team to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Our ML Engineers work in close collaboration with Data Scientists, ML Modelers and Software Engineers from across Cash App. Check out our Machine Learning / AI blog here!

You will:

• Design elegant ML pipelines and services as well as prototype new approaches and productionize solutions at scale for our 47+ million active users
• Create a world class platform for training, hosting and maintaining ML models 
• Apply ML and engineering best practices to shape how Cash App develops, tests and maintains ML-platform solutions
• Help design and execute our long-term Machine Learning strategy across Cash App

Qualifications

You have:

• 3+ years of experience in software development and demonstrated technical initiative and leadership on previous machine learning projects
• Curiosity and a passion for Cash App's mission of economic empowerment 
• Experience helping your teammates grow through mentorship and providing constructive feedback 
• A desire to be hands-on and help invent the future of AI
• The ability to work autonomously in the rapidly evolving world of ML
• Experience or knowledge in ML is helpful but not a prerequisite: if you are a solid software engineer, then we are happy to train you in the mysterious ways of ML

Technologies we use and teach:

We value general engineering skill and versatility over existing domain knowledge, but here’s a sample of what we currently use:

• Python, Java and Kotlin 
• Tensorflow and PyTorch 
• AWS, GCP, and Kubernetes
• MySQL, DynamoDB, Kafka, Apache Beam and Google DataFlow

Additional Information

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.

Zone A: USD $163,600 - USD $245,400
Zone B: USD $155,400 - USD $233,200
Zone C: USD $147,300 - USD $220,900
Zone D: USD $139,000 - USD $208,600

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. 

Full-time employee benefits include the following:

• Healthcare coverage (Medical, Vision and Dental insurance)
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Plans including company match 
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness programs, including access to mental health, 1:1 financial planners, and a monthly wellness allowance 
• Paid parental and caregiving leave
• Paid time off (including 12 paid holidays)
• Paid sick leave (1 hour per 26 hours worked (max 80 hours per calendar year to the extent legally permissible) for non-exempt employees and covered by our Flexible Time Off policy for exempt employees) 
• Learning and Development resources
• Paid Life insurance, AD&D, and disability benefits 

These benefits are further detailed in Block's policies. This role is also eligible to participate in Block's equity plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies, and may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a commission plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

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 a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

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.

Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances. Because the material duties of this role involve direct or indirect access to sensitive personal or financial data, a criminal background check is required following a contingent offer of employment.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, on average, U.S. open roles are posted for 70 days before being filled by a successful candidate.