Data Scientist, Financial Crimes - USDS

About TikTok U.S. Data Security
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. U.S. Data Security (“USDS”) is a subsidiary of TikTok in the U.S. This new, security-first division was created to bring heightened focus and governance to our data protection policies and content assurance protocols to keep U.S. users safe. Our focus is on providing oversight and protection of the TikTok platform and U.S. user data, so millions of Americans can continue turning to TikTok to learn something new, earn a living, express themselves creatively, or be entertained. The teams within USDS that deliver on this commitment daily span across Trust & Safety, Security & Privacy, Engineering, User & Product Ops, Corporate Functions and more.

Why Join Us
Creation is the core of TikTok's purpose. Our platform is built to help imaginations thrive. This is doubly true of the teams that make TikTok possible.
Together, we inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we all believe in and aim towards achieving every day.
To us, every challenge, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity; to learn, to innovate, and to grow as one team. Status quo? Never. Courage? Always.
At TikTok, we create together and grow together. That's how we drive impact - for ourselves, our company, and the communities we serve.
Join us.

Team Intro
USDS Financial Crime Compliance is responsible for overseeing and operationalizing all aspects related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Sanctions Compliance activities related to TikTok USDS's operations. Collaborating cross-functionally with stakeholders across the U.S. and global, we address complex and cutting-edge challenges, which include the identification of money-laundering, terrorist financing and sanction violations. We seek a highly motivated, and experienced professional to join our team.

In order to enhance collaboration and cross-functional partnerships, among other things, at this time, our organization follows a hybrid work schedule that requires employees to work in the office 3 days a week, or as directed by their manager/department. We regularly review our hybrid work model, and the specific requirements may change at any time.

Position Overview
As a Financial Crime Data Scientist, you will play a crucial role in leveraging machine learning, analytics and visualization techniques to enhance our organization's capabilities in detecting and preventing financial crimes. You will be responsible for analyzing large datasets, developing machine learning models, and creating visualizations to identify patterns, anomalies, and potential risks related to money laundering, fraud, and sanctions violations. This role offers an exciting opportunity to apply advanced technology solutions to combat financial crime and ensure regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities
- Develop, implement, and optimize machine learning models to detect money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes, leveraging techniques such as anomaly detection, clustering, and predictive modeling.
- Analyze large volumes of transactional and user data to identify suspicious patterns or behaviors indicative of financial crimes.
- Perform data analysis to support the transaction monitoring, sanction, KYC and high-risk investigation teams, including performing ad-hoc data analysis, that assist Financial Crime Compliance leadership in decision-making and strategic planning processes.
- Design and implement data visualization dashboards and reporting tools to communicate insights and findings from financial crime detection efforts.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to design, develop, validate, and implement AML scenarios, and conduct threshold tuning to optimize performance.
- Document and manage projects related to threshold tuning, scenario design, and detection methodologies.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, and data science, to integrate machine learning solutions into existing systems and processes.
- Perform special projects, and additional duties and responsibilities as required.Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field.
- 2+ years of experience in data analysis, machine learning, or data visualization, with a focus on financial crime compliance or related domains.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to work with large datasets to extract actionable insights.
- Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills, with the ability to analyze complex problems, evaluate information objectively, and communicate well-reasoned conclusions based on evidence and logic.

Preferred Qualifications
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R, as well as experience with machine learning libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
- Experience with data visualization tools and techniques for creating interactive dashboards and reports (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, matplotlib).
- Familiarity with big data technologies and distributed computing platforms (e.g., Hadoop, Spark).
- Experience working with transaction monitoring, sanction screening or KYC technologies, with knowledge of financial crime compliance regulations and methodologies, including anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) requirements.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to translate technical concepts into clear and concise insights for non-technical stakeholders.

D&I Statement
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

Accommodation Statement
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://shorturl.at/ktJP6

Data Security Statement
This role requires the ability to work with and support systems designed to protect sensitive data and information. As such, this role will be subject to strict national security-related screening.