Fraud Researcher

PlaidPlaid·Remote(San Francisco HQ)
Other

WFA Digital Insight

As the demand for digital payments and online transactions grows, so does the need for skilled fraud researchers. With a 25% increase in online banking usage in the past year, companies like Plaid are at the forefront of this shift. Plaid's commitment to empowering financial transformation makes this role particularly interesting, as it combines live fraud investigation, applied data science, and product innovation. To succeed in this role, candidates will need strong digital skills, including data analysis and research abilities. With the remote job market booming, this is an opportunity to join a leading company and work on challenging projects that make a real impact. Before applying, candidates should be aware of the complex and adaptive nature of fraud and the need for continuous learning and innovation.

Job Description

About the Role

The Fraud Researcher role at Plaid is a unique opportunity to combine live fraud investigation, applied data science, and product innovation. As a member of the Fraud team, you will sit at the intersection of these disciplines, leading complex investigations, translating findings into detection improvements, and collaborating with Data Science, ML, and Product teams to shape the next generation of Plaid's fraud capabilities. This role is not purely operational; your research will directly drive features, model inputs, and product design.

The Fraud team's mission is to help companies detect and prevent fraud using Plaid's financial network data. With a network that covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK, and Europe, Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. As a Fraud Researcher, you will be working with a talented team to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use.

Plaid's products, including Protect and Signal, operate at network scale and depend on real-world investigation and research to stay ahead of adaptive adversaries. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London, and Amsterdam.

What You Will Do

  • Lead investigations into complex fraud cases across identities, accounts, devices, and transaction surfaces
  • Provide support to day-to-day fraud operations, including SEVs and alert triage
  • Reconstruct attacker sequences and hypothesize actor intent and tooling
  • Distill patterns from noisy signals into clear narratives and actionable insights
  • Bridge investigation outcomes to product and model improvements
  • Operate across Plaid's fraud tooling — dashboards, alerting systems, network signals, and analytics platforms — to detect and validate anomalies
  • Stress-test existing capabilities, identify systemic gaps, and define new detection primitives
  • Proactively identify gaps in internal fraud tooling and automation, driving enhancements to improve efficiency and scale
  • Collaborate with Data Science, ML/AI, and Product teams to improve labeling, feature sets, evaluation frameworks, and model decay monitoring
  • Surface data quality limitations and systematically formalize missing features
  • Translate exploratory research into reusable feature pipelines, model inputs, or rule augmentations

What We Are Looking For

  • 3+ years of experience in a related field, such as fraud research, data science, or cybersecurity
  • Strong understanding of digital payments, online transactions, and financial systems
  • Experience with data analysis, research, and investigation
  • Ability to work with large datasets and identify patterns and trends
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills
  • Experience with programming languages, such as Python or R
  • Familiarity with data visualization tools and techniques
  • Understanding of machine learning and AI concepts
  • Experience with cloud-based technologies and infrastructure

Nice to Have

  • Experience with network/graph analysis, sequence mining, anomaly detection, and custom heuristics
  • Knowledge of threat modeling and adversary techniques
  • Familiarity with regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks
  • Experience with agile development methodologies and version control systems

Benefits and Perks

  • Competitive salary and equity package
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan and retirement savings options
  • Flexible PTO and vacation policy
  • Remote work stipend and home office setup
  • Access to professional development opportunities and training
  • Collaborative and dynamic work environment
  • Recognition and reward programs for outstanding performance

How to Stand Out

  • Tip: Highlight your experience with data analysis and research, as these skills are essential for this role.
  • To stand out, create a portfolio that showcases your ability to identify patterns and trends in large datasets.
  • Be prepared to discuss your understanding of digital payments, online transactions, and financial systems during the interview.
  • When negotiating salary, consider the company's equity package and benefits, in addition to the base salary.
  • Red flag: If the company is not willing to provide a clear understanding of the role's responsibilities and expectations, it may be a sign of poor communication or a lack of transparency.
  • Tip: Emphasize your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, as this is a critical aspect of the Fraud Researcher role.

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