Data Scientist (Mid-Sr)

Spade•New York, NY

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Spade is a data and AI platform that turns messy transaction strings into structured, verified records — and gives teams the tools to act on it across authorization, attribution, analytics, and AI initiatives. Spade leads the market in terms of merchant coverage, matching accuracy, geolocation data, and speed of transaction enrichment. Customers such as, FIS, Bilt, Mercury, Stripe, alongside many other leaders in fintech and financial services, trust Spade's data to enable personalized rewards programs, accurate applied spending rules, precise analytics requests, and innovative AI-powered features. Spade is a fast growing, Series B company backed by industry experts and top tier investors (including Oak HC/FT, a16z, Flourish Ventures, Y-Combinator, and Gradient Ventures). We’re a lean and execution-oriented hybrid team, passionate about building exceptional products for our growing customer base. We care deeply about diversity of background, experience, and opinion. We value empathy, curiosity, and passion, and strive to create an environment where individuals have autonomy and the ability to take ownership over their work.

Requirements

3+ years building and shipping models in Python, in a fast-paced environment (5+ for senior)
Worked hands-on with engineering and product, not just in a research silo
Strong ML, stats, and data fundamentals (PySpark, pandas, SQL)
A product mindset — you navigate ambiguity and optimize for customer value, not just model accuracy
A collaborative streak — you take feedback well and care about the team's success, not just your own
An AI-forward workflow — coding assistants and LLMs are part of how you already work, and you're excited to push further
Based in NYC with ability to work out of our Flatiron office at least 2 days/week

Nice To Haves

Databricks, data pipelines, Hex
Gen AI feature/product development
Fintech experience — especially transaction, merchant, or location data
Early-stage, high-growth startup experience

Responsibilities

Build the real-time ML/AI systems that power how top fintechs and financial institutions understand every transaction: from traditional ML and NLP models to AI agents, all running on our proprietary merchant, location, and transaction datasets.
Partner closely with engineering and product to take ideas from prototype to production, directly shaping the accuracy, speed, and intelligence customers like FIS, Bilt, Mercury, and Stripe rely on every day.
Own the full lifecycle of ML/AI products. From first prototype to production system serving real customers
Build the automated systems behind Spade's data quality. The models and pipelines that keep our accuracy and coverage ahead of the market
Set the bar for how ML gets built here. Pushing for models that are not just accurate, but scalable, robust, and production-ready from day one (Senior role)
Help shape where the data science team goes next. Partnering directly with leadership on roadmap and priorities (Senior role)
Grow the team around you. Mentoring other data scientists and raising the practices we build on

Benefits

Competitive Compensation. Data-driven salaries that reward performance and ownership.
Meaningful Equity. Flexibility with early exercise and an extended post-termination options.
Comprehensive Health Benefits. 100% paid medical, mental, dental, and vision premium option plus One Medical membership (for US-based employees).
401(k). Empowering you to invest in your future.
Paid Parental Leave. 12 weeks of full pay for parents welcoming a new child into their home.
Unlimited PTO. Take the time you need to unplug and unwind.
Flexible In-Person Culture. NYC HQ (hybrid and dog-friendly) with remote opportunities for certain roles in US/Canada.
Supporting you in and outside of work. Generous work from home stipend, company-paid lunches, Citibike Membership, and more.

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