Head of Machine Learning – 1811

PlacingIT • San Francisco, CA

4d • Remote

About The Position

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Machine Learning to lead our Application Fraud team and drive the development of next-generation machine learning models that power our fraud detection platform. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for managing a team of Machine Learning Engineers and Data Scientists while remaining technically hands-on. You'll own the strategy, development, deployment, and evolution of a suite of production machine learning models that solve complex fraud challenges at scale. We're looking for a leader who combines deep technical expertise with strong people management skills and thrives in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments.

Requirements

• 7–15 years of experience in Applied Machine Learning or Data Science.
• 4+ years leading Machine Learning or Data Science teams in high-growth startups.
• Proven experience building and deploying production machine learning models that are core to a company's business.
• Demonstrated success scaling both ML products and technical teams.
• Experience leading multiple production models or an entire ML product suite—not just a single model.
• Strong career progression demonstrating increasing ownership and leadership.
• Previous leadership experience at a fast-growing startup (approximately 20–400 employees).
• Expertise in End-to-end Machine Learning lifecycle
• Expertise in Feature engineering
• Expertise in Model training and validation
• Expertise in Production deployment (Productionalization)
• Expertise in Model monitoring and optimization
• Expertise in Python software development
• Expertise in Production-quality software engineering
• Expertise in Machine Learning infrastructure and scalable ML systems
• Strong hands-on coding skills are required.
• Candidates must be capable of contributing technically and successfully completing a live coding assessment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in Application Fraud
• Experience in Fraud Detection
• Experience in Identity Verification
• Experience in Financial Risk
• Experience in FinTech
• Experience in Cybersecurity
• Experience in Healthcare Technology
• Experience in Other high-stakes machine learning domains
• Master's or Ph.D. in: Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Related STEM discipline
• Exceptional candidates with a Bachelor's degree and outstanding industry experience will also be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Application Fraud Machine Learning team.
• Build, deploy, and scale production-grade machine learning models for fraud detection and risk assessment.
• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of multiple ML products, from feature engineering through production deployment and ongoing monitoring.
• Partner closely with engineering, product, and executive leadership to define technical strategy and business priorities.
• Mentor, coach, and develop high-performing Machine Learning Engineers and Data Scientists.
• Drive technical excellence across model development, deployment, experimentation, and performance optimization.
• Establish scalable processes for model monitoring, retraining, and continuous improvement.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business recommendations for executive stakeholders.
• Help shape the long-term vision and roadmap for the company's fraud detection platform.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree