Senior Machine Learning Scientist

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Description Summary:

Job Description:

Job Title: Senior Machine Learning Applied Scientist

Meet Our Team:

PayPal is seeking a talented Machine Learning Applied Scientist to join our Global Machine Learning team, driving the development of AI-driven solutions that will shape the future of PayPal. Join us and be a part of a dynamic team that is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of machine learning and data science. You'll have the opportunity to work on challenging problems, develop state-of-the-art solutions, and make a significant impact on the future of financial technology.

Your Way to Impact:

In this role, you will directly shape the future of how our machine learning teams build and maintain cutting-edge models. By developing an intelligent agent framework using Large Language Models (LLMs), you will automate critical parts of the Model Development Lifecycle, empowering our ML scientists to focus on innovation rather than manual processes. Additionally, your work will ensure that our models are constantly monitored, and solutions are efficiently deployed—ultimately driving better, faster fraud detection and enhancing our service to customers across the globe.

Your Day-to-Day:

• Research and Innovation: Investigate and apply the latest machine learning and LLM techniques to address PayPal's unique business challenges.
• Data Analysis: Analyze and interpret complex data sets to derive actionable insights and inform decision-making.
• Algorithm Development: Develop and refine machine learning algorithms, focusing on scalability and performance. Build and maintain large-scale big-data machine learning solutions, toolkits, and libraries for deployment in production environments.
• Collaboration and Communication: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, engineers, and product managers, to integrate machine learning solutions into products and services.

What You Need to Bring:

• A successful candidate will at least 4+ years of experience within Machine Learning and Data Science (hands on experience in end-to-end ML lifecycle)
• Deep understanding of NLP and machine learning, including NLP frameworks, transformer architectures, and evaluation is required
• Proficiency in key programming: Python and objective-oriented programing is required
• Experience with LLM-specific challenges, such as prompt optimization, Chain-of-Thoughts, LLM fine-tuning, Agent framework
• Fundamental of reinforcement learning
• Candidates should have excellent knowledge of machine learning frameworks such as Keras, TensorFlow, and PyTorch, as well as MLOps platform
• Experience with LLM-specific challenges, such as prompt optimization, Chain-of-Thoughts, LLM fine-tuning, Agent framework
• Excellent understanding of computer science fundamentals, data structures, and algorithms. Familiar with object-oriented design methodology and application development in Python
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically and creatively
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment
• Master’s degree with 4+ years of experience, or PhD with 2+ years of experience as a Machine Learning Applied Scientist or in a similar role. BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or related technical discipline (or equivalent) is preferred but not required

Subsidiary:

Travel Percent:

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PayPal is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices.

Actual Compensation is based on various factors including but not limited to work location, and relevant skills and experience.

The total compensation for this practice may include an annual performance bonus (or other incentive compensation, as applicable), equity, and medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. For more information, visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

The U.S. national annual pay range for this role is

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.

We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at talentaccommodations@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.