Data Researcher

About the role:

As a Data Researcher at Forter, you will own one of the company’s most critical assets: the accuracy, robustness, and performance of what is widely recognized as the leading e commerce fraud decisioning system in the industry.

In this role, you are expected to think creatively and push boundaries. You will design smart logical and technical solutions to real and constantly evolving business challenges faced by some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated online retailers. Your work will operate at the intersection of deep data research, production systems, and real world impact.

You will also have exposure to key customers, working closely with them to deliver analytical insights and adapt solutions to their unique needs. This direct connection between research, product, and customer impact is a core part of the role.

You will join a high caliber, fast moving research group with a strong culture of excellence, curiosity, and ownership. We work in an informal, collaborative environment where strong opinions are welcome and great ideas move fast. The role offers meaningful growth opportunities, with clear paths toward both senior individual contributor and managerial tracks, depending on where you want to take your career.

Your work will directly shape Forter’s product, protect millions of consumers and merchants, and help define the future of trust in digital commerce.

What you'll be doing:

• Invent, design, implement, and continuously refine the core decisioning logic and models that run in Forter’s live production systems
• Research complex fraud patterns, adversarial behaviors, and emerging global threats at scale
• Leverage rich and diverse datasets to generate actionable insights, build new system components, and advance feature engineering efforts
• Develop, prototype, and automate tools and processes that improve the accuracy, scalability, and efficiency of our systems
• Collaborate closely with Data Scientists, Analysts, Researchers, and Engineers to build the next generation of Forter’s AI driven technology

What you'll need:

• Psychometric score above 700 or equivalent (e.g. GMAT) - we use this as a baseline measure of structured reasoning and analytical speed
• Relevant experience in one of the following paths:
• At least 4 years of hands on experience in quantitative research or a related role focused on production oriented analytics and hypothesis driven research
• Or an MSc or PhD in a quantitative field such as Physics, Economics, Neuroscience, Biotechnology, Computer Science, or similar
• A record of high achievement - academically and beyond
• Strong analytical and logical reasoning skills, with a proven ability to break down and solve highly complex problems
• Extensive experience working with large scale datasets using scripting languages such as Python, R, or Matlab
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain complex technical ideas and research outcomes to a wide range of audiences

• Experience working with SQL and big data technologies such as Spark
• Deep familiarity with machine learning concepts and hands on practice
• Background in risk analysis, intelligence, or adversarial research

About us:

Digital commerce is built on trust. At every point along the eCommerce journey, businesses must make a critical decision: Can I trust this customer? Answering this simple question accurately and instantly is powerful—it can accelerate revenue growth and strengthen a company’s connection with its customers. How do we do it? Forter was founded on the insight that it's not about what is being purchased, nor where— but who is behind the interaction.

The Forter Decision Engine finds patterns across more than one billion identities in our dataset. We isolate fraudsters and protect customers—ensuring everyone gets the experience they deserve.  Given that trust is central to how we operate, Forter is very much driven by a defined set of values. We attract remarkable talent and have retention and engagement levels that are well above benchmarks. We’re meticulous about strengthening our culture as we grow and ensuring this is an environment where people can have outsized impact. 

Trust is backed by data –  Forter is a recipient of over 10 workplace and innovation awards, including: 

• Great Place to Work Certification (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Fortune’s Best Workplaces in NYC (2022, 2023 and 2024)
• Forbes Cloud 100 (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024)
• #3 on Fast Company’s list of “Most Innovative Finance Companies” (2022)
• Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year at the Payments Awards (2024)
• SAP Pinnacle Awards “New Partner Application Award” (2023)
• Fintech Breakthrough Awards – Best Fraud Prevention Platform (2023)

Life as a Forterian:

We are a team of over 600 Forterians spread across 3 different continents. Since 2013, we've raised $525 million from investors such as Tiger Global, Bessemer, Sequoia Capital, March Capital and Salesforce Ventures. We're on a mission to bring trust to global digital commerce so that companies like Adobe, ASOS, eBay, Instacart, Priceline and Nordstrom can block fraud, drive revenue and improve customer experience.

At Forter, we believe unique people create unique ideas, and valuable experience comes in many forms. So, even if your background doesn't match everything we have listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply and tell us why your skills and values could be an asset to us. By welcoming different perspectives, we grow together as humans and as a company.