Lead Data Scientist

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Budapest, HUN
Hybrid
Senior level
Blockchain • Fintech • Payments • Consulting • Cryptocurrency • Cybersecurity • Quantum Computing
We are a global technology company in the payments industry.
The Role
Lead Data Scientist responsible for prototyping, developing, evaluating and deploying machine learning models for identity verification products. Works with large, complex datasets, maintains ML pipelines and infrastructure, mentors team members, collaborates with product and business owners, and implements model monitoring and production integration.
Summary Generated by Built In
Our Purpose
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we're helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
Title and Summary
Lead Data Scientist
Overview
Services within Mastercard is responsible for acquiring, engaging, and retaining customers by managing fraud and risk, enhancing cybersecurity, and improving the digital experience. We provide value-added services and leverage expertise, data-driven insights, and execution. We are a division within Mastercard that specializes in Identity Verification, providing businesses worldwide the ability to link any digital transaction to the human behind it. Our Identity Engine, the first and only of its kind, uses complex machine learning to combine features derived from the billions of transactions within our proprietary network and the data from our graph to deliver industry leading risk assessment solutions.
Role
We are looking for a Lead Data Scientist in a related field to join our team in the Budapest office. The position will be technical in nature where you will guide and drive decisions on various statistical methods and algorithms used in modeling work of our team. You will also provide mentorship to other team members in this area. This is a key role within the team responsible for developing models to support various Mastercard Identity Verification products, and you'll have exciting responsibilities, including:
• Analyzing complex, high-volume data from varying sources and identifying key regularities, patterns and trends.• Prototyping and developing machine learning models in collaboration with an agile, high-functioning team.• Spotting new opportunities in data collection, feature creation, feature selection, model tuning and evaluation practices, and taking those ideas from the first concepts to live product integrations.• Evaluating and benchmarking for model performance comparison. Implementing effective monitoring.• Leveraging new research in data modelling to identify opportunities, pioneering algorithms and systems that become key commercial products.• Maintaining model development pipelines, libraries and machine learning infrastructure. Ensuring modern machine learning models are well tested. • Working closely with business owners and product managers to understand business requirements, performance metrics regarding data quality and model performance of our new products.• Overseeing implementation of models.
All About You
Ideally, you are:• Statistically adept. You have studied in a quantitative field (i.e. mathematics, statistics, economics, data science) at a doctoral or master's level. You have the depth of knowledge required to identify appropriate techniques, follow and create formal proofs, define apt performance measures and adeptly explore or transform data. • Someone with a strong foundational knowledge of principles underlying common statistical learning techniques such as linear regression, support vector machine, tree-based methods, neural networks, bagging and boosting methods.• A strong problem solver with critical thinking skills who can formulate a problem into solution. Able to challenge assumptions and validate modeling solutions from a statistical inference perspective.• Capable of writing complex queries to process data. Proficient with manipulating and analyzing data to gain meaningful insights using tools such as scikit-learn for Python.• Experienced in creating algorithms and applying machine learning models to solve real business problems. You have the vision to see what the next generation model looks like and can iterate over production models to generate a competitive edge in the market.• A capable coder, able to write well-abstracted, production-quality code in Python (preferred), R, Java and/or C++. You're experienced in using cloud services (e.g. AWS, Microsoft Azure and/or Google Cloud), and machine learning tools (e.g. scikit-learn, Tensorflow and/or Keras).• Experienced working with large data sets. You understand the benefits of batch processing and parallelization and know how to design a pipeline to scale-out machine learning workflows. You have experience working with distributed data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark.• An effective communicator in visual, verbal and spoken channels, able to identify a narrative in complex data and convey clear, actionable findings to different types of audiences.• Experienced in architecting end-to-end solutions for production deployment.
Corporate Security Responsibility
All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:
  • Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;
  • Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
  • Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
  • Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.

Skills Required

  • Master's or doctoral degree in mathematics, statistics, economics, data science, or related quantitative field
  • Strong foundational knowledge of statistical learning techniques (linear regression, SVM, tree-based methods, neural networks, bagging, boosting)
  • Experience prototyping and developing machine learning models using scikit-learn, TensorFlow and/or Keras
  • Production-quality coding ability in Python; experience with R, Java and/or C++
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure and/or Google Cloud)
  • Experience working with large datasets and distributed data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark
  • Experience architecting end-to-end production ML solutions, maintaining model pipelines and ML infrastructure
  • Experience evaluating, benchmarking and monitoring model performance; feature engineering and model tuning
  • Ability to write complex queries to process and manipulate data
  • Strong communication skills; able to convey insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Experience mentoring and providing technical guidance to team members

What the Team is Saying

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Mastercard

Mastercard Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Retirement Support A 10% company retirement match (401k or equivalent) is explicitly highlighted in company materials. This level of employer contribution stands out as a core strength of the package.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth A global minimum of 16 weeks fully paid new‑parent leave and generous U.S. PTO (vacation, personal days, holidays, sick time, and bereavement) are clearly spelled out. These provisions indicate broad time‑off coverage across life events.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits Hybrid work, a four‑week “work from elsewhere” option, meeting‑free well‑being days, five paid volunteer days, mental‑health resources, and fitness reimbursement/on‑site gyms are emphasized. Together they reflect a holistic approach to flexibility and wellbeing.

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The Company
HQ: Purchase, NY
38,800 Employees
Year Founded: 1966

What We Do

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Why Work With Us

We live the Mastercard Way: creating value in the communities we touch, growing together through the opportunities we see, and moving fast to innovate and scale. Our collaborative culture and our passionate people are the key to what we do, driving meaningful change as one team and connecting everyone to priceless possibilities.

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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.

In our ongoing workplace evolution, we’ve introduced hybrid work, Work-From-Elsewhere Weeks and Meeting-Free Days.

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