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 Summary:

Overview

As a Data Scientist – Sanctions Risk, you’ll help advance PayPal’s global sanctions screening capabilities. Using data science, machine learning, and big data technologies, you’ll improve detection accuracy, optimize screening performance, and reduce operational friction — supporting PayPal’s commitment to compliance, scalability, and customer trust.

Meet Our Team

The Sanctions & PEP Data Science team, part of Global Financial Crimes & Customer Protection (GFCCP), turns regulatory requirements into data-driven strategies. We design and deploy analytics that safeguard PayPal’s ecosystem while improving precision, automation, and efficiency across sanctions operations.

Your Way to Impact

You’ll lead initiatives that enhance the scalability, efficiency, and sensitivity of sanctions systems, directly strengthening PayPal’s compliance framework and financial crime prevention efforts.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

Lead the development and implementation of advanced data science models.
Collaborate with stakeholders to understand requirements.
Drive best practices in data science.
Ensure data quality and integrity in all processes.
Mentor and guide junior data scientists.
Stay updated with the latest trends in data science.

Expected Qualifications:

Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

Your Day-to-Day

Lead data science initiatives that improve sanctions screening algorithms and optimize detection sensitivity.
Design and implement data-driven solutions that balance detection precision and false positive reduction.
Collaborate with advisory, product, and engineering teams to design frameworks supporting sanctions compliance.
Translate regulatory requirements into actionable analytical frameworks and technical solutions.
Modernize screening platforms using big data and ML-driven approaches to increase scalability and speed.
Conduct advanced analytics and identify workflow inefficiencies, recommending actionable improvements.
Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement in production systems.

What You Need to Bring

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of six years of experience in sanctions transaction screening, profile screening, or AML, including at least three years in data analytics or data science.
Strong understanding of economic sanctions programs administered by OFAC, EU, UN, CSSF, etc., and associated adjacency risk.
Proficiency in SQL, BigQuery, Python, R, Tableau, and Power BI, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Working knowledge of Hadoop, Hive, Jupyter Notebooks, and data warehouse technologies.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate analytical insights into actionable business recommendations.
Proven ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with independence and initiative.

Preferred

Advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, or a related field.
Experience deploying and maintaining ML models in production within compliance or regulated environments.
Familiarity with explainable AI, model validation, and governance frameworks.

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us.

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 comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

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 paypalglobaltalentacquisition@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.

Sanctions Screening Strategy Lead

Benefits

Job Description