Data Science Lead- Fraud Modeling

Citizens Bank is seeking a Data Science Lead to spearhead enterprise fraud modeling initiatives. This role combines hands-on technical expertise with leadership responsibilities, driving innovation and ensuring high-quality model development in a regulated environment.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Lead the design, planning, and development of fraud detection ML models

• Supervise and mentor a team of data scientists & data analysts, fostering technical growth and collaboration

• Act as a thought leader, introducing new methodologies and technologies to enhance modeling capabilities

• Participate in hands-on coding and modeling activities

• Maintain a well-organized, high-quality codebase—and enforce best practices in version control

• Contribute to strategic visioning and translate plans into actionable steps for the team

• Engage with stakeholders to provide consultative insights and regular progress updates

• Build and maintain business relationships with data engineering and fraud strategy teams

• Maintain project timelines and deliverables 

Characteristics of a Competitive Candidate

• Extensive experience in and comprehensive knowledge of Fraud Strategy analytics or modeling 

• Accomplished individual contributor 

• Proactive and self-driven—with a strong sense of ownership

• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills – able to build trust, influence decisions, and navigate cross-functional dynamics

• Highly organized and detail oriented — holds self and others to high standard of quality

• Strategic thinker who stays current with emerging trends and integrates them into daily work

• Strong leadership qualities and experience: able to inspire team toward a vision and build an effective culture of excellence 

• Passionate about data and fraud prevention; has a contagious curiosity 

Key Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in fraud modeling or strategy

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and mentor junior colleagues

• Strong communication skills, including presentations and deck creation

• Experience engaging with model risk governance in a regulated institution

• Expertise in handling large-scale datasets and real-time time series modeling

• Hands-on experience building machine learning and deep learning models for fraud detection

Technical Skills

• Cloud Experience (AWS): At least 5 years’ experience

• Python or SAS: Expert level

• SQL: Expert Level

• PySpark: Intermediate to Expert

• GitHub / BitBucket: Intermediate to Expert

• Neo4J: Preferred

• Apache Flink: Nice to have

Education

• Ph.D. in Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, or Operations Research (Preferred)

• Master’s degree in one of the above fields (Minimum)

Hours & Work Schedule

• Hours per Week: 40
• Work Schedule: Mon-Friday