Data Scientist (Mid-Sr)

Financial institutions process billions of transactions every day across cards ACH wires and third party aggregators. But most of that data is difficult to use. Descriptions are inconsistent merchant names don’t match and categories vary by payment type.

Spade is a data and AI platform that turns messy transaction strings into structured verified records — and gives teams the tools to act on it across authorization attribution analytics and AI initiatives. Spade leads the market in terms of merchant coverage matching accuracy geolocation data and speed of transaction enrichment. Customers such as FIS Bilt Mercury Stripe alongside many other leaders in fintech and financial services trust Spade's data to enable personalized rewards programs accurate applied spending rules precise analytics requests and innovative AI-powered features.

Spade is a fast growing Series B company backed by industry experts and top tier investors (including Oak HC/FT a16z Flourish Ventures Y-Combinator and Gradient Ventures). We’re a lean and execution-oriented hybrid team passionate about building exceptional products for our growing customer base. We care deeply about diversity of background experience and opinion. We value empathy curiosity and passion and strive to create an environment where individuals have autonomy and the ability to take ownership over their work.

At Spade data is the product. As a Data Scientist you'll build real-time ML/AI systems — from traditional ML and NLP to AI agents — on our proprietary merchant location and transaction datasets turning them into insights financial institutions act on. Working closely with our talented engineering and product teams you'll help turn ideas into scalable solutions.

• Own ML/AI products end-to-end: ideation prototyping production

• Build automated ML/AI systems that improve Spade's data quality and product performance

• Raise the bar on how we develop deploy and monitor models — scalable accurate robust

• (Senior) Help set the data science and product roadmap with leadership

• (Senior) Mentor other data scientists and grow the team's practices

Note: We're hiring for both Mid and Senior levels across multiple openings; exact level is determined during the interview process.

Must have:

• 3+ years building and shipping models in Python in a fast-paced environment (5+ for senior)

• Worked hands-on with engineering and product not just in a research silo

• Strong ML stats and data fundamentals (PySpark pandas SQL)

• A product mindset — you navigate ambiguity and optimize for customer value not just model accuracy

• A collaborative streak — you take feedback well and care about the team's success not just your own

• An AI-forward workflow — coding assistants and LLMs are part of how you already work and you're excited to push further

• Based in NYC with ability to work out of our Flatiron office at least 2 days/week

Additional for Senior:

• 5+ years with end-to-end ownership of ML/AI products from idea to production

• Shipped ML/AI-powered products ideally customer-facing

• A track record of mentoring and raising team standards

Nice to have:

• Databricks data pipelines Hex

• Gen AI feature/product development

• Fintech experience — especially transaction merchant or location data

• Early-stage high-growth startup experience

• Be a cultural founder. As an early employee you’ll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture.

• Get in on the ground floor. We’re a small but well-funded team – joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.

• Build the next generation of financial infrastructure. Our products will power the next wave of innovation in fintech helping our customers deliver better more transparent products and services to the consumer.

• Competitive compensation and equity package

• Full medical dental and vision benefits for US-based employees

• Life & short-term disability insurance

• Unlimited PTO

• Early exercise program

• Extended post-termination exercise period

• 401K for retirement planning

• Hybrid team with pet-friendly headquarters in NYC

• Paid parental leave

• Work from home stipend

• At Spade we view total compensation as consisting of salary + equity + benefits. We recruit motivated and high performing talent and work to compensate people in line with the value they bring to our team.

• We aim to pay fairly and competitively and consider a number of factors in developing compensation offers. These factors include years and breadth of experience interview performance market dynamics and internal equity.

• The anticipated base salary range for this role is listed above (in USD).

Spade is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a culture that is diverse equitable and inclusive. We believe that having people with different backgrounds experiences abilities and perspectives not only helps us build the best products for our customers but also helps us be the best version of ourselves.

What We Do

Spade is the only transaction data enrichment solution backed by real data. We leverage our vast first-party data network to bring instant clarity and context to every purchase and payment—with precisely matched merchant category and geolocation details that empower you to build the next generation of financial technology.