Staff Data Scientist - Financial Platform

Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Block. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Data scientist to join Block’s AI, Data, and Analytics (AiDA) team. This role will support the Financial Platform (FinPlat) organization, focusing on “acquiring side” A|B testing, reporting, strategic analysis, and automation. FinPlat is the “central nervous system” of Block, enabling the movement and ledgering of funds for our three main businesses: Square, Cash App, and AfterPay. Additionally, FinPlat provides significant financial impact through optimization of transaction costs and authorization rates.

You Will

• Establish subject-matter expertise in payment rails, focusing on cards (pre-paid, debit, credit, etc.) and bank rails (wire, ACH, direct deposit, etc.)


• Influence product roadmaps and guide the Financial Operations (FinOps) team to navigate through product opportunities and problem ambiguities.


• Build “soup to nuts” data products, taking raw eventing data from engineering teams and turning into actionable analyses and ML models.


• Partner with Engineering and Operations leadership to drive a culture of data-driven financial impact.


• Expand your influence in the Block Data Science community by developing and evangelizing data solutions to improve analytics insightfulness and actionability.

You Have

• 12+ years of related experience (data science, preferably in payment analytics, chargebacks, or related fields) with Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience


• At least a bachelor's degree in a technical field such as Engineering, Physics, mathematics, computer science, etc.


• Experience working on ambiguous problems with high business impact and resolving complex issues in innovative and efficient ways.


• Expertise in hypothesis testing and causal inference.


• A strong understanding and willingness to be hands-on in building data pipelines and architecture.


• Ability to build strong relationships with cross-functional stakeholders, clearly communicating findings and influencing product designs.


• Advanced proficiency with data, analytics, and visualization technologies (we use SQL, Looker, and Python).

Even Better

• Experience working in Fintech or banking.


• Have an advanced degree.

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.