Senior Data Scientist

Team description

The AI AML Engineering Squad sits at the intersection of machine learning and financial crime prevention, building the data products and ML systems that keep SumUp's transaction monitoring effective and compliant across 37 markets. This role carries genuine ownership: you'll be responsible for the models, pipelines, and risk scoring that determine whether suspicious activity is caught, escalated, and documented in a way that satisfies regulators. If you're motivated by technical depth, real-world impact, and the challenge of making ML work reliably in a high-stakes environment, this is built for you.

What you'll do

• Build, maintain, and improve ML models and batch training pipelines for AML transaction monitoring, focusing on detection quality, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance
• Engineer Feature Store features mapped to AML typologies and suspicious behaviours, working closely with AML investigators to translate domain knowledge into alerting logic and threshold calibration
• Run sensitivity tests on synthetic datasets, produce ML governance artefacts such as model cards, and deliver audit-ready documentation to meet regulatory expectations
• Own and evolve the AML Risk Score by analysing driver contributions, monitoring drift, running back-testing, and recommending improvements to features, logic, and thresholds
• Partner with AML Operations, Product, and Engineering to translate stakeholder needs into actionable, scalable data science solutions
• Track and improve detection performance metrics, adapt solutions to regional compliance requirements, and contribute to system design documentation

You'll be great for this role if

• Strong Python skills with hands-on data engineering experience and a proven track record of building reliable, production-grade ML workflows
• Experience in feature engineering and unsupervised machine learning, with the ability to translate domain knowledge into model behaviours and alerting logic
• Proven ability to productionalise ML applications and operate end-to-end pipelines, including monitoring, versioning, and rollback in regulated environments
• Comfort working across complex, multi-source data ecosystems where data quality, lineage, and root-cause analysis require careful attention
• Clear communication skills with the ability to align cross-functional stakeholders, set expectations, and turn ambiguous compliance needs into a concrete technical plan

Why you should join SumUp

• 🌎 Opportunity to work with SumUppers globally on large-scale fintech products used by millions of businesses worldwide, from our Berlin office. This involves an office-first setup
• 🌈 Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: be part of a workplace that values and promotes diversity, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone's perspectives are respected and embraced
• 🚀 Enrolment onto our Virtual Stock Option programme: you will own a stake in SumUp's future success
• 📚 A dedicated annual L&D budget of €2,000 for your individual development, which can be used to attend conferences and/or advance your career through further education
• 💶 A corporate pension scheme where we match up to 20% of your contributions
• 🏖️ Generous time off: enjoy 28 days of paid leave plus public holidays and special leave days
• 💪 Numerous other benefits such as Urban Sports Club subsidy, Kita placement assistance, and subsidised office lunches
• 🌴 Break4me: 1-month sabbatical after 3 years of service
• 🔗 Referral Bonus: earn additional rewards by referring talented individuals to join the SumUp team

About SumUp

Be empowered to do more that matters.

At SumUp, we're on a mission to empower small businesses across the globe by providing simple and affordable tools that allow them to thrive. Today, over 4 million businesses in 37 markets rely on SumUp as their financial partner to manage payments, finance and customer relationships.

Our commitment to small businesses is reflected in our diverse team of over 3,000 SumUppers from over 90 nationalities, united by global collaboration and an innovative mindset. Our core values lay the foundation for who we are and what we stand for, shaping our work culture and driving our success. We foster inclusivity and a continuous learning culture, providing a safe space for personal and professional growth. Our differences make us unique and strong as we strive to create an environment where everyone belongs and feels supported, no matter how they identify.

SumUp is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, actively seeking and embracing diversity in our workforce. We don't make hiring or employment decisions based on race, colour, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age or any other basis protected by applicable laws or prohibited by company policy. Our commitment extends beyond recruitment to creating a safe and respectful workplace where harassment of any form is strictly prohibited. Discover more about our culture and opportunities on our careers website, and follow our journey on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

Job Application Tip

We recognise that candidates feel they need to meet 100% of the job criteria in order to apply for a job. Please note that this is only a guide. If you don’t tick every box, it’s ok too because it means you have room to learn and develop your career at SumUp.