Senior Staff Data Scientist

Zendesk is a company that powers customer service conversations globally. The role is within the AI Security team and involves collaboration with Security Engineers, Software Engineers, ML researchers, and product teams to help keep customers safe and prevent product abuse.

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or related quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience applying ML/AI in fraud detection, anomaly detection, or security
• Strong programming skills in SQL and Python, with proficiency in data processing frameworks
• Fluency in AI-assisted programming (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor AI) and other AI tools to accelerate workflows
• Experience with Statistical, ML, data mining, and time series techniques, especially anomaly detection and handling unbalanced datasets and sparsity
• Experience with large datasets and distributed computing environments (e.g., Spark, Snowflake)
• Strong communication skills to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical collaborators

Nice to have:

• Proven track record implementing anomaly detection or AI Security evaluation systems at scale
• Experience with AI Red Teaming tools
• Knowledge of cybersecurity concepts and common attack vectors
• Experience with ML model monitoring, maintenance in production, and understanding customer impact of guardrails and firewall models

• Run and develop the AI Security evaluation platform to test Zendesk AI features
• Analyze large volumes of behavioral and user interaction data to identify patterns of abuse and automate methodology
• Develop viable detection models and techniques using offline data to guide engineering implementation in production
• Improve detection accuracy for existing spam detection projects while minimizing false positives
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement prevention strategies based on data insights
• Mentor and provide technical leadership on projects
• Collaborate with Security and Product teams on emerging data challenges and provide data science expertise
• Stay informed about the latest trends in AI Security

As part of Zendesk's commitment, artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law. Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities pursuant to applicable laws.