Senior Data Scientist - Deposit Fraud Analytics / Strategy

Position Overview

At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage in the markets we serve. We are united in delivering the best experience for our customers and fostering an inclusive workplace culture where all employees feel respected, valued, and have an opportunity to contribute to the company’s success. This role is available at Pittsburgh, PA; Cleveland, OH; Birmingham, AL; Dallas, TX; or Lakewood, CO.

Role Overview

The Data Scientist Senior is a strategic and analytical member of the Fraud Incident Management Team, responsible for detecting, analyzing, and mitigating deposit fraud incidents. This position focuses on strengthening defenses by combining analytical insights with operational execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Countermeasure Strategy
• Design and implement tactical and strategic fraud countermeasures across deposit and digital channels (e.g., check, mobile remote deposits, ATM & Teller channels).
• Collaborate with fraud operations, technology, and product teams to deploy controls effectively.
• Stay informed on industry fraud trends and regulatory developments to proactively adjust strategies.
• Incident Response Leadership
• Serve as the analytics lead during active fraud incidents, providing rapid insights and recommending containment actions.
• Conduct post‑incident reviews to assess control effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities.
• Fraud Analytics & Detection
• Monitor deposit transaction data to identify emerging fraud patterns and anomalies.
• Engineer and curate channel‑specific features (e.g., check attributes, image/device signals, deposit velocity, account tenure/behavior, ATM/teller patterns) to power high‑precision detection rules and thresholds.
• Develop and refine fraud detection rules using statistical and quantitative/machine learning techniques.
• Evaluate rule performance and optimize precision while minimizing customer impact.
• Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
• Mentor junior analysts, fostering a culture of curiosity, rigor, and innovation in fraud prevention.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on fraud risk appetite and control thresholds.
• Contribute to governance processes, including documentation, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Reporting & Communication
• Deliver actionable insights and performance metrics to senior leadership.
• Create dashboards and visualizations to support decision‑making and transparency.

Skills & Tools

• Technical Skills:
• SQL, Python, PySpark, R, and/or SAS.
• Advanced analytical skills in data mining, anomaly detection, rule optimization, and other quantitative techniques.
• Feature engineering for deposit and digital channels fraud detection and rule development (check, mobile remote deposit, ATM, and teller channels).
• Visualization tools: Tableau, Power BI.
• Familiarity with fraud detection platforms and machine learning techniques.
• Soft Skills:
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.
• Strategic thinking with a global and future‑oriented mindset.
• Ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Economics, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience in fraud analytics, preferably in deposit fraud or financial services.
• Strong understanding of deposits, fraud typologies, regulatory frameworks, transaction monitoring, and countermeasure design.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Attributes

• Experience working in a fast‑paced incident management environment, balancing speed of response with analytical accuracy.
• Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable strategies with an operational execution focus.
• Demonstrated expertise in cross‑functional initiatives and guiding teams through high‑pressure fraud events.

Compensation

Base Salary: $65,000.00 – $165,370.00

Equal Employment Opportunity

PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

Accommodation Statement

If an accommodation is required to participate in the application process, please contact us via email at AccommodationRequest@pnc.com. All information provided will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.