Lead Risk Strategist, AI & Payment Fraud(Relocation to Toronto Required) (San Francisco Bay Area)

At Snaplii, risk management isn't a brake on growth—it’s the supercharger that enables our 300% explosive expansion. We aren't looking for analysts who just read reports; we want strategists who can reverse-engineer fraud loops and command AI to automatically sever risks.

Important: Location & Relocation

This role is based in our Toronto, Canada office. To foster our high-velocity founding culture, we require this leader to be onsite in Toronto for at least the first 6–12 months. We provide full relocation assistance and comprehensive immigration sponsorship for qualified US-based candidates.

Why Snaplii?

• Defend a Multi-Million Dollar Ecosystem : We currently process an annual transaction volume (TPV) of over $100M , serving 250,000+ users. Your risk decisions directly safeguard massive capital flows.
• A Battlefield of Explosive Growth : Snaplii is one of Canada’s fastest-growing fintech platforms. You will face the most complex global payment fraud challenges in a high-velocity environment—experience that stagnant companies simply cannot offer.
• AI-Driven Automated Defense : Move beyond inefficient manual reviews. We empower you to integrate models into our risk systems to achieve 90%+ automated interception of fraudulent behavior. You will build user behavior scoring and anomaly detection systems using Machine Learning (XGBoost, LightGBM) .
• The Silicon Valley Connection : This role places you at the intersection of top-tier payment processors and global AI leaders, allowing you to learn and deploy the world’s most advanced anti-fraud strategies.
• Immigration & Stability : For top-tier talent, we provide full LMIA and PNP employer sponsorship support , covering all associated costs so you can focus on making an impact in Toronto.

Technical Expectations

We are looking for a Risk Leader with Hacker Instincts and raw analytical horsepower.

1. Fraud Combat & Intuition (The Instinct)

• 5+ Years Professional Experience : Minimum of 3 years dedicated to fraud and at least 1 year within the payments industry.
• Hacker Mindset : Strong problem-solving and reverse-engineering skills, with the ability to anticipate risks from a fraudster's perspective.
• Payments Expert : Proven ability to identify fraudulent activities across various payment methods in multi-currency, e-commerce environments.

2. Data & AI Modeling Mastery (The Engine)

• SQL & Python Expert : Mastery of SQL is a must-have for independent querying of large datasets; Python proficiency is highly preferred.
• Hands-on Modeling : 3+ years of experience building fraud detection models, including feature engineering, model training, and evaluation.
• Framework Proficiency : Skilled in Python/R frameworks such as Sklearn, XGBoost, and LightGBM with experience deploying models into production.

3. Proficiency in Mandarin Chinese is an asset.

Your Daily Mission:

• Define the Rules, Don't Just Follow Them : Lead end-to-end financial risk strategies—from identifying opportunities to design, testing, and post-production monitoring.
• Counter-Strike : Investigate anomalous activity, perform root-cause analysis on chargebacks, and produce authoritative reports on fraud trends.
• Strategic Liaison : Act as the bridge between Snaplii and payment processors/vendors, managing relationships and ensuring alignment on risk management.

What We Offer:

• Highly competitive salary + Risk Control Performance Bonuses.
• Full Immigration Sponsorship (LMIA/PNP) services.
• Hybrid Work Model (Toronto Base) : Includes a compensated 1-2 month onsite onboarding period.
• All-Star Team : Work with payment veterans and a Harvard-guest founder to define the future of AI-driven financial security.
• Our founder, Spencer Xu, says: We don't need assembly-line workers; we need generals who can independently lead the charge.