Head of Data Science - Identity & Compliance
About the job
- An advanced degree (MS or PhD preferred) in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of experience in data science and machine learning, with a strong track record of delivering production-grade AI systems at scale.
- Significant experience in identity verification, KYC/AML, fraud detection, or risk modeling in fintech or adjacent domains.
- Proven leadership experience managing and scaling high-performing data science teams.
- Deep expertise in modern machine learning techniques, including deep learning, graph neural networks, entity resolution, and large-scale data systems.
- Strong understanding of agentic system design, including agent skills, orchestration/harness frameworks, and real-world deployment of autonomous or human-in-the-loop agents.
- Strong experience working with heterogeneous data sources, including structured data, text, network/graph data, and third-party identity signals.
- Demonstrated ability to drive ambiguous, high-impact problems to production, balancing speed, rigor, and business outcomes.
- Hands-on experience with Apache Spark and large-scale distributed data systems.
- Proficiency in Python and modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch; familiarity with graph machine learning frameworks is a plus.
- Proven ability to engage with customers and external stakeholders, explaining complex AI systems, trade-offs, and outcomes to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Own and drive the data science vision for Identity & Compliance, delivering measurable improvements in accuracy, coverage, latency, and customer impact across the products in scope.
- Lead, build, and develop a high-performing team of data scientists and applied researchers, fostering technical excellence, speed, and accountability.
- Architect and deploy advanced machine learning systems across identity verification, entity resolution, sanctions screening, and compliance risk modeling.
- Drive development of graph-based intelligence, including large-scale graph neural networks and link analysis models for Identity Graph, fraud detection, and watchlist matching.
- Lead design and implementation of agent-based AI systems for automated decisioning, case triage, investigation workflows, and adaptive compliance strategies.
- Advance modeling approaches including deep learning, representation learning, graph learning, and multimodal fusion across structured and unstructured data.
- Drive innovation in Identity Graph and Prefill systems to improve identity resolution, linking, and enrichment across global datasets.
- Partner with Product, Engineering, Risk, and Go-to-Market teams to translate business needs into scalable AI solutions.
- Own the end-to-end model lifecycle, including data strategy, feature engineering, model development, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring.
- Ensure alignment with regulatory and compliance requirements, balancing model performance with explainability, auditability, and governance.
- Raise experimentation and execution velocity while maintaining standards for reliability and impact.
- Own customer communication and stakeholder management in engagements with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders; explain model behavior, agentic systems, performance trade-offs, and roadmap decisions while building long-term relationships.
- Represent Socure externally as a thought leader in identity, compliance, and applied AI.
- Experience representing organizations in customer-facing discussions, executive briefings, or public speaking engagements is strongly preferred.
About the company
Socure provides digital identity verification and fraud prevention services for financial institutions through a subscription-based platform. It uses machine learning and advanced algorithms to analyze small amounts of customer data to predict fraud risk. A flagship feature, the Sigma Fraud Score, compares transactions against a proprietary database of known fraudulent users and traits to detect suspicious activity. Additional tools like Device Risk verify session authenticity by gathering device and browser signals, supporting seamless and secure customer experiences. Socure differentiates itself with a robust, data-driven fraud scoring system, a suite of identity verification and compliance tools, and continuous platform updates delivered as a service. Its goal is to help banks and other lenders verify customers quickly and accurately while reducing fraud and ensuring regulatory compliance (e.g., Customer Identification Programs under the Patriot Act).
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Series F
Total Funding
$900.1M
Headquarters
Incline Village-Crystal Bay, Nevada
Founded
2012
Get referred to Socure
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Socure raised $156 million at a $5.2 billion valuation on August 27, 2026.
- Q2 2026 ARR reached $364 million, up 63% year over year.
- Login.gov awarded Socure's Xcelerate partnership a five-year, $163 million call order.
What critics are saying
- Binance.US, crypto, and government deals concentrate revenue in regulated buyers.
- Persona, Sumsub, and Jumio pressure pricing as identity verification commoditizes.
- If AI fraud outpaces models, Socure's trust brand collapses and churn follows.
What makes Socure unique
- Socure's RiskOS fuses identity, device, behavioral, and fraud signals into one workflow.
- August 2026 Fravity acquisition adds AI agents for investigations, not just scoring.
- September 2026 mDL support with Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet matches new CIP guidance.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Competitive salary & equity
Comprehensive medical, dental, & vision coverage
FSA
Parental leave
401k
Life insurance
PTO
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
0%1 year growth
-4%2 year growth
-1%Socure has launched mobile driver's licence verification in its DocV identity verification product, allowing organisations to verify mDLs cryptographically from Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet during remote onboarding. The launch follows September 2026 guidance from FinCEN and other US regulators confirming that verifiable digital credentials can satisfy Customer Identification Program requirements. ABI Research projects the US mDL install base will grow from 21.7 million in 2025 to 143 million by 2030. Currently, 21 states issue mDLs conforming to ISO/IEC 18013-5 standards, with more than 8 million credentials active. Socure's system combines cryptographic validation with device, behavioural, and identity intelligence to assess user trustworthiness. The capability is available in Socure DocV and extends to government agencies through a partnership with Xcelerate Solutions under Login.gov's identity proofing agreement.
Socure launches mDL verification with Samsung and Google as regulators clear digital IDs. * 3 hrs ago Socure, the leading trust infrastructure for global identity and risk intelligence, today announced U.S. mobile driver's license (mDL) verification in DocV, its identity verification product. Organizations can now verify mDLs cryptographically against the issuing state authority, presented from Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, during remote onboarding and step-up flows. The launch follows a significant regulatory shift. On September 8th, 2026, FinCEN, Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, OCC and NCUA jointly issued FAQs confirming that an unexpired, government-issued verifiable digital credential can qualify as documentary evidence under the Customer Identification Program Rule. The guidance attaches a condition: the institution must have the technology or systems necessary to extract the required information. It also states that a digital credential is not automatically sufficient where there are indications of fraud, and that the institution must still form a reasonable belief that it knows the customer's true identity. Technology intelligence firm ABI Research projects the U.S. mDL install base will grow from 21.7 million in 2025 to 143 million by 2030, with 40 states issuing digital licenses. Today, 21 states issue mDLs conforming to the ISO/IEC 18013 standard, more than 8 million credentials are active, and roughly 45% of Americans live somewhere one is available. mDL verification complements Socure's physical document capture rather than replacing it, providing organizations a second path as digital wallets become part of how consumers carry their credentials. The harder problem is remote verification. Most mDL deployments to date have supported in-person presentation, the airport-checkpoint tap covered by Part 5 of the ISO standard. But the verifications that carry the most risk happen remotely - opening an account, claiming a benefit, onboarding to a platform - and remote presentation under Part 7 has been supported unevenly across wallets. Socure DocV now supports remote presentation from Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, so the credential can be verified online with the issuing state standing behind it rather than inferred from a photograph of a plastic card. With Socure mDL verification, users digitally present their credentials from their mobile wallet during onboarding or step-up verification, without the need to photograph an ID. Verification can be completed in seconds, without retakes or upload errors, helping organizations reduce friction, improve conversion, and deliver a faster experience for legitimate users. "Socure's integration to leverage mobile driver's licenses expands the number of places that people can use their digital IDs, offering a high assurance, low friction verification experience," said Alan Stapelberg, Group Product Lead, Google Wallet. mDLs introduce a fundamentally different security model. When a state DMV issues an mDL, the credential is cryptographically signed. Socure uniquely uses cryptographic credential validation as the starting point, not the finish line, verifying that a mobile driver's license was issued by the state DMV, then layering in device, behavioral, and identity intelligence to help determine whether the person presenting it should be trusted. Taken together, the guidance describes the architecture Socure built. Cryptographic validation establishes that the state issued the credential and that it has not been altered. Socure then layers device, behavioral and identity intelligence to assess whether the person presenting it should be trusted - the reasonable-belief standard the agencies describe. For banks, credit unions, fintechs and other regulated businesses, that combination is what turns a regulatory allowance into a deployable workflow. "Mobile driver's licenses represent a major shift in how consumers prove who they are online," said Deepanker Saxena, Head of Document Verification at Socure. "We want organizations to be able to trust any credential a person shows up with, physical or digital, and pair that with device, behavioral, and identity risk signals so trustworthy users move fast and fraud gets stopped. Balancing the equation between trust and friction is an essential step to scaling consumer adoption within the U.S." The new mDL capability is now available in Socure DocV for organizations looking to modernize onboarding and step-up flows, reduce abandonment, and strengthen fraud prevention. As more consumers choose to verify with mobile credentials, organizations can deliver secure and high-quality experiences for gig workers, job seekers, and citizens using government services. Today's announcement comes alongside an extension of Socure's partnership with Xcelerate Solutions to support critical public sector use cases under the Login.gov Next Generation Identity Proofing Blanket Purchase Agreement. Operating within Socure's FedRAMP Moderate environment, the capability gives government agencies a secure, mobile-native way to verify state-issued digital credentials while reducing friction for citizens accessing online services. About Socure Socure is the leading AI-native trust infrastructure, providing identity and risk intelligence to the world. Socure is trusted by the largest enterprises and government agencies to build trust and mitigate risk with its identity verification, compliance and fraud prevention solutions. Leveraging AI and machine learning, Socure achieves the highest accuracy, automation, and capture rates in the industry. Serving more than 3,000 customers and 190+ countries across financial services, government, gaming, healthcare, telecom, and e-commerce, Socure's customer base includes the top five U.S. banks, four of the Mag 7, the largest HR payroll and workforce providers, four of the five largest U.S. crypto exchanges, the largest sportsbook and prediction market operators, 160 organizations across the public sector, and more than 600 fintechs. Leading organizations trust Socure to deliver certainty in identity across onboarding, authentication, payments, account changes, and regulatory compliance. Learn more at www.socure.com. Media gallery
Xcelerate Solutions and Socure are expanding support for Login.gov by integrating mobile driver's licenses as accepted identification for remote identity verification. The capability, announced 29 September, operates within Socure's FedRAMP Moderate environment and uses real-time identity checks, fraud detection, and behavioural analytics. Login.gov can now verify identity information directly from state-issued digital credentials based on ISO/IEC 18013 standards. The system offers tamper-evident verification whilst reducing the need to handle physical IDs. The partnership combines biometrics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital identity credentials to provide identity-proofing services. Xcelerate Solutions is a national security company whilst Socure provides AI-native trust infrastructure serving over 3,000 customers across financial services, government, and e-commerce sectors.
Element451 has launched Bolt Fraud Detection and Resolution, an AI-powered solution developed with identity verification firm Socure to combat fraud in higher education. The product uses AI agents to continuously monitor applicant and student data, verify identities, and investigate suspicious activity. The system addresses a growing problem that has cost US taxpayers at least $350 million over five years, according to the Department of Education's Inspector General. Traditional detection methods flag suspicious applications but leave staff to manually investigate and follow up. Fraud Detection and Resolution automates the verification process whilst keeping final decisions with human staff. The platform integrates Socure's identity technology, which can verify up to 98% of applicants and is used by the US Department of Education for FAFSA processes. At Galveston College in Texas, the technology has flagged over 1,100 potentially fraudulent applications from 6,200 received, with nearly 90% confirmed as fraudulent upon review.
Socure integrates RiskOS identity verification into Circle's Arc USDC onramp. Circle's Arc ecosystem now uses Socure's RiskOS to handle identity verification and fraud decisions for fiat-to-USDC onboarding, adding a compliance layer that keeps sensitive identity data off public chains while enabling regulated financial workflows on Arc. Tl;dr. * Socure integrated its RiskOS identity and fraud platform into Arc's Onramp. * RiskOS verifies users and makes fraud decisions during fiat-to-USDC conversion within Arc-built apps. * The setup adds compliance to Circle's institution-focused blockchain while keeping identity data out of public transaction flows. Arc Onramp: identity and risk built in. Arc targets financial applications that require verified users. Payment firms and regulated institutions need customer identification and risk assessments before settling on-chain. Socure's RiskOS operates at onboarding: it combines identity verification with risk decisioning so applications can assess users and transactions before converting fiat to USDC and routing through Arc. Socure's broader platform is used across financial services, government, gaming, and other sectors. Embedding these tools into a blockchain onramp connects established fintech controls with crypto settlement rails. Offchain identity, onchain transactions. Institutional adoption requires separating identity from public ledgers. Open networks enable asset movement across applications without a shared internal database, but regulated firms cannot expose sensitive personal data on-chain. Identity checks occur offchain, while permissions and subsequent transactions move through the blockchain. Socure's role is to provide that offchain identity and fraud layer for Arc. Arc is not new, but the RiskOS integration is new. It expands the infrastructure that makes stablecoin applications operate like conventional financial services: users complete identity verification, fund accounts, and receive USDC, while compliance and fraud controls run in the background for mainstream financial requirements.