5-7 years of experience in risk management or fraud prevention
Proficiency in SQL and scripting languages
Strong analytical skills with a focus on investigative depth
Ability to translate complex findings into actionable strategies
Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams
Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias for measurable impact
Excellent communication skills to influence stakeholders
Responsibilities
Investigate fraud by examining suspicious accounts and transactions
Build durable defenses through repeatable detection signals and product improvements
Shape risk strategy by partnering with Product and Engineering teams
Drive execution by turning findings into clear recommendations
Utilize technical skills to prototype solutions and investigate problems
Monitor fraud trends and defense performance for continuous improvement
Evaluate abuse risks in new products and design safeguards
Benefits
Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
Home office setup allowance and monthly cell phone/internet allowance
Monthly wellness allowance and annual childcare support
Lifetime benefit for family planning expenses
401k with employer match and international pension plans
Paid parental leave with gradual return to work
Full Job Description
Role
Risk Strategists at Whatnot combine data analysis, hands-on investigation, and technical problem-solving to protect our marketplace. You'll dig into how fraud works, translate those insights into durable defenses, and help shape our risk strategy and Product and Engineering roadmap. This role requires both attention to detail and the ability to turn individual findings into broader action.
Investigate fraud at its source. Examine suspicious accounts, transactions, and connected activity to understand fraudsters' modus operandi, the methods, behavioral patterns, coordination tactics, and product or process gaps they exploit.
Build durable defenses. Translate investigative findings into repeatable detection signals, rules, controls, and product improvements that address underlying vulnerabilities rather than individual incidents.
Shape strategy and priorities. Partner with Product, Engineering, Data Science, and Operations to define strategic direction, prioritize opportunities, and develop a roadmap that balances immediate threats with long-term protection.
Drive cross-functional execution. Turn complex findings into clear recommendations, build alignment on tradeoffs, and carry initiatives from problem definition through implementation and iteration.
Stay hands-on and technical. Use SQL, scripting, automation, and AI-assisted development tools to investigate problems and prototype solutions. Where appropriate, contribute lightweight tools and small, well-scoped application features in partnership with Engineering.
Measure and improve outcomes. Monitor emerging fraud trends and defense performance, balancing fraud prevention with false positives, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
Embed protection into new experiences. Evaluate abuse risks in new products, markets, and customer journeys, and help design safeguards before and after launch.
We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in-person time for planning, problem-solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of our New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco hubs.
About You
Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We've found that low ego, a growth mindset, and leaning into action and high impact goes a long way here, but here are a few criteria we're looking for in this role:
Entrepreneurial drive. You proactively identify opportunities, challenge assumptions, and turn ambiguous problems into concrete action. You're resourceful and willing to build, test, and iterate rather than wait for the perfect solution.
Ownership and initiative. You take the driver's seat: establish a direction, bring others along, remove blockers, and maintain momentum. You own outcomes-not just the analysis or recommendation.
Investigative depth. You reconstruct how abuse happens, test competing hypotheses, and connect individual cases to broader patterns. You dig beyond aggregate metrics to understand the underlying behavior.
Strategic and product judgment. You translate detailed findings into durable improvements, make thoughtful tradeoffs, and help determine what the team should prioritize and build next.
Cross-functional influence. You build trust, communicate a clear point of view, and align technical and operational partners. You constructively challenge decisions and drive progress without relying on formal authority.
Hands-on technical ability. You're proficient in SQL and comfortable using scripting, automation, and AI-assisted development tools to investigate problems and build lightweight solutions. You validate outputs and partner with Engineering on production implementation.
A bias for measurable impact. You move from insight to execution, learn quickly from results, and follow through until solutions deliver meaningful improvements-balancing fraud prevention with the experience of legitimate buyers and sellers.
Benefits
Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
Work From Home Support
Home office setup allowance
Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
Care benefits
Monthly allowance for wellness
Annual allowance towards Childcare
Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally
Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
Parental Leave
16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.
Please note: Whatnot will only contact you through official [redacted].com email addresses. If you see an email impersonating a Whatnot recruiter, please disregard and report it as spam.
