Machine Learning Research Engineer - RICOCHET - Central Technology

Job Title: Machine Learning Research Engineer - RICOCHET - Central Technology Requisition ID: R027933 Job Description: Call of Duty is one of the most iconic and successful video game franchises in the world, delivering unforgettable experiences to millions of players every day. At the heart of that experience is fair play , and that is where the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat team comes in. Our mission is to protect the integrity of the online experience, ensuring every player enjoys a level playing field. As a Machine Learning Research Engineer on RICOCHET, you will develop and improve machine learning detections, run experiments and analysis to validate model impact, and partner cross-functionally to help detect, prevent, and respond to cheating across Call of Duty live titles, including Modern Warfare, Black Ops, Warzone, and future franchise releases. Your Mission - RICOCHET The Machine Learning Research Engineer will detect, prevent, and respond to cheating in Activision games using data, ETL, statistics, and machine learning. As a Machine Learning Research Engineer in RICOCHET, you’ll fit into cross functional team that focuses on securing the Call of Duty Franchise from cheating. In your role you’ll develop new detections from the data, improve existing detections, and support the rest of RICOCHET through consultation, data analysis, data engineering, and experimentation. What you bring to the team The responsibilities for this role include: Collaborate on machine learning projects that enhance detection, prevention, and response to cheating. Execute experiments and analysis to validate models and measure their impact on our players. Communicate clearly results, impediments, and the impact of your work to the team and stakeholders. Work with game designers, engineers, and producers to identify new opportunities for anti-cheat initiatives. Stay up to date on the latest advances in the fields of machine learning, anti-cheat technology, and statistical analysis. Learn from experts and take mentorship opportunities across the team. Player Profile Minimum Requirements Master’s degree or equivalent work experience in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field. 3+ years of experience in using data science and machine learning to solve real problems with measurable impact on users and the business. Experience managing large data volumes for production purposes. Experience developing, evaluating, and improving machine learning models in production Competent user of Python and the associated ecosystem of libraries (PySpark, Pandas, XGBoost, PyTorch, etc). Strong understanding of data analysis and experimentation, including strong SQL skills. Experience with supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning techniques to solve real world problems. Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. The ability to learn from senior team members and to contribute to the growth and success of other team members. Extra Points Experience in threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, online research, fraud or anti-cheat investigations, or similar. Experience working with adversarial machine learning, anomaly detection, graph analytics, or behavioral modeling. Experience with machine learning in game security, game development, and anti-cheat software. Video game enthusiasm and understanding of the gameplay mechanics in Warzone. Your Platform Activision Central Tech works to support our development studios and their titles. Comprised of seven main teams, we have many specialties including big data, privacy and security, motion capture and animation pipeline technologies, graphics, build and infrastructure for studio development and data centers, optimization, systems programming and online services including matchmaking and networking. Central Tech is distributed globally with offices across the U.S., and in Canada, England, and Ireland. Most of our teams are comprised of both engineering and research talent, allowing us to always have an eye on the future. Our dedicated engineers help with title development and provide valuable knowledge sharing between studios while our researchers are action-oriented and keep a strong connection with the needs of the game studios. Central Tech is part of Activision. To learn more about us and our research, please visit us at https://research.activision.com/ . Our World At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences. We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization. We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up. Ready to Activate Your Future? We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and s