Paranoids Child Safety Investigator

Yahoo; United States; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid work options

Job summary

Yahoo is seeking a Child Safety Investigator to conduct high-priority investigations into child safety violations, including CSAM, and to communicate findings to NCMEC and law enforcement. You will work with Engineering, T&S, and Legal to improve tooling and data quality while applying AI tools to accelerate research.

You will handle open-source research, contextualize abuse networks, and ensure compliant reporting, with strong resilience to sensitive material and a commitment to safeguarding

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in online child safety investigations, Trust & Safety, or a comparable field.
• Experience with Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigations; exposure to dark web research a plus.
• Ability to conduct technical investigations and document findings clearly for law enforcement, legal teams, or intelligence agencies.
• Understanding of child protection laws in the US and abroad, and of data privacy considerations.

Responsibilities

• Conducts in-depth, time-sensitive investigations into child safety violations and reports findings.
• Reviews sensitive content, including CSAM, as part of investigative work.
• Communicates investigation findings clearly through briefs and escalation summaries for NCMEC, law enforcement, and legal teams.
• Conducts open-source and cross-platform research to contextualize actors and abuse networks.
• Analyzes case data to identify threat patterns and contributes to detection and reporting methods.
• Supports investigations across other high-risk harm areas where child safety concerns intersect.
• Develops understanding of Yahoo's products, data systems, and Trust & Safety detection mechanisms.
• Partners with cross-functional teams to improve investigative tooling and workflows.
• Leverages AI tools to accelerate research and draft briefs while applying independent judgment.

Skills

OSINT investigations

AI/LLM tools usage

Investigation reporting

Cross-functional collaboration

Data privacy awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Splunk

Databricks

SQL/MySQL

Hadoop

Python scripting

Job description

Yahoo serves as a trusted guide for hundreds of millions of people globally, helping them achieve their goals online through our portfolio of iconic products. For advertisers, Yahoo Advertising offers omnichannel solutions and powerful data to engage with our brands and deliver results.

A Little About Us

When you impact millions of people every day, you become a large target for adversaries of all types within all layers of the stack. Our job is to keep our users safe and make Yahoo one of the safest places on the Internet. We are the information security team at Yahoo, known as "The Paranoids."

A Lot About You

We're looking for a Child Safety Investigator who is passionate about creating a safe digital environment for minors. You have a strong understanding of child protection laws and digital safety protocols. You possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and address potential threats, while also demonstrating empathy and sensitivity to the complexities of child safety work. You are tech-savvy, with a deep understanding of online platforms, social media, and emerging technologies, and have strong communication skills to collaborate effectively across teams and engage with internal and external stakeholders, including law enforcement, NGOs, and non-profit organizations.

Responsibilities

• Conducts in-depth, time-sensitive, and high-priority investigations into child safety violations, using sound judgment to disrupt, elevate, and report malicious actors
• Reviews sensitive content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), as part of investigative work
• Communicates investigation findings clearly and effectively through written briefs and escalation summaries suitable for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), law enforcement, and legal teams
• Conducts open-source and cross-platform research to contextualize actors and abuse networks
• Analyzes case data to identify emerging child safety threat patterns and contributes to the development of detection, disruption, and reporting methods
• Supports investigations across other high-risk harm areas where child safety concerns intersect
• Develops a strong working understanding of Yahoo's products, internal data systems, and Trust & Safety (T&S) detection and enforcement mechanisms
• Partners with cross-functional teams such as Engineering, T&S, and Legal on initiatives to improve investigative tooling, data quality, and investigative workflows
• Leverages AI tools (e.g., Claude or similar LLMs) to accelerate research, summarize findings, draft investigative briefs and escalation summaries, and build efficiencies into investigative workflows, while applying independent judgment to verify outputs
• Participates in external information and knowledge sharing venues such as Tech Coalition working groups

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of relevant experience in online child safety investigations, Trust & Safety, or a comparable investigative field
• Comfortable reviewing sensitive content, including CSAM, with strong resilience for the emotional and psychological demands of the work
• Working knowledge of NCMEC CyberTipline reporting workflows
• Experience with Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigations; exposure to dark web research a plus
• Ability to conduct technical investigations and document findings clearly in reports suitable for law enforcement, legal teams, or intelligence agencies
• Understanding of child protection laws in the US and abroad, and of data privacy considerations relevant to safety work
• Experience using AI/LLM-based tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, or similar) to support investigative workflows and drive efficiency gains - such as summarizing case data, drafting reports, triaging large volumes of information, or automating repetitive investigative tasks

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with big data technologies such as Splunk, Databricks, SQL/MySQL, or Hadoop
• Experience with Python scripting to gather or analyze data
• Familiarity with encryption, anonymity tools, VPNs, proxy services, and dark web markets
• Experience partnering with engineering teams to improve child safety workflows, detection tooling or data quality

The material job duties and responsibilities of this role include those listed above as well as adhering to Yahoo policies ; exercising sound judgment ; working effectively, safely and inclusively with others ; exhibiting trustworthiness and meeting expectations ; and safeguarding business operations and brand integrity.

At Yahoo, we offer flexible hybrid work options that our employees love! While m