Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Remote

At First Advantage (Nasdaq: FA), people are at the heart of everything we do. From our customers and partners to our greatest advantage — our team members. Operating with empathy and compassion, First Advantage fosters a global inclusive workforce devoted to the diverse voices that make up our talent and products. Our team members empower each other to be their authentic selves and treat all with respect, integrity, and fairness.

Say hello to a rewarding career and come join a leading provider of mission-critical background screening solutions to some of the most recognized Fortune 100 and Global 500 brands.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Scientist to join our dynamic, cross-functional team. You’ll build and optimize AI-driven solutions and data pipelines, working with modern cloud and data technologies to deliver impactful results.

What We Do:

We are on the frontline of recruitment enabling organizations to Hire Smarter. Onboard Faster™ First Advantage is an HR Tech company delivering innovative solutions and insights to enable our clients to manage risk and hire the best talent. Leveraging an advanced technology platform, First Advantage builds fully scalable, configurable screening programs that meet the unique needs of over 33,000 clients. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA and with an internationally distributed workforce spanning 19 countries with about 5,500 employees, First Advantage performs over 93 million screens in over 200 countries and territories annually.

Who You Are:

You are self-motivated and ready to “roll up your sleeves." While you are an independent contributor, you are also collaborative. You can spearhead a project and see it through from start to completion.
As a team player, you navigate cross-functional teams and work well with team members in other business units and departments toward a common goal.
An Innovator — you see gaps in current processes or workflows as an opportunity to improve and try something new.
A lifelong learner and always seeking out opportunities to learn and upskill, you understand the importance of thorough and secure screenings and are interested in the Human Capital sector and the confluence of people, process, and technology.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced AI & ML Engineer to join our dynamic, crossfunctional team. You’ll build and optimize AI-driven solutions and data pipelines, working with modern cloud and data technologies to deliver impactful results.

What You'll Do
Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and APIs using Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, and cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, or GCP, integrating with business systems via REST APIs, SOAP, or event-driven architectures.
• Build, train, and productionize models for entity matching, OCR/NLP extraction, and recommendations.
• Serve models as APIs and workers (Python/FastAPI; Node/TypeScript where needed); optimize latency, throughput, and cost.
• Ensure security, compliance, and data governance.
• Stay current with advancements in AI and machine learning to drive innovation, improve existing solutions, and adapt to evolving technologies.
• Contribute to Scrum-based agile processes, including sprint planning and retrospectives.

What You May Need to be Successful

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in data science, AI, and software engineering.
• Strong programming skills in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Proficiency in SQL for querying and managing relational databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and API development.
• Familiarity with at least one data orchestration or MLOps tool (e.g., Prefect, Data Bricks, Airflow, or Azure Machine Learning Studio).
• Familiarity with virtualization and IaaC tools (e.g, Docker, Bicep/Terraform).
• Experience with LLM APIs (e.g, OpenAI, LLama) and vector search.
• Understanding of machine learning, NLP, OCR, and data processing techniques

Why First Advantage is Your Next Big Career Move

First Advantage is going through a technology transformation! We are looking for experts who are excited to work with advanced technologies and provide best-in-class user experiences, drive the development and deployment of scalable solutions, and smoothly guide our agile teams and clients through meaningful changes as we continue to expand our impact.