Senior/Lead - Backend Engineer/Data Engineer - AI Engineering

Senior/Lead Backend Engineer and Data Engineer on FICO's Applied AI team, responsible for building scalable backend systems and data pipelines that power AI-driven analytics, decisioning, and automation.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deploy scalable backend services and data pipelines that integrate applied AI into FICO’s analytics and decisioning platform.
• Deliver robust data ingestion, transformation, and storage solutions to support reliable, high-throughput real-time analytics.
• Craft LLM-based solutions for decision automation, fraud investigation, and process automation within the platform.
• Develop advanced prompting strategies and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures for high-stakes applications.
• Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and product teams to build microservices and APIs that enable intelligent, data-driven decisions.
• Optimize distributed architectures and implement real-time processing frameworks to handle large volumes with low latency.
• Implement comprehensive monitoring, testing, and performance optimization to ensure security, reliability, and scalability.
• Define and evolve architectural patterns that scale FICO’s analytics and decisioning solutions.
• Lead and mentor engineers, promoting best practices across software development, data engineering, AI integration, and systems design.

Requirements

• 7+ years of backend or data engineering experience delivering complex, large-scale production systems.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, Java, or equivalent languages with a focus on clean, maintainable, well-tested code.
• Hands-on experience with big data frameworks (Apache Spark, Kafka, Hadoop) and solid knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proven ability to design, build, and operate scalable production-grade backend systems emphasizing reliability and performance.
• Strong background in testing frameworks (including A/B testing), performance optimization, and production observability.
• Demonstrated track record of integrating AI/ML solutions into production systems, including work with Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures and familiarity with vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector) is highly preferred.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills, with ability to mentor engineers, influence technical direction, and collaborate across teams.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree is a plus but not required.

Technologies

• Python, Go, Java
• Apache Spark, Kafka, Hadoop
• AWS, GCP, Azure
• Docker, Kubernetes
• Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector

Benefits

• Inclusive culture aligned with core values: Act Like an Owner, Delight Our Customers, Earn the Respect of Others.
• Impactful work with opportunities for professional growth and ongoing learning.
• Competitive compensation and rewards programs recognizing performance.
• People-first environment with work-life balance, employee resource groups, and social events.
• Base salary range is $140,000 to $220,000, reflecting knowledge, skills, and experience.

Why Join FICO

• Credit Scoring — FICO scores are used by 90 of the top 100 US lenders.
• Fraud Detection and Security — FICO fraud systems protect 4 billion payment cards globally.
• Lending — FICO Score underpins approvals for a large share of US mortgages.