Staff Machine Learning Engineer: Search
$220k - $280k USD
At PrizePicks, we are the fastest-growing sports company in North America, as recognized by Inc. 5000. As the leading platform for Daily Fantasy Sports, we cover a diverse range of sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and Esports titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. Our team of over 550 employees thrives in an inclusive culture that values individuals from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their level of sports fandom. Ready to reimagine the DFS industry together?
As a Staff Data Science Engineer, you will be developing, maintaining, testing, and leading projects regarding global search. You will architect a native Search & Discovery Module powered by our Dataverse Stack. Your goal is to deliver a search experience that is fast (<200ms), smart, and personalized. You will transform Search from a utility into a primary driver of gameplay.
What you’ll do:
- Architect Global Search: Build the foundational architecture for a unified Global Search entry point that creates a "Single Source of Truth" across Players, Teams, and Game Modes.
- Optimize for Speed: Engineer the Prizepicks search stack to achieve <200ms latency targets, evaluating and deciding between Server-side indexing v
- Advanced Retrieval Logic: Implement fuzzy matching, nickname support, and natural language processing (NLP) to handle user queries like "Bron", “lal/LAL/Lakers” or "Rushing Yards" intuitively.
- Dataverse Integration: Partner with Data Engineering to ensure the Search Index is fed by real-time streams of projections, live game states, and social data, ensuring results are never stale.
What you have:
- 5+ years of experience in Machine Learning Engineering , with deep expertise in Information Retrieval (IR) and Search technologies.
- 3+ years of technical leadership, guiding teams through complex architectural migrations and greenfield builds.
- Search Engine Expertise: Familiarity with indexing strategies using technologies like Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Solr, or Vector Databases (Pinecone, Milvus).
- Performance Engineering: A track record of optimizing API response times and database queries for high-throughput, low-latency applications.
- Cloud & Infrastructure: Experience with GCP (Kubernetes, Cloud Functions) and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
What makes you stand out:
- Experience building "Instant Search" or "Type-ahead" features for high-traffic consumer mobile apps.
- Knowledge of mobile-side database technologies (e.g., Realm, SQLite, WatermelonDB) for offline-first or hybrid search architectures.
- Experience integrating GenAI or LLMs to power conversational search interfaces.
Where you’ll live:
- While we prefer candidates based in Atlanta, we are open to qualified applicants from anywhere in the U.S. and are willing to consider remote candidates. #LI-Remote
Working at PrizePicks:
The typical salary range for this position is $220,000 to $280,000. At PrizePicks, we consider your role, level, and where you'll be working when determining our salary ranges. The compensation info you see on our job postings gives you an idea of the starting pay range for the position. Your actual pay within that range will depend on your specific work location, as well as your skills, experience, and education. Your recruiter will be happy to chat more about the specific pay range for your location and how we arrived at it during the hiring process.
This application period will remain open for 30 days. We’re committed to finding the best candidate, so this date may be adjusted, and any changes will be reflected in this posting.
Date Posted: 2/4/2026
1st Extension: 3/4/2026
Benefits you’ll receive:
In addition to your great compensation package, full-time employees will be eligible for the following perks:
- Company-subsidized medical, dental, & vision plans
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Annual bonus
- Flexible PTO to encourage a healthy work/life balance (2 weeks STRONGLY encouraged!)
- Generous paid leave programs, including 16-week paid parental leave and disability benefits
- Workplace flexibility and modern work schedules focused on getting the job done, not hours clocked
- Company-wide in-person events and team outings
- Lifestyle enhancement program
- Company equipment provided (Windows & Mac options)
- Annual performance reviews with opportunities for growth and career development
You must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.
PrizePicks is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.