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 450 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
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
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.
Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
PrizePicks is the fastest-growing sports company in North America according to the 2022 Inc. 5000 rankings and the largest independent skill-based fantasy sports operator in North America. PrizePicks was also awarded a Best Places to work certification in 2025. The company was recognized as the Fantasy Sports Business of the Year Award by the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association and as the Fantasy/DFS Operator of the Year by EGR North America. PrizePicks is the most fun, fast and simple version of daily fantasy sports, covering a wide variety of sports leagues from the NFL and NBA to esports titles League of Legends & Counter-Strike. Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the PrizePicks workforce has grown to over 150 in the past year, with the company recently being recognized as a Top Workplace by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7085841
Why Work With Us
A great place to work has a team-first mindset that fosters trust, open communication, and a willingness to adapt. It moves quickly with purpose, operates at peak performance, and encourages creativity. Employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to succeed in a positive and inclusive work environment.
We believe in people here at PrizePicks.
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PrizePicks Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
PrizePicks has a workforce made up of a combination of remote, hybrid and on site employees. Most of our Engineering department is fully remote with other teams being on site at our beautiful ATL office.
