Principal Engineer - Backend/Data Engineer - AI Engineering

FICO (NYSE: FICO) is a leading global analytics software company, helping businesses in 100+ countries make better decisions. Join our world-class team today and fulfill your career potential!

The Opportunity

“As a Principal Backend & Data Engineer on our newly formed Applied AI team, you will be at the forefront of integrating robust data engineering with next-generation AI capabilities. You will design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems and data pipelines that power critical functions across our platform—from fraud investigation and decision automation to process flow optimization. In this role, you will ensure high data quality, system reliability, and stringent governance for all AI-driven initiatives, making a lasting impact on FICO’s innovative platform. Collaborate with a dedicated team and drive innovation through your deep expertise in backend and data engineering” - VP.AI Engineering 

What You’ll Contribute

• Design and deploy robust backend systems and data pipelines that integrate applied AI capabilities seamlessly into FICO’s analytics and decision management platform.

• Build state-of-the-art solutions for data ingestion, transformation, and storage, ensuring high-quality data flow for real-time analytics.

• Design and implement cutting-edge LLM-powered solutions for decision automation, fraud investigation, and process automation within FICO’s platform.

• Develop sophisticated prompting strategies and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures tailored to high-stakes applications.

• Work closely with data scientists, ML engineers, and product teams to develop microservices and APIs that enable data-driven decision-making.

• Optimize distributed architectures and implement real-time processing frameworks to support high-volume, low-latency applications.

• Implement advanced monitoring, testing, and performance optimization techniques to guarantee system reliability, security, and scalability.

• Design scalable architectures that support FICO’s analytics and decisioning solutions.

• Lead and mentor engineering teams, promoting best practices in software development, data engineering, and systems design. 

What We’re Seeking

• In-depth experience in backend or data engineering with a demonstrated history of managing complex, large-scale projects.

• Strong coding skills in Python, Go, Java, or similar languages.

• Experience with big data frameworks (e.g., Apache Spark, Kafka, Hadoop) and a deep understanding of relational and NoSQL databases.

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes) is highly preferred.

• Proven ability to design and implement scalable, production-quality backend systems and write production-quality Code.

• Experience with A/B testing frameworks and a solid foundation in performance optimization and system monitoring.

• Exposure to integrating AI/ML solutions, including familiarity with modern Large Language Models (LLMs) and related techniques, is a plus.

• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures and familiarity with vector databases preferred.

• Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to mentor teams and collaborate effectively across departments.

• Bachelor's/Master's in computer science, or a related field or relevant experience.

Our Offer to You

• An inclusive culture strongly reflecting our core values:  Act Like an Owner, Delight Our Customers and Earn the Respect of Others.

• The opportunity to make an impact and develop professionally by leveraging your unique strengths and participating in valuable learning experiences.

• Highly competitive compensation, benefits and rewards programs that encourage you to bring you