Senior Software Engineer - Data Acquisition team

About Checkr
Checkr is building the data platform to power safe and fair decisions. Over 140,000 companies and millions of people rely on Checkr for AI verification in the moments that matter most: getting a new job, a new place to live, a car ride, childcare, even a date. Customers include Uber, Pennymac, Airbnb, Doordash, Amazon, and Anthropic.

A career at Checkr means collaborating with brilliant minds, disrupting an industry, and opening channels of employment to often overlooked candidates. Checkr is recognized on Forbes Cloud 100 2025 List and is a Y Combinator 2024 Breakthrough Company.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Data Acquisition team. This team is fundamental to Checkr's mission: we design, build, and operate the platforms that power accurate, reliable background check data pipelines, extracting data at scale from hundreds of government and third-party sources.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Data Acquisition team, you will work on high-impact projects that directly support Checkr's core product. You will be a key contributor to the development and evolution of our data platforms, collaborating with engineers across Santiago and the US. If you thrive on complex distributed systems challenges, care deeply about engineering quality, and want your work to directly enable fair hiring decisions for millions of people, we'd love to have you join us.

What you'll do:

• Lead the full development lifecycle for data platform features — from design and architecture through implementation, testing, and production monitoring.
• Design and build new data acquisition platforms in Python, with a focus on reliability, scalability, and observability.
• Participate in architecture decisions, write design documents, and contribute to technical direction for the team's platforms.
• Improve platform visibility through structured logging, metrics, and alerting using Datadog and OpenTelemetry.
• Mentor junior engineers, lead code reviews, and raise the engineering quality bar across the team.
• Work closely with engineers in Chile and the US, contributing to async-first planning and execution.

What you bring:

• Advanced English communication skills — written and verbal.
• Available to work in a hybrid format in Santiago office (12 days per month)
• 5+ years of software engineering experience with a strong backend focus.
• Strong Python skills (or ruby) — you write idiomatic, well-tested, production-grade Python.
• Experience building or maintaining distributed systems, APIs, or data pipelines.
• Experience with containerized deployments — Docker, Kubernetes / EKS.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms — AWS preferred (ECS, SQS, S3, RDS).
• Strong ownership mindset: you participate in on-call rotations and take end-to-end accountability for your services.
• An A-player mindset with a strong bias for action: you raise the bar, move with urgency, stay resilient through ambiguity, and take ownership to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Nice to have: 

• Experience with MongoDB or other NoSQL data stores.
• Understanding of web scraping concepts: HTTP internals, proxy routing, CAPTCHA handling, and bot detection evasion patterns.
• Familiarity with Datadog, structured logging, or OpenTelemetry instrumentation.
• Prior experience with headless browsers (Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium).
• Background in compliance-sensitive or regulated data environments.
• AI-First Mindset: embrace an engineering culture where AI tooling is standard practice; leverage AI-assisted tools and models to amplify your impact.

What We Offer

• A collaborative and fast-moving environment
• Be part of an international company based in the United States
• $3,000 USD per year learning and development reimbursement allowance
• Competitive compensation and opportunity for professional and personal advancement
• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
• Additional vacation benefits of 5 extra days and flexibility to take time off

At Checkr, we believe a hybrid work environment strengthens collaboration, drives innovation, and encourages connection. Our hub locations are Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA; Nashville, TN; and Santiago, Chile. Individuals are expected to work from the office 3+ days a week. In-office perks are provided, such as lunch five times a week, a commuter stipend, and an abundance of snacks and beverages.

Equal Employment Opportunities at Checkr

Checkr is committed to hiring talented and qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds for all of its tech, non-tech, and leadership roles. Checkr believes that the gathering and celebration of unique backgrounds, qualities, and cultures enriches the workplace.   

Checkr also welcomes the opportunity to consider qualified applicants with prior arrest or conviction records. Checkr’s commitment to diversity extends to hiring talented individuals in spite of a prior criminal history in accordance with local, state, and/or federal laws, including the San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance.

*Legitimate Checkr emails will always include our official domain name after the @ symbol (e.g., name@checkr.com or name@ext.checkr.com).