Applied Scientist, AI

About this Role

Fanatics Betting and Gaming is seeking an Applied Scientist on our cross-functional Applied AI team that is on a mission to 10x FBG with AI. You’ll be Fanatics’ in-house authority on evaluating and improving the performance, safety, and reliability of large language models and other advanced AI systems, partnering closely with engineers, data scientists, and business leaders to turn cutting-edge research into scalable, production-ready solutions.

Responsibilities:

• Own LLM & NLP evaluation strategy — define success metrics, curate datasets, and implement scalable evaluation pipelines (e.g., ELO ratings, task completion, bias & robustness suites).
• Prototype & compare models — rapidly benchmark open‑source and proprietary models, identify trade‑offs in latency, cost, and quality, and recommend the right model for each use case.
• Advance our tooling — build internal libraries, experiment trackers, and dashboards that enable repeatable, transparent model assessment.
• Collaborate on model optimization — work with ML engineers to fine‑tune, distill, and accelerate models for production workloads.
• Publish & evangelize insights — share findings through tech talks, design docs, and peer‑reviewed artifacts; influence architectural decisions across product teams.
• Contribute to open‑source & standards — represent Fanatics in the broader AI community, submitting pull requests and whitepapers when appropriate.

Skills & Qualifications:

• MS/PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field—or BS with 5+ years of comparable experience
• Deep understanding of NLP, LLM architectures (Transformers, Mixture of Experts), evaluation methodologies, and statistical analysis
• Thrives in ambiguous, green-field settings—comfortable wearing multiple hats and shipping quickly
• Proficient in Python, with experience building distributed training or inference systems (e.g., Tensor Parallel, DeepSpeed, Ray)
• Demonstrated ability to move beyond evaluation and implement model improvements in production code
• Familiarity with MLOps (CI/CD for models, model registries, feature stores) and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to simplify complex technical concepts for non‑experts

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally. 

Launched in 2021, Fanatics Betting and Gaming is the online and retail sports betting subsidiary of Fanatics, a global digital sports platform. The Fanatics Sportsbook is available to 95% of the addressable online sports bettor market in the U.S. Fanatics Casino is currently available online in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Fanatics Betting and Gaming operates twenty-two retail sports betting locations, including the only sportsbook inside an NFL stadium at Northwest Stadium. Fanatics Betting and Gaming is headquartered in New York with offices in Denver, Leeds and Dublin.