Background Adjudicator

Job Summary

The Background Adjudicator owns the adjudication of background screening results across the enterprise ensuring guideline and policy adherence to drive consistent, compliant, and timely hiring decisions. The role assists in protecting the company from legal risk by aligning with Legal, HR, and Talent Acquisition to enable speed to start and a strong candidate experience.

• Adjudication & Decisioning: review criminal, employment, education, MVR, and other screening results; apply company adjudication matrix and job‑relatedness standards to determine hire eligibility.
• Assess risk: evaluate nature of offense, recency, frequency, and role sensitivity in partnership with leaders from HR and Legal departments.
• Make determinations based on guidelines, escalating cases outside guidelines to Legal leadership for determination.

• Ensure compliance with Fair Credit Reporting Act, EEOC guidance, and state/local regulations with guidance from the HR and Legal department.
• Execute pre‑adverse and adverse action processes with accuracy and timeliness.
• Maintain audit‑ready documentation for all decisions and update adjudication standards in response to regulatory changes.

• Meet Service Level Agreements for turnaround time to protect start dates and production continuity.
• Identify process gaps that slow hiring or create risk; suggest fixes and implement when approved.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition Operations to streamline workflows in Workday and screening vendor integrations; track and report key metrics such as time to adjudicate, adverse action rates, overturn rates, and candidate disputes.

• Advise Talent Acquisition, HR, and Hiring Leaders on adjudication outcomes or escalation to legal and risk posture.
• Serve as point of contact for complex or sensitive cases and partner with Legal on policy interpretation.
• Balance risk mitigation with fair chance hiring principles and brand reputation while ensuring clear, compliant communication during adverse action.

• 1–3 years in background screening, adjudication, compliance, employment law support, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience making defensible adjudication decisions based on guidelines and policies.
• Experience in high‑volume, hourly hiring environments.
• Knowledge of FCRA, EEOC guidance, and multi‑state compliance; familiarity with screening vendors (e.g., Hire Right, Sterling) and ATS platforms; exposure to DOT vs. non‑DOT requirements.

Preferred:
Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies, HR, Criminal Justice, or related field.

• Risk assessment and decision quality
• Attention to detail
• Accountability and speed
• Communication and stakeholder influence
• Ethical judgment
• Process discipline

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to typical risks of injury in an office environment. Duties include a typical office setting with extensive computer work, sitting or standing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must adhere to the company’s Code of Conduct and all other policies. Follows all departmental and company safety policies and programs.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wayne‑Sanderson does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender (sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law or executive order. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.