Background Adjudicator

Wayne Farms•Oakwood, GA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

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. This 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.

Requirements

1-3 years in background screening, adjudication, compliance, employment law support, or related fields
Demonstrated experience making defensible adjudication decisions based on guidelines/ policies
Experience working in high-volume, hourly hiring environments
Knowledge and understanding of FCRA, EEOC guidance, and multi-state compliance.
Strong judgment and ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
Analytical mindset with ability to interpret complex records.
Familiarity with screening vendors (e.g., HireRight, Sterling) and ATS platforms.
Exposure to DOT vs. non-DOT requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience in manufacturing, food processing, logistics, or similar regulated environments.

Responsibilities

Review criminal, employment, education, MVR, and other screening results.
Apply company adjudication matrix and job-relatedness standards to determine hire eligibility.
Assess risk using 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 full 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.
Monitor regulatory changes and update adjudication standards accordingly.
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: Time to adjudicate, adverse action rates, overturn rates, and candidate disputes.
Advise Talent Acquisition, HR, and Hiring Leaders on adjudication outcome or escalation to legal and risk posture.
Serve as point of contact for complex or sensitive cases.
Partner with Legal on policy interpretation and escalations, ensuring clear, compliant communication during adverse action.
Balance risk mitigation with fair chance hiring principles and brand reputation.