Staff Backend Engineer

Fanatics • New York, NY

80d • $144,000 - $282,000

About The Position

As a Staff Backend Engineer at Fanatics Betting & Gaming (FBG), you are the architectural owner of the backend systems that power our iCasino experiences across mobile and web. You combine deep backend expertise with technical leadership-designing scalable, high-performance services and APIs that enable seamless, low-latency mobile experiences. You'll define the technical direction for backend architecture, guide engineers through complex design decisions, and collaborate closely with mobile, KMP, and web (TypeScript/React) teams to deliver cohesive, high-quality experiences. Your leadership balances rapid delivery with long-term platform health, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and innovation across teams. We power the iCasino experiences across the Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino App, Standalone Casino App, and Casino Desktop website, leveraging Kotlin Multiplatform, Spring Boot, Java, React, and TypeScript. Our ambition is to build the top online casino in the U.S.-delivering experiences that are fun, dynamic, and technically world-class.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with deep expertise in Java and Spring Boot.
• Proven ability to design and evolve high-scale, low-latency distributed systems with clear API contracts.
• Strong understanding of web technologies-especially TypeScript and React-with the ability to partner effectively across the full stack.
• Demonstrated experience leading architecture design and technical direction for backend platforms or complex products.
• Deep understanding of performance, scalability, and maintainability tradeoffs in backend systems.
• Skilled at mentoring engineers, driving technical alignment, and influencing cross-team architecture decisions.
• Strong communicator who can articulate technical strategies across engineering, product, and leadership audiences.
• Comfortable in fast-paced environments with a bias toward iteration, learning, and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with AWS or other cloud platforms, including deployment automation and observability tooling (Datadog, Grafana, CloudWatch).
• Familiarity with Kotlin Multiplatform and shared business logic across mobile and web clients.
• Experience with Kubernetes and modern DevOps practices.
• Exposure to event-driven architectures or message streaming systems (Kafka).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives, establish best practices, or modernize legacy systems.
• Passion for developer experience, clean API design, and elegant, maintainable systems.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the backend architecture that powers iCasino experiences across mobile and web, ensuring scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Design and implement distributed systems in Java and Spring Boot, building robust APIs and services that support cross-platform functionality.
• Collaborate with KMP and mobile engineers to shape backend capabilities that deliver consistent, performant experiences across iOS and Android.
• Partner with web engineers working in TypeScript and React to create efficient, well-structured integrations that enhance frontend agility and performance.
• Lead large-scale technical initiatives, from architectural modernization to platform refactors and system integrations.
• Drive backend and API best practices, establishing clear patterns for security, observability, and operational excellence.
• Mentor and coach engineers, developing technical leaders and fostering a growth-oriented, collaborative culture.
• Contribute to cross-functional strategy, aligning technical design with business goals and product priorities.
• Lead architecture reviews, postmortems, and design sessions, ensuring continuous improvement and shared learning.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies, advocating for pragmatic adoption that strengthens our platform.
• Be open to occasional travel to Fanatics offices or industry events for team planning, collaboration, and relationship-building.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance
• 401K
• Paid time off
• GymPass
• Pet Insurance
• Family Care Benefits
• $700 to set up your home office

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Broadcasting and Content Providers
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees