Key skills
Distributed systemsJavaKotlinSpring BootKafkaKubernetesTerraformCloud-native infrastructureTechnical leadershipMentoringProblem-solvingSpringgRPCHelmPostgresRedisCachingLeadership
About this role
Fanatics is a leading global digital sports platform focused on enhancing the fan experience. As a Sr Software Engineer in Distributed Systems, you will lead the design and scaling of distributed systems, ensuring the platform handles massive traffic spikes while fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the design and scaling of distributed systems using Kotlin, Java, and Spring Boot, ensuring the platform can handle massive traffic spikes during live global events
- Build and optimize high-throughput applications using Postgres, Kafka, and Redis/Redis PubSub, prioritizing data integrity and low latency
- Drive performance across services and infrastructure, implementing strategies for backpressure, circuit breaking, and "Exactly-Once" processing
- Partner with product and engineering leadership to align technical strategy with business goals, making "big bet" decisions on build vs. buy
- Foster a mindset of well-designed systems and test-driven development. Lead deep-dive code reviews, maintain technical documentation, and mentor engineers
- Set company-wide standards for observability, schema evolution, and deployment patterns within a cloud-native environment
Requirements:
- 5 plus years of software engineering experience with a primary focus on distributed systems and high-concurrency environments
- Expert-level proficiency in Java or Kotlin, Spring Boot, and modern API design (REST, gRPC, and Protobuf)
- Deep experience with Kafka (or Red Panda/PubSub), including an understanding of internal mechanics, partition strategies, and consumer group rebalancing
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, and cloud-native infrastructure
- Proven ability to diagnose bottlenecks in asynchronous messaging and implement complex architectural patterns like idempotency and distributed caching
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction without direct authority and guide teams through complex architectural transitions
- B.S., M.S., or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent professional experience