Senior Staff Data Platform Engineer

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform, and they are seeking a Senior Staff Data Platform Engineer to provide technical leadership for the design and execution of their streaming data platform. This role involves owning architectural direction for foundational streaming systems and collaborating with various teams to ensure scalability and reliability of the systems.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the architecture, discovery, design, and implementation of complex streaming systems across multiple domains
• Own and evolve the streaming data platform as a long-lived, reusable capability serving teams across the organization
• Drive strategic technical decisions around architecture, technology selection, and system design with a focus on reliability, cost, and operational sustainability
• Define and evolve shared data models, schemas, and contracts for streaming data that enable consistent use across teams while respecting local autonomy
• Partner with product, platform, and engineering leaders to translate ambiguous business needs into clear technical direction and executable plans
• Establish standards and patterns for building, enriching, and consuming data streams
• Produce clear technical proposals and documentation that communicate system design, trade-offs, and long-term implications
• Represent the team in cross-functional planning, architecture reviews, and strategic initiatives
• Serve as an escalation point for complex technical challenges and high-impact incidents
• Mentor engineers at all levels and set expectations for technical excellence, design quality, and documentation

Requirements:

• 12 + years of experience in data engineering or platform engineering, with demonstrated progression into senior or staff-level technical leadership roles
• Proven experience architecting and operating large-scale streaming platforms
• Strong understanding of distributed systems concepts, including state, ordering, failure modes, and consistency
• Expert-level knowledge of Kafka, including architecture, operations, and the broader ecosystem
• Track record of influencing technical direction across multiple teams or organizations
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments and drive clarity through technical leadership
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting complex technical topics to diverse audiences
• Experience with data governance, security, and compliance considerations at scale
• Experience with infrastructure as code tools; Terraform experience is a plus
• Experience developing in Go is a strong plus