Backend Engineer →

Elite Hockey HQ; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Elite Hockey HQ is seeking a Backend Engineer to design, build, and scale the systems powering our training engine, athlete data, and recovery insights.

You will design and maintain backend services, model data for athlete profiles and readiness metrics, and collaborate with frontend, mobile, and product teams to deliver reliable features. You will optimize performance, implement third‑party integrations, and uphold strong testing and CI/CD practices in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proficient in at least one modern backend language (Node.js, Python, Go, Java, or Ruby).
• Strong understanding of relational and/or NoSQL databases and data modeling.
• Experience building RESTful or GraphQL APIs in production.
• Familiarity with cloud providers (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and CI/CD practices.
• Solid grasp of testing, version control, code review, and system design.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a small, fast-moving team.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs supporting the platform.
• Model and manage data for athlete profiles, readiness metrics, training programs, and content.
• Collaborate with frontend, mobile, and product teams to ship reliable features.
• Optimize database queries, data pipelines, and system performance as usage grows.
• Implement and maintain integrations with third-party services (wearable data providers).
• Monitor, debug, and improve reliability, security, and observability of production systems.

Skills

Backend languages

API design

Data modeling

Cloud infrastructure

CI/CD

Testing

Version control

System design

Collaboration

Tools

RESTful APIs

GraphQL

Job description

Elite Hockey HQ is a training platform that unites adaptive workout programming, skill video libraries, and daily readiness tracking to help hockey players and teams move from planning to game-day execution. We're looking for a Backend Engineer to help build and scale the systems that power our training engine, athlete data, and recovery insights.

What you'll do

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs that support the training platform and its features
• Model and manage data for athlete profiles, readiness metrics, training programs, and skill content
• Collaborate with frontend, mobile, and product teams to ship reliable, well-tested features
• Optimize database queries, data pipelines, and system performance as usage scales
• Implement and maintain integrations with third-party services (such as wearable data providers)
• Monitor, debug, and improve the reliability, security, and observability of production systems

What we're looking for

• Professional experience building backend systems in a modern language such as Node.js, Python, Go, Java, or Ruby
• Strong understanding of relational and/or NoSQL databases, API design, and data modeling
• Experience building and maintaining RESTful or GraphQL APIs in production
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and CI/CD practices
• Solid grasp of software engineering fundamentals: testing, version control, code review, and system design
• Comfortable working collaboratively in a small, fast-moving team

Nice to have

• Experience with wearable or health data integrations (e.g., HRV, sleep, or fitness tracking APIs)
• Experience building AI-assisted or recommendation-driven features
• Interest in or familiarity with hockey or athletic performance training