Principal Engineer

Versant; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k)

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Other discounts and perks

Job summary

VERSANT is seeking a Principal Engineer with a startup mindset to lead modernization, drive platform thinking, and collaborate with senior leaders. The role emphasizes scalable SaaS solutions, cloud-native tech, and mentoring engineers while delivering high-value results.

The ideal candidate has experience in full-stack development, distributed messaging, and modern DevOps practices, with exposure to media or digital platforms a plus.

Qualifications

• Experience with full-stack development across backend, frontend, and cloud infrastructure.
• Familiarity with distributed messaging systems such as Kafka or Kinesis and caching systems like Redis or ElastiCache.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases and data modeling for scalable apps.

Responsibilities

• Architect for Impact: design and lead modernization efforts prioritizing speed, scalability and business value.
• Platform Thinking: evaluate and implement SaaS and low-code/no-code platforms to accelerate delivery.
• Stakeholder Influence: collaborate with business, product and technology leaders to align technical solutions with goals.
• Lean Delivery: embrace rapid prototyping and iterative development with pragmatic decisions.
• Leadership & Mentorship: mentor engineers and foster ownership and continuous learning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: align engineering, product and business teams.
• Leadership: set the technical vision and establish standards for engineering teams.
• Operate to provide high level of customer service and deliver quality.

Skills

Full-stack development

Distributed messaging (Kafka/Kinesis)

Caching (Redis/ElastiCache)

SQL & NoSQL databases

DevOps & CI/CD

Startup environment experience

Media/Entertainment domain experience

Job description

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

We are seeking a Principal Engineer who combines deep technical expertise with a startup mindset and a passion for solving business problems. This role is ideal for someone who can influence stakeholders, lead architectural decisions, and deliver scalable solutions using SaaS, low-code/no-code platforms, and cloud-native technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect for Impact: Design and lead modernization efforts for inherited systems, prioritizing speed, scalability, and business value.
• Platform Thinking: Evaluate and implement SaaS, low-code/no-code platforms to accelerate delivery and reduce custom development.
• Stakeholder Influence: Collaborate with business, product, and technology leaders to align technical solutions with strategic goals.
• Lean Delivery: Embrace rapid prototyping, iterative development, and pragmatic decision-making.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Inspire and mentor engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous learning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Drive alignment across engineering, product, and business teams.
• Leadership: Set the technical vision for the engineering organization, driving excellence and innovation. Collaborate with engineering leadership to establish and implement practices, standards, and a clear direction for engineering teams, ensuring alignment with long-term strategic objectives.
• Operate to provide high level of customer service and delight, ownership, and a high bar for quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with full-stack (backend, frontend, Cloud, Infrastructure) development.
• Familiarity with distributed messaging (Kafka, Kinesis) and caching (example - Redis, ElastiCache).
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Understanding of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Exposure to startup environments or fast-paced product development cycles.
• Experience in media, entertainment, or digital platforms is a plus.

Why Join Versant?

• Be part of a founding team shaping the future of a new tech company.
• Work on high-impact projects with direct visibility to senior leadership.
• Enjoy a culture that values innovation, speed, and purpose-driven engineering.

Additional Requirements: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.
This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [e-mail].

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.