Senior Software Engineer

WeTheHobby; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

WeTheHobby, headquartered in Rochester, NY, seeks a Senior Software Engineer to partner with the SVP of Engineering and shape the future state of the company. You will help decouple a monolith, implement a robust SOA, and drive AI-augmented system design.

This on-site role offers potential remote options for qualified applicants. The ideal candidate combines leadership with deep experience in scalable tech infra, analytics, and AI-driven architecture within a fast-growing entertainment/ecommerce

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience migrating monoliths to microservices/service-oriented architectures.
• Familiarity with livestream commerce platforms and ecommerce/entertainment sectors.
• Strong communication and leadership to influence cross-functional stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Co-architect a SOA with the SVP of Engineering for scalable, observable systems.
• Modernize the architecture by decoupling the legacy monolith into domain-driven services.
• Champion AI tools to accelerate design, refactoring, documentation, and prototyping.
• Eliminate manual spreadsheet processes by building automated digital workflows within the platform.

Skills

SOA design

Microservices

AI tooling

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

React/Typescript

PostgreSQL

Entity Framework

Serilog/Seq

Cursor/Claude/LLMs

Job description

WeTheHobby is a thriving sports entertainment company with global reach, headquartered in Rochester, NY. We value creativity, diversity, innovation, dedication, and our community!

Our work environment includes:

• Modern office setting
• Lively atmosphere
• A team that cares about one another
• Welcoming and inclusive culture

Since our inception in 2021, WeTheHobby has grown dramatically (and profitably) with over 200 full time staff and 750,000+ followers across our social and marketplace channels. We operate at the intersection of entertainment, sports, and eCommerce, revolutionizing the way fans engage with sports cards. If you are an outgoing leader who thrives in sales-driven environments and understands the power of entertainment to drive commerce, this is the role for you!

See us in action on Whatnot: https://www.whatnot.com/user/wethehobby See us in action on Fanatics Live: https://www.fanatics.live/shops/www.fanatics.live/shops/we-the-hobby

Find us on social: @wethehobby (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook)

About the role

WeTheHobby is evolving from a high-growth startup into a mature, event-driven enterprise. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to act as an architectural partner to the SVP of Engineering. Your mission is to help define the blueprint for our future state: decoupling our monolith, eradicating spreadsheet-dependency, and building a "Central Nervous System" that connects our operational tools with our financial truth.

The right candidate is an "AI-Augmented Systems Architect." This isn't a role for someone who wants to sit in a corner and close tickets; it’s for a key thinker who wants to shape the very bones of a company.

We are looking for the right-hand to the SVP of Engineering, someone who will act as a partner that can recognize flaws and fix them on their own rather than waiting for instructions.

This is an on-site role at our flagship facility in the Neighborhood of the Arts in Rochester, NY with the potential for fully remote working for candidates based in New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania

What you'll do

• Co-Architect the Blueprint: Work alongside the SVP of Engineering to design a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that is resilient, observable, and built for 10x scale.
• Modernize & Decouple: Strategically break down the legacy monolith into domain driven services, ensuring zero downtime and high data integrity.
• AI-Accelerated Engineering: Champion the use of AI tools (Cursor, Claude, LLMs) to accelerate design, refactoring, automate documentation, and rapidly prototype new system components.
• Eliminate Manual Friction: Systematically replace manual spreadsheet workflows with robust, automated digital processes that live within our platform.
• Technical Mentorship: Level up the engineering team by setting a high bar for code quality, architectural thinking, and the adoption of modern development tools.

The Tech Stack:

• Frontend: React/Typescript
• Data: PostgreSQL (RDS), Entity Framework, Event-Driven Patterns
• Observability: Structured Logging (Serilog/Seq)
• AI Tooling: Advanced proficiency in Cursor, Claude Code, or LLM-driven architectural design.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Proven experience building, scaling, and optimizing technology infrastructure at a Series B, C, or D startup in the technology, eCommerce, media, entertainment, or streaming sectors, or at another high-growth company.
• Led or played a significant role in migrating a monolithic application architecture to a service oriented or microservices-based architecture.
• Familiarity with Whatnot, Fanatics Live, or similar livestream commerce platforms, as well as the eCommerce, collectibles, media, or entertainment industries.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence cross functional stakeholders and drive technical initiatives.

Compensation is expected to fall between $180,000 - $200,000