Senior Staff Platform Engineer - Core

Fanatics; United States; Remote; USD 220,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Fanatics is seeking a Sr Staff Platform Engineer to join its Platform team in the United States. You will own and lead initiatives across cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes platforms, CI/CD, observability, and internal tooling to empower engineering teams.

You will work with autonomy, guiding architecture and delivery of critical services powering the Fanatics business, while mentoring engineers and shaping the technical direction of the platform.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading and delivering complex cross-team initiatives.
• Track record breaking down complex work into milestones and delivering with agile practices.
• Strong software engineering background with backend development and distributed systems.
• Deep understanding of AWS cloud platform and cloud-native architectures.
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and automation.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines and developer tooling.
• Deep expertise with Kubernetes and container orchestration in production.
• Strong knowledge of observability and improving system reliability.
• Experience with incident management for large-scale systems.
• Proficiency in Go or Python.
• Collaborative communication across teams and ability to influence engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of core platform capabilities across cloud infrastructure and CI/CD tooling.
• Manage end-to-end execution of multi-quarter features and systems from architecture to deployment.
• Partner with other teams to improve reliability, scalability, and performance in cloud-native environments.
• Contribute to incident response and drive improvements in availability and stability.
• Advocate for best practices in software delivery and infra management.
• Mentor engineers and foster a strong engineering culture.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and bring innovative solutions.

Skills

Distributed systems

Agile methodologies

Go or Python

Observability concepts

Communication across teams

Tools

Kubernetes

AWS

Terraform

CloudFormation

CI/CD pipelines

GitHub Actions

Kafka

Cassandra

Job description

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally.

About The Role

We are looking for a Sr Staff Platform Engineer to join our Platform team based in the United States. Our team is responsible for providing engineering teams with the platform and tooling responsible for deploying and running the core critical services that power the entire Fanatics business. You will own and lead complex initiatives across cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes platforms, CI/CD systems, observability, and internal developer tooling.

As a Sr Staff Platform Engineer, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy and serve as the technical lead for our platform team. You operate both strategically and hands-on while leading ambitious projects, and your solutions set the standard and technical direction for the team.

What You’ll Do

• Help drive technical design and delivery of core platform capabilities spanning cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes platforms, Observability, CI/CD systems, and developer tooling
• Lead end-to-end execution of complex, multi-quarter features and systems, from architecture and design through deployment and continuous refinement.
• Partner with other engineering teams to improve reliability, scalability, and performance of services running in cloud-native environments.
• Contribute to incident response and resolution, helping to drive improvements in availability and system stability.
• Advocate for best practices in software delivery, infrastructure management, and operational excellence.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to a strong engineering culture within the team.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, bringing innovative solutions to the team.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience successfully leading and delivering complex cross-team, multi-quarter initiatives.
• Track record of breaking down complex work into clear, achievable milestones and delivering predictably using agile practices.
• Strong software engineering background, with experience in backend development and distributed systems.
• Deep understanding of the AWS cloud platform and cloud-native architectures.
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and automation.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, and developer productivity tooling.
• Deep expertise with Kubernetes and container orchestration in production environments.
• Strong knowledge of observability (logging, metrics, tracing) and experience improving system visibility and reliability.
• Experience with incident management and operational best practices for large-scale systems.
• Proficiency in Go or Python.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams, communicate complex topics clearly, and influence engineering best practices.
• Outcome-driven mindset with a focus on solving real-world engineering challenges.
• A positive, adaptable attitude suited for a fast-moving environment.

Nice To Have

• Experience scaling services globally
• FinOps or cloud cost management experience
• Regulated or high-availability environment experience
• Experience with Java or Kotlin
• Familiarity with GitHub Actions
• Experience with Kafka and Cassandra

Why Join Us?

• Work on high-impact platform engineering challenges at scale.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers who value technical excellence and innovation.
• Play a key role in shaping the developer experience and operational foundations of Fan Ecosystem.
• Join a culture that encourages learning, growth, and technical leadership.

Depending on the role, your interview and onboarding experience may include in-person components, such as onsite interviews or Launching into Better: LIVE—a multi-day cultural immersion in New York City for full-time, non-seasonal hires. These sessions are designed to build connection and bring our culture to life, though specific travel and participation requirements will be confirmed based on your role and location. Your recruiter will provide clear guidance at each stage of the process.

Ranges will change based on country and state of residence, which are reflected in Geographical Zones defined by Fanatics Betting and Gaming. The range incorporates all of our Geographical Compensation Zones and is subject to change as the Zone associated with the actual offer is confirmed. In addition to the base and bonus, full-time employment, and more. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

Salary Range

$220,000 - $275,000 USD

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Fanatics Betting & Gaming’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.