Software Engineer (Basketball Operations)

New Orleans Pelicans; Metairie (LA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

401K with employer contributions

Paid parental leave

PTO and paid holidays

Wellness Program

Job summary

The New Orleans Pelicans’ Basketball Operations team seeks a Software Engineer to develop and maintain the basketball data platform, internal web apps, and automated reporting infra. You will support Coaching, Player Personnel/Scouting, Analytics, and Health & Performance with scalable solutions.

You’ll design data workflows, build API layers, and own cloud deployments while collaborating with analytics staff and stakeholders to translate requirements into tools.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of software development in Python/Java/C#.
• 3+ years building and maintaining ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Strong SQL and relational DB design skills.
• Web development with HTML/JS/CSS and modern frontend framework.
• Experience building REST APIs with auth and RBAC.
• Experience with workflow orchestration tools (Airflow/Dagster/Prefect).
• Cloud deployment experience (AWS/GCP/Azure) with CI/CD.
• Version control with Git; able to work independently or in small teams.
• Willing to provide after-hours support and learn new tech quickly.
• Ability to meet aggressive deadlines and multi-task.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain basketball data platform and internal web apps.
• Develop API layer between analytics warehouse and front-end.
• Own deployment, CI/CD, and cloud infrastructure monitoring.
• Prepare datasets and respond to ad-hoc data requests.
• Translate workflows from analytics staff into tools for ops.
• Write clean, documented code with testing and reviews.

Skills

Python

Java

C#

ETL/ELT

SQL

REST APIs

React

Airflow

AWS

Git

Docker

HTML/CSS/JS

Cloud CI/CD

Tools

Airflow

Dagster

Prefect

Docker

Snowflake

Redshift

BigQuery

Job description

Reports To: Director, Basketball Analytics

Direct Reports: None

FLSA Status: Full time salaried, Exempt

Work Location: New Orleans, LA

Our Mission and Your Impact

The New Orleans Saints and Pelicans proudly represent both the NFL and NBA, using our platform to uplift the Gulf Coast and create lasting community impact. Rooted in the vibrant spirit of New Orleans, we celebrate diversity, embrace culture, and unite people through the power of sports. Guided by our core values—community, teamwork, celebrating individuality, people first, integrity, and excellence, we foster an inclusive culture and seek people who share these values to help strengthen the bond between our teams and the city we call home.

Position Summary

The Software Engineer will work within the Pelicans Basketball Operations department, reporting to the Director, Basketball Analytics, and is responsible for the development and maintenance of the basketball data platform, internal web applications, and automated reporting infrastructure used to support Coaching, Player Personnel / Scouting, Basketball Analytics, Player Development, and Health & Performance.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Build and manage the workflow orchestration layer (e.g., Airflow).
• Maintain and extend existing data and analytics infrastructure, including database optimization, website and application development, and automation of reporting structures.
• Design, build, and maintain internal web applications for basketball operations.
• Build and maintain the API layer between the analytics warehouse and front-end applications.
• Own deployment and infrastructure across cloud services, including hosting, CI/CD, environments, monitoring, and secrets management.
• Support basketball analysis work directly, including preparing datasets, servicing ad-hoc data requests, and contributing to analytical projects alongside the analytics staff.
• Partner with analytics staff and basketball stakeholders to translate their workflows into tools.
• Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code, applying testing and code review practices that keep systems maintainable for the group.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

• Minimum of 3 years of software development experience using a language such as: Python, Java, C#, etc.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience building and maintaining ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Experience with SQL and relational databases, including schema design, query optimization, views, and stored procedures.
• Experience in web design / development using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, and a modern front-end framework (e.g., React, Angular, Vue).
• Experience building and consuming REST APIs, including authentication and role-based access control.
• Experience with workflow orchestration tooling (e.g., Airflow, Dagster, Prefect).
• Experience deploying and operating applications on cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), including CI/CD.
• Experience with Git or similar version control software.
• Willing and able to provide after-hours and weekend support.
• Ability to problem solve and learn new technologies quickly.
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively with a small team.
• Ability to multi-task efficiently to meet aggressive deadlines.

Preferred

• Experience with cloud data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift).
• Experience building data quality, freshness, and observability tooling.
• Experience integrating third-party data providers and vendor APIs.
• Experience with containerization (Docker) and infrastructure as code.
• Experience taking ownership of established systems and continuing to build on them as needs evolve.
• Familiarity with R or Python.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

All Candidates Should Have

• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Ability to celebrate individuality and value diverse perspectives
• High integrity and a proactive, solutions-oriented “winning” mindset

What We Offer

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance options
• 401K with employer contributions
• Paid parental leave
• PTO and paid holidays
• Wellness Program

The New Orleans Pelicans are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for candidates and employees regardless of their membership in any protected classifications. The Pelicans will not discriminate in violation of the law on the basis of race, color, age, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and pregnancy), religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, familial status, status as a victim of domestic violence, and/or any other legally protected class under applicable federal, state, or local laws. This anti-discrimination policy applies with respect to all employment decisions, including but not limited to hiring, promotion, discipline, and discharge. The Pelicans are committed to equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in compliance with the Americans Disabilities Act and state law. If you feel you need an accommodation for a disability, please inform us. Requests for accommodation will be evaluated on a case‑by‑case basis. If you request an accommodation, it is essential that you participate fully in the interactive process.