Sr Software Engineer, Distributed Systems - Fanatics Markets

About Fanatics Markets

Fanatics Markets is the real-money prediction and trading app where you can invest in moments you care about. Built on a secure platform, we let users predict real-world outcomes and trade on events they actually follow - from sports and entertainment to political elections and beyond. Our mission is to redefine how fans engage with the moments and markets that matter most. We're looking for the right people to help us build the future of prediction markets.

As a Sr Software Engineer, Distributed Systems, you’ll be responsible for powering the rapidly growing Fanatics Markets app. In your role you'll be recognized as a technical leader, combining strategic thinking with hands-on execution. 

You'll lead ambitious projects, setting the standard for your team through innovative solutions. Your bold decisions will strike the right balance between addressing immediate business needs and ensuring long-term technical excellence. Through your leadership, you’ll foster a culture of excellence and innovation, leaving a lasting impact on both your immediate team and the broader mobile development community.

In this role you will lead the design and scaling of our distributed systems. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of hands-on coding, architecture, and technical leadership, and who can influence engineering direction while mentoring others.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and scaling of distributed systems using Kotlin, Java, and Spring Boot, ensuring the platform can handle massive traffic spikes during live global events.
• Build and optimize high-throughput applications using Postgres, Kafka, and Redis/Redis PubSub, prioritizing data integrity and low latency.
• Drive performance across services and infrastructure, implementing strategies for backpressure, circuit breaking, and "Exactly-Once" processing.
• Partner with product and engineering leadership to align technical strategy with business goals, making "big bet" decisions on build vs. buy.
• Foster a mindset of well-designed systems and test-driven development. Lead deep-dive code reviews, maintain technical documentation, and mentor engineers.
• Set company-wide standards for observability, schema evolution, and deployment patterns within a cloud-native environment.

Qualifications

• 5 plus years of software engineering experience with a primary focus on distributed systems and high-concurrency environments.
• Expert-level proficiency in Java or Kotlin, Spring Boot, and modern API design (REST, gRPC, and Protobuf).
• Deep experience with Kafka (or Red Panda/PubSub), including an understanding of internal mechanics, partition strategies, and consumer group rebalancing.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, and cloud-native infrastructure.
• Proven ability to diagnose bottlenecks in asynchronous messaging and implement complex architectural patterns like idempotency and distributed caching.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction without direct authority and guide teams through complex architectural transitions.
• B.S., M.S., or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent professional experience.

Salary Range: $152,000-$200,000 USD per year

The base salary for this role is based on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience and may vary depending on the successful candidate’s geographic location. Remote employees may also be eligible for a home office setup stipend. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

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.