Sleeper is looking to scale its core backend systems to support millions of sports fans and enhance user experience through seamless real-time interactions, secure payments, and personalized content.
Requirements
- 7+ years of backend software engineering experience, including leadership roles such as staff engineer or technical lead
- Proven track record of designing and scaling distributed systems serving millions of users in real-time or gaming environments
- Strong proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Go, Python, Node.js, or Java
- Deep understanding of database technologies (SQL and NoSQL), caching strategies, and message queues like Kafka, RabbitMQ, or Pub/Sub
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful and/or GraphQL APIs, data models, and internal tooling
- Hands-on experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or similar, and familiarity with containers (Docker) and orchestration tools (Kubernetes is a plus)
Responsibilities
- Design and develop core backend systems that support Sleeper’s games, including fantasy contests, user profiles, leaderboards, and real-time features
- Architect scalable, distributed systems capable of handling millions of concurrent users with low latency and high availability
- Lead end-to-end backend initiatives from concept through deployment, ensuring clean interfaces, comprehensive documentation, and resilient infrastructure
- Optimize system performance by monitoring, profiling, and capacity planning to proactively address bottlenecks
- Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including product, design, and frontend engineering to deliver compelling features
- Mentor and review code for engineering team members, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement
- Drive technical innovation, establish best practices, and contribute to the overall technical direction of the backend stack
Other
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a strong product mindset
- Ability to mentor team members and promote engineering best practices
- Bonus: Passion for sports, gaming, or experience building multiplayer or real-time systems
- Preference for candidates located in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, NYC, or the Pacific Northwest.
