Director, Software Engineering

At Fanatics Betting & Gaming (FBG), a core division of Fanatics' mission to establish the ultimate end-to-end digital sports platform, we're building a world where every fan's passion is met with cutting-edge experiences. The Director of Engineering role within the Markets team is a cornerstone of this vision. You'll lead a high-impact team of software engineers focused on developing innovative technologies that build next generation experiences for our fans.

This is a true 0*1 role: you'll recruit a small senior team, establish the engineering culture and operating model, and deliver the first production slice of a new platform that powers fan-first experiences across the Fanatics ecosystem. We're intentionally light on product specifics in this posting; details will be shared during the interview process.

Responsibilities

Build the team - Design the hiring plan, stand up the interview loop, attract and close exceptional talent; mentor, level, and grow engineers into leaders.

Define vision & roadmap - Translate business goals into a sequenced plan (V0 experiments * V1 * scale), making clear build-vs-buy decisions and balancing "good enough now" with long-term durability.

Set the technical foundation - Own architecture for cloud-native services (APIs, data flows, CI/CD, IaC, observability). Optimize for developer experience, reusability, and clear SLAs/SLOs from day one.

Ship and iterate - Deliver a thin end-to-end production slice quickly, validate with internal customers, and evolve boundaries as usage grows (e.g., modular monolith * services when it truly pays).

Create the operating system for the team - Establish lightweight processes (design docs, PR reviews, release cadence, incident response), a metrics-driven culture, and a strong bar for quality and speed.

Drive cross-functional alignment - Partner with Product, Design, Data, Operations, Risk/Compliance, and peer engineering teams to ensure fit, reliability, and adoption; communicate clearly with executives.

Champion security, privacy, and reliability - Bake in authN/Z, auditability, and compliance-aware patterns; use progressive delivery and robust monitoring to de-risk launches.

Scale sustainably - Manage strategic tech debt, vendor relationships, and cloud costs; evolve architecture pragmatically as requirements expand.

Model the culture - Foster inclusion, psychological safety, and high ownership; celebrate learning and continuous improvement.

• 6+ years of experience in engineering leadership (including managing managers or multiple teams), with a strong ability to mentor, grow talent, and inspire technical excellence.
• 12+ years of experience in software development
• 3+ years of experience designing cloud-native systems (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Deep understanding of Agile and Scrum, with the agility to adapt in a fast-evolving environment.
• A history of successfully delivering complex, scalable solutions with a focus on customer experience.
• Positive, flexible mindset with a readiness to take on new challenges.
• Strong results orientation, backed by data and outcomes.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and problem-solving abilities., * Degree in Computer Science or similar (or equivalent experience).
• Experience leading distributed or remote teams.
• Passion for sports and/or the sports betting industry.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Data, and Design teams.
• Start-up or high-growth environment experience, with a bias toward rapid learning and iteration.
• Strong team collaboration mindset and passion for working in a supportive, fast-paced environment.