--- title: 'Staff Engineer - Backend/Kotlin (REMOTE) at Fanatics Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-backend-kotlin-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-f05pcpw0ccnm' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-16' --- # Staff Engineer - Backend/Kotlin (REMOTE) at Fanatics Inc. - **Company:** Fanatics Inc. - **Location:** New York, NY - **Compensation:** $144k–$235k - **Posted:** 2026-10-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fanaticsinc/jobs/4435932009 ## Job description ## About Us 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. ## Overview As a Backend Staff Engineer at Fanatics Core, you are a recognized technical leader. You operate both strategically and hands-on while leading ambitious projects, and your solutions set the standard for the team. Your bold decisions balance immediate business needs with long-term technical excellence. Through your leadership, you cultivate a culture of excellence and innovation that leaves a lasting impact on both your immediate team and the broader mobile team. Lastly, you are user-obsessed and know how to drive features from the backend all the way to the frontend. We own the Fanatics App, the mobile app at  Fanatics that encompasses elements from  all of our different brands and businesses. The Fanatics App brings together Free to Play games, live events, ecommerce, and new product experiences to deliver a best-in-class  Sports platform. Fundamentally, we are one team in everything we do, from the user experience to coding and architecture. We aim to deliver on our Customer Promise by delighting our millions of monthly active users. ## Responsibilities - Drive the development, testing, documentation, and deployment of high-quality, scalable software into production - Develop a comprehensive understanding of the industry, product, and roadmap, leveraging this knowledge to shape team strategy and influence the direction of the organization - Lead the end-to-end technical execution of complex features and systems, from ideation and architecture to deployment and refinement - Define and enforce engineering principles, guidelines, and best practices - Partner closely with product, design, and other stakeholders to make high-impact technical decisions that align with both business goals and long-term scalability - Lead incident resolution as part of the on-call rotation, ensuring swift diagnosis and remediation of critical software issues - Proactively identify and remove roadblocks, occasionally collaborating cross-team collaboration to maintain momentum on complex projects - Conduct and elevate code reviews, sharing expertise to enhance code quality - Steer team planning and design discussions, introducing innovative approaches to solve technical challenges and optimize design patterns - Champion improvements to software quality, testability, operational metrics, and team documentation, setting a higher standard for the organization - Mentor and coach engineers at all levels, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth across the team - Be open to occasional travel to Fanatics offices and other locations for conferences, events, meetings, and team-building activities Required Qualifications - 7+ years of experience building highly scalable, performant and evolvable backend distributed systems; proficiency in Spring with Kotlin and/or Java is a plus. - Demonstrated ability to drive best practices in backend development and mentor others in effective coding and architectural strategies, such as clean code, hexagonal/layered architectures, domain driven design and other design and architectural patterns - Knowledge of observability practices, including logging, monitoring, and tracing in distributed systems. - Expertise in Agile software delivery, with a track record of modeling and driving process improvements across teams, and ability to collaborate cross-functionally across diverse teams within large enterprise environments, driving alignment and shared success. - Excellent communication skills, capable of conveying complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to diverse audiences, including engineers, executives, and non-technical stakeholders. - Team-first mentality, with a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done and a desire to strive for better. - Thrives in a high-growth environment where priorities evolve regularly and decisions are made quickly. ## Preferred Qualifications - Strong Experience in the sports industry, gaming and content delivery - Highly effective with Kotlin, Java and/or Go - Expertise in messaging technologies such as Kafka or Amazon SQS, with a solid understanding of event-driven architectures. - Comfortable working with Cloud Native and Infrastructure as Code, like Kubernetes, Helm and Terraform - Ability to work in diverse codebases, both legacy and greenfield, in different languages and environments If you possess some of these qualifications but not all of them, we still encourage you to apply! ## #LI-AC2 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 $144,000—$235,000 USD By submitting your application, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our [Candidate Privacy Policy.](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff494b9931735466ce28d5b/t/69de53bde2c02c25e9c38758/1776178110037/Candidate+Privacy+Policy+April+2026.pdf) Fanatics will never ask candidates for money, banking information, or other sensitive personal information as part of the interview process. If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Fanatics recruiting, please do not respond and report it here. ## About Fanatics Inc. ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Fanatics is a leading global digital sports platform that enables fans to buy, bet, collect, and engage with their favorite teams, players, and moments through a unified ecosystem of commerce, collectibles, gaming, events, and media. - **Entity Type**: Private (multiple funding rounds; last disclosed valuation of $31 billion in 2022 – not confirmed in provided sources) - **Headquarters**: Jacksonville, Florida, USA (with major offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and over 80 global locations) [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/careers) - **Founded**: Not publicly available in provided sources - **Founders**: Michael Rubin [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Licensed sports merchandise, digital collectibles, sports betting & iGaming, live events, prediction markets, advertising, and content production. - **Target Customers**: B2C (sports fans globally), B2B (leagues, teams, players’ associations, colleges, retail partners). Serves over 100 million fans and partners with 900+ sports properties and 6,000+ athletes/celebrities. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Mission Statement**: “Relentlessly enhancing the fan experience.” [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) ## Products & Services - **Fanatics Commerce**: Design, manufacture, and retail licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle apparel, headwear, and hardgoods across digital and physical channels (2,000+ retail locations including Lids). [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Collectibles**: Physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and digital assets (e.g., NFTs) for sports and entertainment properties. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Betting & Gaming**: Online sportsbook, iGaming (casino), and prediction market platforms for real-money wagering. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Markets**: A prediction markets platform allowing fans to forecast real-world sports, cultural, economic, and political events. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Fest**: Large-scale sports and collector fan events (live experiences). [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Advertising**: A sports media platform connecting brands with 100M+ fans through onsite and offsite media solutions. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Credit Card**: Co-branded credit card offering rewards tied to the Fanatics ecosystem. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics Studios**: A joint venture with OBB Media producing premium sports entertainment content. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) - **Fanatics ONE**: Loyalty program uniting all Fanatics experiences. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed in provided sources (privately held; last reported valuation ~$31B in 2022) - **Key Metric**: Over 100 million fans reached; 22,000+ employees (15,000+ full-time, 7,000 part-time/contractor); partnerships with 900+ sports properties and 6,000+ athletes. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) | [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NWSL), players’ associations, Mitchell & Ness, Lids, Boardroom (Kevin Durant), OBB Media. Investment history includes funds from Silver Lake, SoftBank, Fidelity, and others (not detailed in provided sources). - **Growth Signals**: Rapid expansion into sports betting, iGaming, prediction markets, credit card services, advertising, and media production; launch of Fanatics Markets (prediction platform); growing loyalty program (Fanatics ONE); continuous retail footprint (2,000+ stores). [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) ## Competitive Advantages - **Vertical Integration**: End-to-end control from product design and manufacturing to retail, digital platforms, and real-money gaming, creating a seamless fan experience. - **Exclusive Licensing**: Deep, long-term partnerships with all major U.S. sports leagues, top player associations, and major colleges – barriers for competitors. - **Massive Scale**: 100M+ fan reach, 22,000 employees, 2,000+ retail locations (including Lids), and global supply chain provide unmatched distribution and data. - **Data-Driven Ecosystem**: Cross-platform data allows personalized offers, loyalty rewards, and targeted advertising across commerce, betting, and collectibles. - **Diversified Revenue Streams**: Commerce, collectibles, betting, events, advertising, and financial services reduce reliance on any single segment. ## Strategic Focus - **Integrated Ecosystem**: Connecting all fan touchpoints (buy, bet, collect, engage) to maximize lifetime value and reduce churn. - **Technology Innovation**: Investing in AI, prediction markets, digital collectibles (blockchain), and real-time personalization. - **Expansion into Financial Services**: Launching co-branded credit cards and financial products to deepen fan loyalty. - **Global Growth**: Extending partnerships and operations internationally (80+ offices globally). - **Media & Content**: Scaling Fanatics Studios to produce premium sports entertainment and leveraging advertising as a revenue engine. [fanaticsinc.com](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) ## Why Work Here - **High-Performance Culture**: Fanatics emphasizes speed, intensity, and a “relentless” work ethic. The company seeks “high performers” who thrive in a fast-paced, no-offseason environment. [fanaticsinc.com/careers](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/careers) - **Competitive Compensation**: Competitive pay, bonuses, equity (where eligible), robust 401(k) matching, student loan assistance, tuition reimbursement, and merchandise discounts. [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) - **Work-Life Balance Benefits**: Unlimited discretionary time-off, generous maternity/paternity leave, flexible schedules, remote/hybrid options available for certain roles (e.g., Privacy & Product Counsel REMOTE). [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) | [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fanaticsinc) - **Wellness & Health**: Comprehensive health coverage, mental health services, Wellhub (Gympass) access, fertility and adoption assistance, gender affirmation care. - **Talent Development**: Fanatics University (FanU) for learning, mentoring, leadership coaching, and inclusive leadership programs for emerging female leaders. [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) - **Diversity & Inclusion**: Strong focus on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Allyship (IDEA); employee-led FANs groups (AAPI, Black, PRIDE, Veterans, Women’s). 43% of US director+ are female; 45% ethnically diverse. [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) - **Awards**: Forbes America’s Dream Employers 2025, Fast Company 50 Most Innovative Companies, Front Office Sports Best Employer in Sports, Sports Business Journal Most Influential (Michael Rubin). [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent) - **Office/Remote Policy**: Hybrid for many roles; some fully remote positions available. Over 80 offices globally including US hubs in Jacksonville, New York, Los Angeles, Tampa, and international in London, Hyderabad, Paris, Manchester. [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/fanaticsinc) | [fanaticsinc.com/careers](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/careers) ## Sources 1. [fanaticsinc.com – Main About Page](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/) 2. [fanaticsinc.com/careers – Careers Page](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/careers) 3. [fanaticsinc.com/culture-talent – Culture & Talent Page](https://www.fanaticsinc.com/culture-tal _…truncated._ ## Other roles at Fanatics Inc. - [Intern - NCAA GM](https://feeny.ai/job/intern-ncaa-gm-fanatics-inc-jacksonville-gzb71kpajxd3) — Jacksonville, FL / Norman OK, United States / Tampa, FL - [Senior Software Engineering Manager (REMOTE)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineering-manager-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-vpx1g9jv9kq8) — New York, NY - [Staff Engineer - Mobile/Kotlin (REMOTE)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-engineer-mobile-kotlin-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-m5ar6jvc07v0) — New York, NY - [Senior Staff Engineer - Mobile/Kotlin (REMOTE)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-engineer-mobile-kotlin-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-13crsfnshp0s) — New York, NY - [Senior Software Engineer - Backend/Kotlin (REMOTE)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-backend-kotlin-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-dcdacsdnk29c) — New York, NY - [Software Engineering Manager (REMOTE)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineering-manager-remote-fanatics-inc-new-york-1d940pg33hzw) — New York, NY - [Director, Experiential Partnerships - Fanatics Events](https://feeny.ai/job/director-experiential-partnerships-fanatics-events-fanatics-inc-new-york-034dah74ns65) — New York, NY - [Director, Operations - Fanatics Events](https://feeny.ai/job/director-operations-fanatics-events-fanatics-inc-new-york-rgb986ttzznh) — New York, NY - [Manager, Operations - Fanatics Events](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-operations-fanatics-events-fanatics-inc-new-york-q2g983qs02qq) — New York, NY - [Director, Government Relations (APAC)](https://feeny.ai/job/director-government-relations-apac-fanatics-inc-hong-kong-56x6qm8hwsn7) — Hong Kong, China / Tokyo, Japan