As a Senior Staff, Distributed Systems Engineer (Kotlin, Java, Kafka required) at Fanatics Betting &amp; Gaming (FBG), you’ll be responsible for powering the rapidly growing Fanatics sportsbook app. In your role youll be recognized as a technical leader, combining strategic thinking with hands-on execution.  Youll 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 <ul> <li>Foster a culture and mindset of well-designed systems, test-driven software, and transparent communication with a high caliber of mutual respect and consideration for stakeholders</li> <li>Design and scale distributed systems using Kotlin, Java, and Spring Boot.</li> <li>Build and optimize data-intensive applications with Postgres, Kafka, and Redis/Redis PubSub.</li> <li>Drive system reliability, scalability, and performance across services and infrastructure.</li> <li>Partner with product and engineering leadership to align technical strategy with business goals.</li> <li>Mentor engineers and set standards for coding, design, and best practices.</li> <li>Actively participate in code reviews, maintain technical documentation, and adhere to best software development practices.</li> </ul> Qualifications <ul> <li>Strong coding skills and solid understanding of algorithms and data structures</li> <li>15+ years of software engineering experience, with expertise in distributed systems.</li> <li>Strong skills in KOTLIN (required), Java, Spring Boot, and modern API design (REST, gRPC, Kotlin, and Protobuf).</li> <li>Deep experience with Kafka and Redis.</li> <li>Hands-on with Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, and cloud-native infrastructure.</li> <li>Proven ability to influence architecture, guide teams, and deliver at scale.</li> <li>Solid understanding of the software development process, including unit testing and release management</li> <li>B.S, M.S. or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent experience</li> </ul><div> 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 &amp; 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.  </div>Launched in 2021, Fanatics Betting and Gaming is the online and retail sports betting subsidiary of Fanatics, a global digital sports platform. The Fanatics Sportsbook is available to 95% of the addressable online sports bettor market in the U.S. Fanatics Casino is currently available online in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Fanatics Betting and Gaming operates twenty-two retail sports betting locations, including the only sportsbook inside an NFL stadium at Northwest Stadium. Fanatics Betting and Gaming is headquartered in New York with offices in Denver, Leeds and Dublin.