Fanatics

Staff Platform Engineer, Data Storage - Core

Fanatics$172K — $216K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of experience in platform, infrastructure, or database engineering with PostgreSQL (RDS) at scale.
  • Strong experience with Kafka (MSK or self-managed) in production environments.
  • Proficient in SQL for diagnosing query performance issues and schema reviews.
  • Expertise in Infrastructure as Code with Terraform.
  • Ability to manage the reliability of production databases across multiple teams.
  • Excellent cross-team communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

  • Own and manage production PostgreSQL/RDS instances, including performance tuning and incident triage.
  • Operate the Kafka/MSK streaming platform, managing topic lifecycles and monitoring cluster health.
  • Develop self-service tools for product teams to provision resources independently.
  • Lead platform stability projects addressing upgrades and operational issues.
  • Serve as the technical escalation point for incidents related to shared data infrastructure.
  • Participate in cross-organizational infrastructure initiatives and standardization efforts.
  • Mentor junior engineers and engage in on-call support.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance options for employees and dependents.
  • Generous paid time off policy, including vacation days and holidays.
  • Opportunities for professional development and growth.
  • Flexible work arrangements, accommodating remote work as needed.
  • Access to various wellness and employee assistance programs.
Full Job Description
About the Role

Fanatics Betting & Gaming (FBG) is seeking a Staff Platform Storage Engineer to join our Platform Storage team, based in the United States. This role owns a critical slice of our data infrastructure - including a portfolio of production PostgreSQL databases and our Kafka/MSK streaming platform - and acts as the embedded platform liaison for the product teams built on top of them.

As a Staff Engineer, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, leading complex database and streaming infrastructure initiatives, setting standards for reliability and performance, and acting as the go-to technical resource for schema design, query performance, and incident response across the teams you support.

Responsibilities
  • Own database liaison responsibility for a portfolio of production PostgreSQL/RDS instances - query review, schema change approval, performance tuning, and incident triage for the teams built on top of them.
  • Operate and evolve our Kafka/MSK streaming platform: topic lifecycle management via GitOps, cluster health across environments, and CDC (Debezium) pipeline reliability.
  • Build and maintain self-service tooling that lets product teams provision database and streaming resources without a manual ticket queue.
  • Drive platform stability projects - operator/version upgrades, root-cause fixes for recurring operational issues, and proactive capacity/cost optimization across the database and streaming fleet.
  • Act as the technical escalation point for cross-team incidents where the root cause traces back to shared data infrastructure (replication lag, connection exhaustion, CPU/throughput issues).
  • Represent Platform Storage in cross-org infrastructure initiatives and standardization efforts.
  • Mentor engineers and participate in on-call rotations.

What You Bring
  • 8+ years of experience in platform, infrastructure, or database engineering, with deep hands-on production experience running PostgreSQL (RDS) at scale.
  • Strong experience operating Kafka (MSK or self-managed) in production, including topic management and CDC/event-streaming pipelines.
  • Strong SQL fluency - comfortable diagnosing query performance issues and reviewing schema changes for teams you don't sit inside of.
  • Infrastructure as Code expertise (Terraform).
  • Experience owning production database reliability across multiple downstream teams simultaneously - able to prioritize across a portfolio, not just one system.
  • Strong cross-team communicator; this role is equal parts infrastructure engineering and technical partnership with the teams you support.

Nice to Have
  • Experience with GitOps-managed Kubernetes operators (Strimzi or equivalent) for stream infrastructure.
  • MongoDB or DynamoDB operational experience.
  • Experience with pgbouncer, connection pooling, and query-level performance diagnostics.
  • Prior work on platform cost optimization initiatives at multi-cluster scale.
  • Exposure to regulated or high-availability environments (gaming, fintech, or similar).

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.

For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

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

$172,800-$216,000 USD

About Fanatics

Fanatics is a leading retailer of licensed sports merchandise. The company was founded in 1995 and has grown to become the largest online retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise in the world. Fanatics offers a wide range of products, including jerseys, hats, and other apparel, as well as collectibles and memorabilia. The company has partnerships with all major sports leagues and teams, as well as with individual athletes. Fanatics is committed to providing a seamless shopping experience for its customers and has invested heavily in technology and logistics to ensure fast and reliable delivery.
Learn more about Fanatics
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1995

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