Sleeper

Sleeper

Staff Software Engineer – Backend

San Francisco · Staff+

Sponsorship not specified$225k-$300kDetected 124 days ago
PythonJavaGoElixirNode.jsDistributed SystemsBackend DevelopmentCode ReviewSQLNoSQLAWSGCPDockerKubernetesGraphQLRESTKafkaRabbitMQLeadershipCommunicationCollaboration

About the role

  • We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer - Backend to help us scale the core systems behind our fantasy sports and DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) offerings.

Responsibilities

  • Design and build core backend systems that power Sleeper's games and real-time user experiences-fantasy contests, Sleeper Picks, user profiles, leaderboards, and more.
  • Lead backend initiatives from concept to deployment, ensuring clean interfaces, well-documented services, and resilient infrastructure.
  • Optimize system performance and proactively address bottlenecks through monitoring, profiling, and capacity planning.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and frontend teams to deliver features that users love.
  • Drive innovation, technical direction, and team culture as a key engineering voice at the leadership level.
  • 7+ years of backend software engineering experience, including experience in staff-level or tech lead roles.
  • Proven ability to design and scale distributed systems that serve millions of users in real-time or gaming environments.
  • Strong product mindset-you care about the why, not just the how, and you build with users in mind.
  • High Ownership - We trust our engineers to make high-leverage decisions and drive meaningful outcomes.

Requirements

  • Strong proficiency in one or more backend languages (e.g., Go, Python, Node.js, Java), and an understanding of trade-offs between them.
  • Deep knowledge of databases (both SQL and NoSQL), caching strategies, and message queues (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, Pub/Sub).
  • Proficiency in Elixir

Nice to have

  • Massive Impact - Your work will touch millions of users and help shape the next generation of sports entertainment.
  • Startup Agility - Move fast, ship often, and see your work in the hands of users quickly.
  • Culture-First Team - We're a team of builders, thinkers, and sports lovers who value humility, collaboration, and having fun along the way.
  • Opportunities for fast career growth in a high-impact role
  • A small, focused team where your contributions truly matter
  • Cloud experience (AWS, GCP, or similar), with familiarity with containers (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes a plus).

Compensation

  • Competitive salary ($225,000–$300,000/year not inclusive of stock options and benefits)

Benefits

  • Competitive salary ($225,000-$300,000/year not inclusive of stock options and benefits)
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Competitive salary plus benefits including Medical, Dental, PTO, 401k.
  • Generous PTO and flexible remote work policy
  • Certain locations in the United States require job postings to include a reasonable estimate of the base salary range and/or a general description of benefits and other compensation applicable to the role.

Equal opportunity

  • Equal Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities.

Visa & Work Authorization

  • and employees without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or any other legally
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This listing is sourced directly from Sleeper's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.