At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and scale backend services for a leading digital sports platform.
- Company: Join Fanatics, a global leader in sports commerce and collectibles.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, remote work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic startup-like environment with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make an impact in the exciting world of sports and livestream commerce.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in software engineering with strong skills in Python, Go, or Java.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
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.
Company Summary
Fanatics Collect is a community-driven livestream commerce platform where fans and collectors participate in creator‑led live shopping experiences centered around trading cards, collectibles, memorabilia, and exclusive drops. The platform combines commerce, content, and community into a unified collector experience supporting millions of fans globally. As part of the broader Fanatics ecosystem, Fanatics Live operates with the agility of a startup while leveraging Fanatics’ global reach, licensing partnerships, and technology platform.
Engineers at Fanatics Collect build highly interactive, real‑time systems that power livestream commerce, marketplace transactions, creator tooling, and collector engagement experiences at scale.
The Role
We are seeking a TP3 Backend Software Engineer to help build and scale the next generation of services powering Fanatics Collect globally. This engineer will contribute to backend systems supporting livestream commerce, real-time purchasing experiences, payments, notifications, inventory orchestration, seller tooling, and platform reliability. This role is ideal for an engineer who can independently deliver well-scoped technical solutions, collaborate across product and infrastructure teams, and contribute to scalable distributed systems in a fast-moving environment.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services and APIs supporting Fanatics Live products and operations
- Develop reliable systems for real-time commerce, livestream interactions, order processing, inventory management, and event-driven workflows
- Contribute to system design discussions and technical planning across multiple engineering initiatives
- Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested production code following engineering best practices
- Partner closely with Product, Mobile, Web, Data, Infrastructure, and Operations teams to deliver customer-facing capabilities
- Optimize application performance, resiliency, observability, and scalability for global traffic patterns
- Participate in incident response, root cause analysis, and operational improvements
- Contribute to continuous improvement of development workflows, deployment pipelines, and engineering standards
- Support technical documentation and knowledge sharing across the organization
- Mentor junior engineers through collaboration, code reviews, and technical guidance
TP3 Expectations
At the TP3 (Journey Engineer) level, engineers are expected to independently resolve increasingly complex technical problems, contribute to team-level technical direction, and operate with minimal oversight while collaborating effectively across teams.
Code-Writing Contribution
This role requires strong hands‑on coding capability. Engineers at this level are expected to independently deliver production-quality backend services, contribute to system design and implementation, and support operational excellence through maintainable, scalable code aligned with TP3 expectations.
Required Qualifications
- 3+ years of professional software engineering experience with backend systems
- Strong proficiency in Python, Go, Java, or similar backend programming languages
- Experience designing and building RESTful APIs and distributed systems
- Strong understanding of relational and NoSQL databases, including schema design and optimization
- Experience with cloud-native development and AWS services
- Familiarity with asynchronous processing, event-driven architectures, and message queues
- Experience with monitoring, logging, and observability tooling
- Understanding of secure software development practices
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting high-scale consumer-facing applications
- Experience with livestreaming, marketplace, e-commerce, or real-time systems
- Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, and infrastructure-as-code tooling
- Exposure to GraphQL, WebSockets, or real-time event platforms
- Passion for sports, collectibles, creator ecosystems, or fan communities
Backend Engineer - Live & Collect in London employer: Fanatics
Fanatics is an excellent employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, particularly for the Remote Senior Software Engineer III role in Leeds. With a strong emphasis on employee growth through mentorship opportunities and a flexible work environment, Fanatics supports both personal and professional development while encouraging team collaboration. The company's commitment to high-performance solutions and cutting-edge technology makes it a rewarding place for engineers looking to make a significant impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Backend Engineer - Live & Collect in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Fanatics or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Fanatics.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Fanatics.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Fanatics that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Backend Engineer - Live & Collect in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Fanatics.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Fanatics and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Fanatics
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Fanatics uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
