Director, Software Engineering

Company Description

VERSANT is a leading force in news, sports and entertainment - home to iconic and trusted brands that inspire, inform, and delight audiences. Our unique combination of content, technology and services enriches the cultural fabric, igniting passions, sparking conversations, and connecting people to what they love most.

As an independent, publicly traded company, VERSANT brings together powerhouse cable networks - including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Golf Channel - with dynamic digital and direct-to-consumer brands such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. Together, these businesses reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences across every screen and service.

VERSANT is an industry-changing media company fueled by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. With a strong foundation and a forward-looking vision, VERSANT empowers creativity, embraces change, and drives connection in an ever-evolving world.

Job Description

Fandango is seeking a visionary Director of Software Engineering to shape the next chapter of our technology platform, combining the collective years of knowledge from all of our brands (Fandango, Fandango at Home, and Rotten Tomatoes) with the best processes and practices of world. In this role, you’ll lead the strategy and execution of cutting-edge solutions that power our partner-focused and white-label products, driving innovation through an API-first approach.

You’ll guide our teams in building scalable, future-ready platforms designed for growth, providing integration points to integrate with home grown and external AI, large language models, and intelligent agents to redefine how we deliver experiences. This is a chance to set the technical foundation for the next generation of design and architecture, while influencing products used by millions of moviegoers and partners worldwide. If you enjoy solving complex problems, building for scale, and making a measurable impact – we’d love to meet you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Director of Software Engineering on our team, you will:

• Drive innovation across iconic brands: Lead development efforts for a diverse portfolio of product offerings spanning Fandango, Fandango at Home, and Rotten Tomatoes, delivering experiences that reach millions of users
• Own mission-critical integrations: Oversee the design and evolution of internal APIs and external integrations with studios, global partners, industry-leading competitors, and top SaaS providers, ensuring seamless connectivity across the ecosystem
• Architect next-generation solutions: Evaluate and design scalable systems using the latest cloud technologies, balancing trade-offs while collaborating closely with Data Engineering, Front-End, and Back-End teams
• Shape the product roadmap: Partner with Product and business stakeholders to align technology execution with company strategy, ensuring timely, high-impact delivery
• Bridge business and technology: Translate complex business ideas into elegant technical solutions, offering strategic guidance to influence long-term product direction
• Create market-ready platforms: Build API and AI-driven SaaS products designed to scale, serving both internal teams and external clients through powerful distribution channels
• Advance intelligence capabilities: Leverage AI and machine learning to deliver predictive forecasting and insights across all lines of business
• Lead and inspire teams: Provide leadership, mentorship, and direction to engineering managers and senior engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and growth
• Champion security and compliance: Partner with Cybersecurity, Data Governance, Legal, and Privacy teams to ensure products meet the highest standards of trust, safety, and compliance

Qualifications

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with 5+ years in engineering leadership roles
• Strong background in API-first development, integrations, and distributed systems
• Hands-on experience with modern cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Proficiency in Python, C#, Java, Typescript or equivalents with a focus on scalable and maintainable backend development
• Proven success leading multiple engineering teams or ‘managers-of-managers’ in a fast-paced environment 
• Track record of building diverse, inclusive teams and fostering a strong engineering culture
• Experience partnering with cybersecurity, data governance, legal and compliance teams to ensure secure, and compliant product delivery
• Background in SaaS productization (turning internal platforms into external revenue-driving products)
• Change management skills – going from monolith to micro-services, on-premise to cloud, manual to automate