Senior Backend Developer

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

WORK TYPE: Remote

LOCATION DETAILS: Remote, but Indianapolis, IN, Kansas City Area, Memphis, TN, and Dallas, TX preferred

WORK HOURS: Full time, Exempt 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENT: 10% 

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT 

 We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Backend Engineer to join our Varsity Yearbook team. This role requires a proactive individual capable of working independently and collaboratively to deliver high-quality solutions for complex business needs. This is a critical role on our overall Yearbook Technology team.

WHAT YOU WILL DO 

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services using Java and related frameworks (Spring Boot, Hibernate, etc.)
• Build and optimize RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
• Work with AWS services including Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS, and SNS/SQS
• Implement containerization solutions using Docker and Kubernetes on AWS ECS/EKS
• Design and optimize database schemas and query performance
• Collaborate with frontend engineers to integrate user-facing elements with server-side logic
• Implement robust error handling, monitoring, and logging systems
• Participate in code reviews and mentor junior engineers
• Troubleshoot production issues and implement fixes
• Continuously improve our development processes and infrastructure

QUALIFICATIONS 

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

• Minimum of 8 years of professional software development experience
• Strong proficiency in Java and related frameworks (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud)
• Deep understanding of RESTful API design principles
• Extensive experience with AWS services (Lambda, EC2, S3, DynamoDB, RDS)
• Experience with infrastructure as code using CloudFormation, Terraform, or CDK
• Knowledge of containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, AWS CodePipeline)
• Strong understanding of database design and SQL/NoSQL technologies
• Familiarity with serverless architectures
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Experience with Agile/Scrum development methodologies
• Contribution to open-source projects (preferred)
• Experience with performance tuning and optimization (preferred)
• Experience with front-end development technologies, including Angular (preferred)

Education/Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

This job operates in a professional office environment. It is largely a sedentary role, with some filing requiring the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets, and bend or stand on a stool as necessary. The ability to sit or stand for long periods during meetings and while operating office equipment, PCs, laptops, and telephones will be required.   

#LI-TM1 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. Fo