Staff Software Engineer

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join our team and lead the development of scalable, high-impact software systems that power our public-facing applications. This role blends hands-on architecture and coding with technical leadership and is ideal for engineers who love solving challenging problems, mentoring others, and driving outcomes across teams.

You’ll work across the full stack with modern tools and frameworks, designing systems that are performant, maintainable, and aligned with business goals. If you’re a polyglot who thrives in complex environments and loves pushing the boundaries of what web and cloud platforms can do—we want to hear from you.

The Outcomes You’ll Deliver

-Building and enhancing our live streaming platform for high school sports—the leading solution in the industry.

-Play a key role in delivering high-quality, real-time video experiences to millions of viewers nationwide.

In This Role, You Can Expect To

• Architect and Build Systems: Lead the design and implementation of robust systems across monolithic, micro-service, and event-driven architectures.
• Hands-On Full-Stack Development: Write production-grade code across the stack using modern tools and frameworks, delivering business-critical features at scale.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, design, DevOps, and other engineering teams to build end-to-end solutions that delight users and meet tight deadlines.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Guide engineers through architectural decisions, design reviews, and technical best practices.
• Cloud and Infrastructure: Use AWS and infrastructure-as-code tools to ensure systems are scalable, observable, and cost-effective.
• Operate at Scale: Support and improve highly trafficked public-facing applications for reliability, performance, and maintainability.
• Identify and incorporate emerging technologies that improve engineering productivity, scalability, and quality.

To Thrive In This Role, You Have

• 10+ years of full-stack application development experience.
• 5+ years experience with modern front-end JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React, Vue, or Angular).
• Strong understanding of Monolithic, Microservice, and Event-driven architectures.
• Experience building MVC applications and working with both SQL and NoSQL data stores.
• Deep experience with AWS, especially with containers (ECS, EKS) and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or CDK).
• Proficiency in TypeScript or Ruby (Polyglot developers strongly preferred).
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead projects and mentor team members.
• Comfortable delivering under tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated success working on and maintaining high-traffic, public-facing web applications.

(Nice to haves)

• Experience working with OTT (Over-the-Top) streaming platforms.
• Exposure to mobile development (iOS or Android).
• Background in DevOps, CI/CD, or observability practices.
• Contributions to open source or technical writing.

How You Play

• Ownership over Participation- You take responsibility for achieving holistic outcomes, prioritize key objectives, and adapt quickly when situations require a different approach. You follow through even against the toughest challenges.
• Team over Stars- You are a bridge builder, establishing processes and relationships with teams outside your own. You work to rally around common goals, find win-win solutions, compromise when necessary, and help others succeed.
• Growth over Comfort- You are driven by a desire to grow and actively seek opportunities to expand your comfort zone, skills, and confidence. You embrace new challenges with curiosity, accepting discomfort and failure as opportunities to learn.
• Fairness over Popularity- You approach decisions with a scientist’s mindset, challenging your assumptions and remaining objective. You consider long-term impact rather than relying on short-term gains, proactively seek others’ perspectives, and manage emotions in decision-making.

Company Overview

PlayOn is a dynamic growth-stage company dedicated to championing the spirit of play in the high school space. Backed by KKR, our family of brands—including GoFan, NFHS Network, and MaxPreps—empowers schools with innovative solutions and exceptional service. Our fan engagement platform is the only one that offers event ticketing, streaming, fundraising, concessions, merchandise sales, and website management in one place. We save administrators time so they can focus on what truly matters: supporting the students, staff, and fans who bring their programs to life.

Trusted by thousands of schools across the country, we're here to help create more instant replays, hold-your-breath moments, last-minute comebacks, and games you want to watch over and over again.

When being there means everything, we make sure you never miss a moment.

Why you’ll love working at PlayOn

Product, potential, and people. We’re a leader in the high school event space, constantly evolving our product to meet the needs of administrators. We focus on solving real challenges, learning quickly, and creating impactful solutions.

This is a growth-stage company, meaning your contributions have real impact. You’ll have opportunities to grow your skills, tackle meaningful problems, and make a difference in the lives of schools and the students and fans they serve.

Our culture is built on accountability, collaboration, growth, and fairness. We don’t just show up—we show up for each other. Everyone wears the same jersey, and we play hard, make the extra pass, and cheer one another on. Losses teach us, challenges motivate us, and persistence drives us forward. We value integrity over shortcuts, choosing to do what’s right even when it’s hard. Together, we strive to be better every day—because we know that’s how we win as a team.

The Benefits We Offer

Multiple medical insurance plans to choose from

Dental, vision life and disability insurance

Employee Emergency Fund

Company equity (stock options)

Open PTO policy

401K plan with company match

Hybrid/flexible work environment

Note: Must be a full-time employee to participate in the company’s employee health benefit plan. Part-time employees and interns are not eligible to participate.