[Hiring] Manager, Software Engineering (Back End & Integrations) @Versant

Role Description

We’re looking for a Manager, Software Engineering (Back End & Integrations) to lead a team building and scaling the systems that power our Entertainment platform, including commerce, ticketing, and partner integrations. This role blends hands-on technical leadership with strong people management, ensuring the delivery of reliable, scalable backend services and APIs.

Beyond execution, this role treats backend systems as products in their own right. You and your team will be responsible for designing systems with a forward-looking mindset — anticipating future use cases, enabling flexibility, and reducing the need for constant rework as the business evolves.

You’ll partner closely with Product, SRE, and cross-functional stakeholders to define technical strategy, execute against key initiatives, and continuously improve engineering practices. A core part of your role will be developing talent — coaching engineers, strengthening team capabilities, and fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, and growth.

You’ll also help guide the thoughtful adoption of AI across the engineering lifecycle — identifying where AI tools can improve development velocity, code quality, and operational insights, while ensuring they are used responsibly and aligned to the task at hand.

This role is fully remote, with an expectation of approximately 10% travel for in-person team collaboration, team-building, and key business meetings.

Why This Role Matters:

This role is critical to delivering seamless, scalable experiences across VERSANT’s Entertainment ecosystem. By leading both system design and team development — and treating backend systems as durable, evolving products — you’ll enable the organization to move faster, adapt more easily, and avoid costly rework over time.

What you'll do:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of engineers, with a strong focus on people development, performance management, and career growth.
• Own the design, development, and delivery of backend systems, APIs, and partner integrations, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security.
• Approach backend systems as products, designing for flexibility, extensibility, and long-term maintainability rather than short-term solutions.
• Anticipate future use cases and evolving business needs, reducing rework by building adaptable and well-architected systems.
• Drive cross-functional execution with Product, SRE, and Operations to deliver high-quality solutions and resolve production issues effectively.
• Establish and evolve engineering best practices across code quality, testing, deployment, and system design.
• Oversee API architecture and third-party integrations, including authentication, compliance, and platform scalability.
• Champion the effective use of AI tools across the development lifecycle (e.g., code generation, testing, observability), ensuring they are applied thoughtfully to the right problems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend or full-stack software engineering experience, with 2+ years in an engineering management or technical leadership role.
• Strong foundation in system design, APIs, distributed systems, and modern backend architectures.
• Experience leading teams, including coaching, performance management, and developing engineers over time.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), infrastructure, and deployment practices.
• Proven ability to lead projects end-to-end and collaborate effectively across engineering, product, and operations.
• Experience with data storage technologies (SQL and NoSQL), microservices, and service-oriented architectures.
• Familiarity with third-party integrations, API development, and production troubleshooting.
• Practical experience using AI-powered development tools, with strong judgment on when and how to apply them effectively.
• Experience designing systems with a long-term, product-oriented mindset, balancing immediate delivery needs with scalability, flexibility, and maintainability.

Benefits

• Opportunity to lead impactful systems that power experiences across VERSANT’s Entertainment brands.
• A culture that prioritizes people development, continuous learning, and innovation.
• The ability to shape how modern technologies — including AI — are adopted in a thoughtful, high-impact way.
• Fully remote work environment with intentional in-person connection (~10% travel for team collaboration and key moments that matter).
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

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.