Own the future of sports fan discovery at Fanatics! As the Sr. Director of Engineering for Find & Discover, you'll lead a talented team in building and optimizing features that elevate the customer experience on the Fanatics family of 900+ websites, including nflshop.com, mlbshop.com, and store.nba.com. Fanatics is the undisputed leader in licensed sports merchandise. You'll be the driving force behind innovative search and navigation solutions, unlocking powerful fan journeys and fueling our continued growth.
The expected salary range for this role is $200,000 - $330,000. This is based on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This role is also eligible for the Fanatics Commerce annual bonus program and an equity award. This salary range is listed in USD and will be determined in part by a successful candidate’s geographic location.
What You'll Do
Architect and implement the strategic vision for Fanatics.com's search and browse systems, ensuring a seamless and intuitive customer experience.
Design and build scalable front-end features like search bars, filters, category pages, and product listings that empower customers.
Champion the evolution of our facet navigation, creating robust solutions that enable fans to rapidly discover the gear they crave.
Lead a high-performing team of engineers, architecting our search backend infrastructure – from indexing and ranking algorithms to data pipelines and caching strategies.
Collaborate closely with UX, product management, platform, infrastructure, and cloud teams to translate user needs into technical solutions, ensuring scalability, performance, and reliability.
Pioneer the use of cutting-edge search technologies like ranking, semantic search, NLP, embeddings, and vector search to deliver unparalleled relevance and personalization.
Drive measurable improvements through A/B testing and rigorous data analysis, relentlessly optimizing search and browse experiences for engagement and conversion.
Build and empower a high-achieving team, setting ambitious OKRs and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Partner with QA to guarantee the highest quality standards for all search and browse features.
What You Bring
12+ years of proven software engineering leadership, with a track record of building and guiding successful teams.
In-depth expertise in search technologies, including ranking algorithms, relevance models, and performance optimization.
Hands-on experience architecting and developing search backends, ideally leading teams of architects, data scientists, and infrastructure engineers.
Solid understanding of cloud platforms and infrastructure, with a history of collaborating effectively with these teams.
Passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences and innovative search solutions that delight fans.
Proven leadership skills, inspiring, motivating, and developing a team of top-tier engineers.
Data-driven mindset, focused on continuous improvement through A/B testing and experimentation.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, enabling effective cross-functional partnerships.
Bonus Points If You Have
Experience in the e-commerce domain.
Familiarity with machine learning techniques for search and recommendation systems.
A genuine passion for fan culture and a deep understanding of their search and discovery needs.
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.
Organization
Fanatics Commerce is a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods. It operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for leading sports leagues, teams, colleges, and associations globally – as well as its flagship site, www.fanatics.com.
Fanatics Commerce has a broad range of online, sports venue, and vertical apparel partnerships worldwide, including comprehensive partnerships with leading leagues, teams, colleges, and sports organizations across the world—including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1, and Australian Football League (AFL); the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Tokyo Giants; the University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and University of Texas; the International Olympic Committee (IOC), England Rugby, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Seniority level
Mid-Senior level
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Management and Manufacturing
Industries
Technology, Information and Internet
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