Director, Software Engineering

Company Description

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:
VERSANT, Comcast Corporation’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) planned spin-off, will be a leading independent publicly traded media company comprised of most of NBCUniversal’s cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW:
At VERSANT Media’s Sports & Entertainment Digital Products division, we’re driven by a shared mission: to innovate, create unforgettable experiences, and connect with fans through the power of technology. Our diverse portfolio brings together industry-leading platforms that serve millions of users across the sports and entertainment landscape.

In sports, we empower over 30 million players, coaches, administrators, and fans in 40 countries through more than 25 digital products. These include SportsEngine, the largest youth sports club, league, and team management platform; SportsEngine Play, the first-ever streaming service dedicated to youth and amateur sports; GolfNow, the top online tee time marketplace and golf course operations technology provider; and GolfPass, the ultimate golf membership that delivers exclusive content, tee time benefits, expert instruction, and more.

In entertainment, we reach over 50 million movie and TV fans through our trusted digital brands. Our platforms support every stage of the fan journey – from discovering content to enjoying it on the big screen or at home. Our portfolio includes Fandango, the nation’s leading online movie ticketing service, partnering with more than 31,000 U.S. movie screens; Rotten Tomatoes, the iconic destination for movie and TV reviews; and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), our on-demand streaming service offering more than 250,000 titles, including new releases, next-day TV, and the largest selection of 4K UHD content in the industry.

Together, we’re shaping the future of how people experience the sports they play and the stories they love.

This opportunity is within our Fandango group – a collection of trusted entertainment brands that guide over 50 million movie and TV fans throughout their viewing journey. Whether it’s purchasing tickets to their favorite blockbusters through Fandango, reading trusted reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, or streaming the latest releases at home via Fandango at Home, our platforms help audiences find, watch, and enjoy content with ease. Our team thrives on shaping how people discover and experience entertainment, one screen at a time.

Job Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

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 in 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 automated, VMs to containers, etc

BONUS POINTS FOR:

• Experience with other large entertainment focused platforms, centered around being consumer-facing at a large scale
• Familiarity and hands-on exposure with MCP Servers and highly accessible and available API platforms
• Knowledge of microservices and event-driven architectures at enterprise scale
• Cloud-native, global scaling experience (AWS and their various tool offerings)
• Understanding of the mindset of “Fail Fast, Learn Fast” and continuous improvement

Fully Remote: This role has been designated as fully remote, meaning it is expected to be performed from a non-Versant worksite, typically an employee’s residence. Occasional travel is required and can range from within the country (typical, various times of the year) to global (not typical but still possible).

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.  

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Although you'll be hired as an NBCU employee, your employment and the responsibilities associated with this job likely will transition to Versant in the future. By joining at this pivotal time, you'll be a part of this exciting company as it takes shape.

For LA County and City Residents Only:  NBCUniversal will consider for employment  qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner  consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.