Senior Manager, Backend Engineering

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.

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking a Senior Manager, Backend Engineering to lead the re-platforming of our core backend services while ensuring uninterrupted operation of existing production systems. This is a hands-on technical leadership role — you will both manage and mentor a team of engineers and serve as the technical lead, driving design and implementation decisions for high-scale, high-availability systems.

The Senior Manager will guide the modernization of APIs and microservices that power transactional video-on-demand (TVOD), electronic sell-through (EST), personalization, search, and payments — while maintaining stability of legacy services that millions of customers rely on today.

Key Responsibilities

• Hands-On Technical Leadership
• Serve as the technical lead for the team, providing direct guidance in:
• Java development and high-performance service design
• Database schema design and distributed data management
• Systems architecture for microservices and API platforms
• Participate in architectural reviews, code reviews, and design discussions to ensure high-quality delivery.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management and other stakeholders to align technical solutions with business goals.
• Re-platforming & Modernization
• Lead the re-architecture and migration of backend services to modern, cloud-native infrastructure.
• Define technical roadmap for evolving legacy systems including Director service, CIS, personalization, search, and payments.
• Balance short-term operational stability with long-term modernization goals.
• Business Continuity & Reliability
• Ensure 24/7 availability and performance of backend services during re-platforming.
• Maintain strict SLAs for latency, uptime, and error rates across millions of users and devices.
• Implement best practices for rollback, parallel runs, and phased cutovers.
• Team Leadership & Development
• Manage, mentor, and grow a high-performing engineering team.
• Drive a culture of resilience, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Establish ownership boundaries between “maintain” and “modernize” workstreams.
• Strategic Impact
• Create KPIs and dashboards to measure re-platforming progress, cost efficiency, and performance gains.
• Align backend evolution with organizational goals across TVOD, AVOD, PPV, and live streaming expansion.
• Influence long-term architectural direction and technology investment decisions.
  
  

Qualifications

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend/software engineering experience with at least 3 years in a management role.
• Proven success leading large-scale re-platforming or modernization initiatives in a production environment.
• Deep hands-on expertise in Java, distributed systems, microservices, and API design.
• Strong experience with database schema design and distributed data management.
• Solid background in systems architecture and cloud-native services.
• Experience balancing “keep the lights on” operations with transformation efforts.
• Familiarity with personalization, search, or payments systems a plus.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• BS/MS in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  
  

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.

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media'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.

For LA County and City Residents Only: VERSANT Media 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.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com.

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.