Director, Software Engineering - National Hockey League (NHL) : Job Details

The NHL is seeking an experienced Director of Software Engineering with strong expertise in API design and relational database modeling. You will be responsible for designing and implementing high-performance backend services and RESTful APIs that power our consumer-facing and internal applications. This role requires technical excellence and leadership to mentor team members and drive architectural decisions.

• Develop high-performance, scalable backend services using Java
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code
• Design and implement caching strategies for optimal performance
• Build robust error handling and logging mechanisms
• Ensure proficiency in unit and integration testing
• Deep understanding of native mobile and web multi-tiered, distributed applications

• Design and implement RESTful APIs following industry best practices and standards
• Create comprehensive API specifications using OpenAPI/Swagger
• Ensure API consistency, versioning strategies, and backward compatibility
• Implement and integrate OAuth 2.0 and SAML-based authentication
• Establish and maintain API design guidelines and patterns for the engineering team
• Understand how to leverage CDNs for API scale/optimization (e.g., Cloudflare)
• Craft API inputs/outputs to maximize CDN cache hit ratios
• Utilize API testing frameworks to ensure reliability and performance
• Experience with API performance monitoring and optimization

• Mentor junior developers on API design principles and data modeling best practices
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback
• Lead technical design discussions and architectural decisions
• Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing
• Collaborate with operational counterparts on observability metrics

Required

• 8+ years of backend development experience with at least 3 years focused on API design
• Strong understanding of RESTful principles, HTTP protocols, and web standards
• Proven track record of designing scalable, maintainable APIs

Preferred

• Experience with Apache Cayenne ORM framework
• Experience with Agrest REST API framework
• Knowledge of API gateway patterns and service mesh concepts
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Bamboo, Kubernetes)
• Experience with data processing and analysis frameworks like Apache Spark Data Frame API
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures
• Contributions to open-source projects
• Experience programming/scripting with Python
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS), S3, Kinesis, Dynamo
• Apache Flink

Education/Certifications

• Bachelor\'s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Technical Skills

• Java: Strong proficiency in Java development
• MySQL: Hands-on experience with MySQL (v. 8.0+), including performance optimization
• Data Modeling: Relational database design and data modeling best practices
• Git: Version control proficiency
• Maven: Build automation and dependency management
• Bamboo: CI/CD pipelines experience
• JAX-RS: Building RESTful web services
• Jackson: JSON processing and serialization
• POJO: Object-oriented design principles

Additional Skills

• Problem-solving and attention to detail
• Strong communication and teamwork skills

Salary range: $160,000 - $180,000. Actual base pay will be determined by experience, market, and location. NHL offers: PTO, comprehensive health benefits from day one, Employee Assistance Program, hybrid work schedule, retirement plan, commuter benefits, partner rates, and more. Full details provided during the interview process.

How to apply

When applying, please include a cover letter with your salary expectations. We thank all applicants for their interest; only qualified candidates will be contacted. No emails or phone calls, please.

EEO

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.